I will be down to 2.5 mg of Pred starting tomorrow. I have mixed feelings about it because I am beginning to feel symptomatic. At 6mg and 15mg of MTX I felt 95% like my self. This last week at4 mg I have been achy, stiffer and my joints are beginning feel warm again. Its not all the time, but I'll look up and my thumb and index joints will be warm to the touch. I don't have much swelling, but the stiffness is increasing and I have short periods of pain, then it goes away. I'm thinking I may need an anti-inflammatory in addition to the MTX. Maybe my body is just adjusting to less Pred candy.Hi Caprice, I know when I get anywhere under 10mg of pred, I flare so I know how you feel, just go really slowly, you have got this far, take it a bit slower and see if that helps, its better than having to go right back up on it again, best of luck on the MTX, you could possibly stay on 5mg of pred and 15mg of MTX, my rheumy said he would not be concerned if I had to stay on 2.5 to 5mg of pred for the rest of my life, but no more than that. Just a thought in case you can't do without it. Hugs Janie.
Caprice, are you flaring while you are tapering down the pred? Maybe they can add something to help with that and get you off the pred completly? Are they able to do that for you also Jane? I know we all hate taking more meds then we have to but if it'll get us off pred it may be worth it. I am currently down to 10 and I am dreading weaning down cause I know I will flare but i dont know what else they can give me less they up my mtx a little more. well we will find out in september i guessI was never on more than 5 mg, but I'm finding I can't go under 2 mg without serious effects. Of course right now's not the time for me to do it...I'm in the processing of moving...but I think I'm going to talk to my rheumy about staying on the 2 mg for a few months at least.I'm also trying to wean. The last time I tried, I got horribly sick at 5mg and had to up my dose. Since then, I've added Humira, and am essentially symptom free. I'm back down to 6mg, and am dropping .5mg every two weeks. I'm praying that the combination of Humira and 7.5mg of MTX will give my body the ability to get off of pred once and for all. If I can get below 5mg and feel as good as I do right now, I'll be ecstatic.
I too was a little symptomatic while going down but my doc said just go ahead and do it. So, I ignored the minor symptoms I had and went off completely and within a few weeks I was good as gold.
No pred, no symptoms either.
Hi, Know what you mean. I went on vacation and was on 5, then took a couple of extras, just in case. 7 for 2 days then back to 5 at home. Ya know what I was good Monday, but now very very tired (did mtx yesterday 20mgs, yesterday), I've been taking 5mgs preds in the morning and another 1mg (I have those), in the afternoon. I want to have lots of energy!!, Lynda
MTX and Enbrel works just fine for me, no pred. I think I started off it when I started the MTX, but I started on 60 mg, so it took a while. No, wait, I started on 30 but then doc bumped to 40 then to 60.
Hope things go so well for you too
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