1. < Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)

Has anyone successfully weaned off prednisone without using a biologic

Posted by tobeybaby @tobeybaby, Aug 16 10:01am

Has anyone successfully weaned off prednisone without using a biologic and if so, how long did it take and what were your symptoms along the way?

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abbeyc | @abbeyc | Aug 25 9:18am
In reply to @johnbishop "Welcome @yertondg, Sorry you've had such a struggle with PMR and hopefully the new rheumatologist can..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Welcome @yertondg, Sorry you've had such a struggle with PMR and hopefully the new rheumatologist can help you taper off of prednisone. You are right that each case is different. My first time with PMR took 3 and half years to taper off with the last six months going back and forth between 1 mg and 1/2 mg until I finally could taper off and only have minimal aches and pain when I woke up in the morning that would go away as I started moving around. @dadcue and others may also have some suggestions for you.

There is a slow tapering plan that is listed on the HealthUnlocked PMR site that you might find helpful -
Dead slow and nearly stop reduction plan (DSNS - Tapering)
https://healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk/posts/131189593/dead-slow-and-nearly-stop-reduction-plan
Do you keep a daily log of your level of pain when you get up in the morning and your prednisone dose for that day?

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This is inspirational. I got down to 1mg but also had those minimal aches that quickly went away but I thought we were supposed to feel zero pain so I ignorantly went back to 10mg and am now tapering again.
Did your morning short aches ever permanently go away?

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DadCue | @dadcue | Aug 25 9:46am
In reply to @jabrown0407 "I hope you have returned to the bank to take that teller a bouquet of roses!..." + (show)
@jabrown0407

I hope you have returned to the bank to take that teller a bouquet of roses! And good for you for following her advice. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that I suspect something inside you knew things were not normal and once the bank teller pointed it out you realized how completely your life was out of focus.
I hope a neighbor was able to rescue your meatloaf. Life is always interesting.

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Not so much the bank teller but I did consider taking flowers to the doctor in the urgent care center. I still regret that I never did mostly because I was too embarrassed by the whole thing. That doctor was petite and I wasn't very nice to her. She was the one that called the ambulance and wasn't going to let me leave. I sized her up and there was no way she could have stopped me. I wasn't aggressive or anything. To be honest, I was so short of breath I wasn't going to get very far if I had tried to leave.

The people in the emergency room called my wife to tell her I was being admitted to the intensive care unit. My wife went home and rescued the meatloaf.

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