I have been weaning from pred. Went from 10 to 5 mg. for 2 weeks and just cut that in half to 2.5. I have been getting headaches at night, blaming it on a cold. Now the cold is gone but still getting headaches. Anyone know if weaning from pred. can cause headaches? I took 1 mg. tonight to see if it helps. Thanks you guys. Most definately YES! I have found that whenever I wean the pred I get
headaches. It is usually a sign that you are weaning too quickly. At one
point I took 80mg. Currently down to five--yea for me! Also, when you
are at the high doses you can wean fairly quickly until to get to the lower
doses. Then you really have to slow it down. Going from 80 to 20 took
only a few weeks. Once you get below 10 you really have to take it slow.
Your Dr. can probably give you a good weaning schedule. Also, if you
wean to quicky your body can respond by providing you with a wicked
flare. I know that when I got to 10mg and was weaning I would do 7.5 a
day then 10mg a day. I would alternate them for a few weeks and then
do 7.5 and 5...and so on. Alot depends on just how long you have been
on the pred.
good luck..
becky
Hi Roxy,
How you doin? I'm weaning off Pred too at the moment, after 9 years on doses between 80-10mg I'm finally hoping to cut it altogether. I'm up to the same point as you, I've been taking 2.5mg for about 4 weeks now and just dropped to 2mg (then 1mg then off hopefully!) five days ago; have had headaches every time I drop. On the big doses they were more like migraines but now I just get a constant ache. Becky is right, it's best to go reaaaal slow, make sure you have absolutely no negative effects before moving on to the next drop to allow your body to recover.
Take care and good luck,
Moonie x
Hey Roxy............
i too - have had to ween off a lot of pred.........and OH YES .. headaches....
my doctor said = that as a rule - the longer you've been on it - the slower to taper off.
he had me going down 2.5 mgs at a time and decrease it every 3 days. until i got to 2.5 mg... and then i went to 2 mg for 3 days - then 1 mg and stayed on that for a week or so.
sometimes, it can take months to do it that way - but it helps with the headaches.......... and is better for your adrenal gland.
hope that helps.
woobie
Thanks you guys. I really didn't realize. Patience IS NOT my middle name. I am going back up to 3.5 and try that for a couple weeks. Not worth the headaches. I have made too much progress to blow it now. My rd just said after five mg. I could try cutting it in half for two weeks but to listen to my body. He didn't say anything about headaches and my joints are still doing GREAT.
Hey Moonie. Good to see you.
I never was on that high of Prednisone as the rest of you but I do remember that when I was weaning off the first time, I did have some pretty terrible headaches. Like Roxy is about to do, I went back to 5 mg of Prednisone and then each week, after that, I would cut down by 1 mg., till I was through with the Prednisone. My Doctor, calculated how many 1 mg pills it would take me to remove myself totally from the Prednisone and ordered the amount of 1 mg tablets for me. You might want to ask your doctors if that can be done for you. The 1 mg tablets are easier to calculate with after you get to the 7 mg stage.
Sometimes, like today, I wish I was back on Prednisone but definitely not with all the side effects. Isn't it funny how we all have those Love/Hate feelings for Prednisone?
Hope everyone is planning a nice week end adventure. I am... I am going to kick b--- in my guest bedroom and finally get it ready for guest. Now that's an adventure.
Toni
opps, I forgot to add my winking emoticon...Hi,
I have also recently weaned myself off pred. from 20mg to 15mg. I thought I had to do it like 2.5mg at a time but my doctor said I didn't have to. I don't have any headaches.....Thank God!
I hated all the weight I've gained.
Does anyone know if reducing only 5mg will help me lose some weight??? Hope so!
I'm weaning off pred at the moment. I was only on 10 for about 3 months but started to wean by going to 7.5. Big mistake. Back up to 10 and down 1mg per week. Takes lots more time but I'm down to 6 and tomorrow go down to 5. No headaches or bad effects this time. I am hoping for some weight loss I went up like a baloon when I started. 10 lb would be nice.
Pam
Hi,
I started with 60mg of Prednisone in June of 2004. I am currently and 1mg and am hurting and having difficulty sleeping. The pain does lessen in the middle of the day. Mornings and nights are the worse. I was prescribed this for Polymyalgia Rheumatica. My question is now that I am down to 1mg will I be able to start losing weight and will some of the puffiness go away and if so how long will it take. Do I have to be completely off of this stuff to have the side effects lessen? If possible I would like to stay at a low dosage at least long enough to lose some weight. It is so hard on the body carrying around this extra weight and it does not help with the self-esteem either.
JMBR, I can so relate. I have gained twenty pounds and I feel like I am carrying twenty pounds when I walk. I came down from 15 mg. to 4 mg. now and no weight loss yet. It has taken me three months to get down this far. I have the moon face you hear about and just feel dumpy. I am going down slow because feeling bad from weaning just makes me less active. I do not have the mood swings like I did at 15 mg. so that side effect went away. I think everyone is different. I am looking forward to hearing some of the feedback you get from others. Roxi gained 30lbs on prednisone. was taking 20mgs a day. now i do not take it anymore and lost 43lbs.Hi,
Did you start to lose weight before you were completely off? How soon after being off the prednisone before you noticed a weight loss? I am so wanting to lose some of this weight.
Thank you roxy and 1tko for your reponses. It so helps to have feedback from others.
hi JMBR
when i was down to 5mgs a day i started losing a few lbs. went to 2 and a half mgs, after a month on 2 and a half mgs i was off prednisone totally and lost 43lbs in 3 months.
best wishes to you.
1tko,tu painrelief!
i am sure it was the prednisone. most of my family is built like string beans. sometimes i think weight size is genetic though.
at work i try to walk 25 minutes of my lunch hour. im also firm believer in eating several healthy small meals a day. stop eating when your stomach feels comfortable; try to avoid cakes, cookies, and candy. that is hard for me. i don't really diet, those are just a few things i do.
best of luck in your weight loss.