Weaning Prednisone -- help | Arthritis Information

 

I started on 15 mg -- 10 in the a.m. and 5 in p.m.  I dropped the night to 2.5 about a month ago, and my recent visit, she told me to cut out the night 2.5 that was remaining so I am down to 10 in the a.m. only.

I have been off it about three nights and my mornings have been really painful.  The first drop wasn't hard.  Will it improve in days? 

Any advice, tips?  She said if I got too painful with weaning to stay where I was -- but I really want to get down.  I am supposed to drop 1 mg a month to 7 at our next appointment.  I don't think I can even get to 10 at this rate.

Please give me weaning tips, stories, advice.  I am feeling really helpless for the first time in a while.  I hate pred, but will use it if I have to for longer.  But dangit, I wanted to move down.  I am on MTX and she wants to see how it works before I get on another drug.

I have the same problem. I had gotten up to 20 and my doctor freaked. I'm down to 14 now, going down at 1 mg per month. I've read that others go up a day and then down. So, if I'm having a really bad day and all the other pain meds, resting, etc. are helping, I will go up at least 1 mg for one or two days. Then I go back to dose I'm supposed to be at. I'm about to drop down to 13 on the 1st.

I just can't seem to get down either. They would love to see me at 7. But my doc said no more than 1 mg reduction per month otherwise I would flare.

Hope this helps some.

AZ - I started out at 20, and I'm down to 5. I decided that no matter how much it hurt, I was just going to cut it out (actually, my doctor said NOT to drop below 7.5 this month).

When I first drop, it's usually pretty bad, but then it does level out. I know that if I want to get rid of the pain, I can always up the dose - but I've just decided to live with some pain. If it gets too bad, if my feet or hands swell too much (lately, it's been the wrists), I always know it's there. Although my hands & feet feel not as good, the rest of me is doing, much, much better. Most of the cravings are gone. My heart feels better, my head clearer. In general, I'm willing to accept pain as a trade off.
Yeah, I feel the same way.  It is a trade off.  I have had mostly wrist pain in the right wrist, which is what concerns me the most.  I am going to give it some time, and if it doesn't balance out a bit, I may get myself on one mg a night for a little bit, then go down to the 10. 


Oh, I do have one inspiration that keeps me going. I seem to start losing weight as I go down and my moon face diminishes. Sometimes, it's enough to get me through one more day on a lower dose.AZ,  I have totally weaned from 20 mg.  It was such a long process but I did find that you had to put up with hurting a few days after each reduction.  I weaned by half every week.  After I got down to five I weaned by one.  I think it took me about six months but I love being prednisone free.  I still had to get a cortisone shot but I think they are not as harmful.  Good luck. 

So the pain does go away?

I have been on pred since january at 10mg a day.  I was told to drop it to 5mg and keep it there.  I tried and flaired for 2-3 days and it was horrible.

So i went to 7.5 which has been fine, i have done this for a few weeks now and am about to go to 5 but am still a bit afraid of the amount of pain that comes with it.

So does it flair us for a few days?  Is that what the pain was and then it goes down?

Well, I told my mom what was happening, and she told me that she would wean a half a milligram every two weeks and that she never had any problems doing it that gradual.

My doc gave me a scrip for one milligram pills, so I am going to use those and the pill cutter and do it gradually over the next few days.
I would love to do it that way but the pills are so tiny that my 1/4 is already a itty bitty piece, I'm afraid if i tried to cut it in half it would become crumbs.Shanbr,  Get the 1 mgs.  Yes, it is common to suffer some pain when weaning, it took me a long time but I am so happy to be pred. free.  Now when I flare, I take pain meds and the flares go away after time THANK GOD.  I really don't want to go back on pred. and if the flare is bad I will do a medpack (I think that is what they are called ) where you start weaning right away or cortisone shots.  Pred. really made me miserable
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