So close and yet so far away – tapering to 1 mg

Going from 2 mg to 1 mg is a 50% drop in one fell swoop and would suggest a 10% incremental drop instead to help mitigate the increased soreness and spasms in your arms.

You'll need a pill cutter if you don't have one which can be a bit of a pain but slow and steady wins the race and I have no doubt you will get there.

@noti, this information may help you decide what to do:
https://www.webmd.com/rheumatoid-arthritis/prednisone-taper

It is something akin to tightrope walking. You can fall off at any stage of tapering and you need to be careful during the beginning stages, in the middle stages and when you are close to the end. You need to go at your own pace and it isn't a race. Your goal is to taper off but when that happens, only you can decide. You have to be more careful near the end of the tightrope because you will be very fatigued and your muscles will ache but that is likely because of how far you have come.

I'm not sure how much help your doctor will be near the end of tightrope but maybe they can lend you a hand. If it isn't PMR, your hormones, including your cortisol level, need to regain some balance too.

I had an uncomfortable and worrisome few days after the taper to 1 mg. I was able to make it through tai chi class yesterday, which helped take the edge off a little bit. Last night, after writing the forum, I had a cup of turmeric ginger tea, and was surprised to feel some relief, which enabled me to do a tiny bit of stretching. This morning I felt noticeable improvement.

My PCP situation is weird. My last one had one foot out the door all year. The enormous practice I go to, that is swallowing up the state, assigned me a new PCP in January, telling me in advance that I had to accept whoever I was assigned or leave the practice. I haven’t met the guy yet, I’ve just messaged him over the patient portal about tapering and refills so far. My yearly exam is in early May.

Anyway, for that reason I need to consult him before I start making changes to my dose, as I don’t want to start off on the wrong foot.
So if I continue to see at least some improvement I’m leaning towards waiting a few more days, if not I’ll have to ask about either going back to 2mg or up to 1.5mg, which would be my preference.

Based on my conversations with the PA at the Rheumatologists office I see they look at the pred taper schedule in pretty black and white terms. You drop 1 mg every 6-8 weeks and tada you are done. That has not been my expereince. I've been stuck at 2mg/day for since December of 2024. I've been at 1mg for a few days but the pain has returned. It's been a complicated journey, on days when I'm super active I have a little more pain. On days when my diet is not quite what it should be I have more pain. I tried to add some resistance training to beat the pain out my shoulders that hasn't worked so far. I would agree that going from 2 directly to 1 mg is a big step down. I'm going to take another run at 1.5 mg/day this week.
Best of Luck!

I think I would go back to 2 for a few days, then 1.5 for a month, then 1 for another month, then 0.5 etc. Worked for me, no issues worth mentioning.

Good luck to you too!

I'd be tempted to just do that. But it will be better if the PCP is on board. I'll see what he says if it still feels necessary this week.
When I was in between PCPs I tapered from 4 to 3.5 and did well. But when I went from3.5 to 3 I had a hard time. When I went from 3 to 2 I did pretty okay, but it took me the full 30 days to adjust, and I waited an extra 5 days to feel "sure" about going to 1.

It has taken me 18mths to get to 0.5mg Prednisone per day. I cut my 1mg into quarters and this last few mg has been the slowest reduction. I have had to stay on some doses for up to a month before I felt I could drop another quarter mg. Other times it has been a week or two weeks, I listen to the fatigue, stiffness and pain and how much I can get done in a day. I'm actually flying interstate tomorrow to visit grandkids tomorrow. 12mths ago I was struggling to get in and out of a car and couldn't walk more than 50 yards. Don't give up, try to find what works for you.

Yes, I have to remind myself that a year ago l was so confused about having trouble even getting out of bed or putting on a seat belt, and wasn’t even ready to get help. I thought I could somehow fix it myself. Have a great time with the grandkids!