Down to 1mg prednisone and then extreme fatigue sets in.

It's been a year since I was diagnosed with PMR. In October I was down to 2mg of Prednisone daily. I was doing really well, I thought, and I had had an appointment with an Internist (referred by my family doctor). She requested blood tests and she said they came back good. I have managed to decrease my Prednisone by 1 mg ever 3 months. The beginning of January this past week, I went down to 1mg. The past two days, strange things started to happen. I woke up in the middle of the night with a very stiff neck and noticed my jaw was getting extremely sore. On top of that, I've become very tired. It's like a flare up and a set-back. I thought I was coming to the finish line with this PMR thing. I've read about when you have stiff neck and jaw pain that it can be serious. I've gone back to 2mg and hope this will calm it down. Has anyone else had similar experiences?

@allinge It becomes more difficult to reduce Prednisone as you get into the very low doses....when you take 10 mg and reduce to 9mg, that is a 10% drop. When you drop from 2 mg to 1 mg, it is a 50% drop. This is why I use a pill splitter and cut my 1 mg tablets into 2 halves. Then I use the Dead Slow Drop protocol (search this forum on Dead Slow Drop) to reduce. And even then, its taking time. Currently, I have paused my efforts to reduce Prednisone (I'm taking 2.5 mg/day plus Kevzara) in order to pursue my fitness goals. I used to be active but PMR caused me to have problems with pain, stiffness and I flammation when trying exercise (rheumatologist doesn't want me in the pool) and then I found reformer Pilates and the Egym and wow!! Now Im able to do some walking for exercise, twice a week Pilates and twice a week Egym. Rheumatologist agrees on prioritizing exercise at this Prednisone dose.

So - decreasing at low doses can be a complex juggling act, and take time. Everyone here seems to have a particular combo of approaches that work for them.

@allinge It becomes more difficult to reduce Prednisone as you get into the very low doses....when you take 10 mg and reduce to 9mg, that is a 10% drop. When you drop from 2 mg to 1 mg, it is a 50% drop. This is why I use a pill splitter and cut my 1 mg tablets into 2 halves. Then I use the Dead Slow Drop protocol (search this forum on Dead Slow Drop) to reduce. And even then, its taking time. Currently, I have paused my efforts to reduce Prednisone (I'm taking 2.5 mg/day plus Kevzara) in order to pursue my fitness goals. I used to be active but PMR caused me to have problems with pain, stiffness and I flammation when trying exercise (rheumatologist doesn't want me in the pool) and then I found reformer Pilates and the Egym and wow!! Now Im able to do some walking for exercise, twice a week Pilates and twice a week Egym. Rheumatologist agrees on prioritizing exercise at this Prednisone dose.

So - decreasing at low doses can be a complex juggling act, and take time. Everyone here seems to have a particular combo of approaches that work for them.

@aussiedogmom I think the fatigue stems from reduced adrenal function. It sometimes takes months for full recovery. I noticed fatigue at 2mm. I’ve now been off steroids for 6 months and I’m still not 100%. It’s definitely improving though, so I’m optimistic.