Pred Taper

[flibble]

I got the go ahead to taper off my pred. I have been on it for 1 year and 8 months at 5mgs. I was wondering if anyone had tapered off with few problems? I dropped down to 4 mgs 7 days ago and don't feel any different. Anyone?
Laura

[oesa]

Hi Flibble - I've had both easy tapers and hard ones. My last one was a piece of cake, the one before that took months - everytime I got down to about 7.5mg I'd develop a new symptom and the prednisone dose needed to be put back up to 10. I think for me it's related to the severity of the flares and how many symptoms they come with - more symptoms = a harder taper.

Glad it's going well for you!

Lisa

[lauralee77]

My tapers have not been so good. I'd been at 10 mg for almost a year. Then I had to go up to 40 for pericarditis. When I tapered back down to 10, I was in too much pain, so my doctor had to raise it to 12.5, which is where I am now. But I know it is different for everyone. You may do just fine with your tapering. I would like to get off the pred. completely, but I don't know when that'll happen. Good luck!

[kimb]

Lucky You! You are on far less Pred. than some of us. Go slow!!! I have tried to taper off 20mg about 5 times. Every time, my pericarditis came back. This time, when I get to about 15mg, I am going to stretch it out a few weeks. Good Luck.
kimb

[jude mack]

Hi Laura

I'm glad your not having problems, very lucky. I am tappering too, now at 6mgs, my pleurisey is back, my hair is falling out, and I have small symptoms that I never even had before. Anyone else loose hair on tappering Pred???? I wish you luck on the tapper and hope you stay syptom free.

Take Care
Jude

[flibble]

I am getting a little freaked out. I was hoping more people had an easy time getting off it. I sure don't want a return to the hospital with endocarditis. I never had bad side effects from being on the pred either. Maybe the dose is so small it doesn't matter that much. Thanks for all the support! Laura

[raggedyann1]

Flibble,

Remember that you are far more likely to hear the worse case scenarios and not the easy ones.
I have fibromyalgia so that made it a little tough for me. I was at 4 mg for almost a year when the rheumy said it was time to get off the pred. I did ok till i hit 2mg but that was the fibromyalgia causing trouble. So I managed to grit my teeth and bear it went to 1mg and then off 2 weeks later.Once I was off I was fine. I think when we have been below 7.5mg for a period of time our adrenal glands have had time to start working again and that makes it much easier to get off of prednisone. It also is an indication that the other medications we are taking are doing a good job controlling our lupus.
I would still taper just every 2 weeks that is what my rheumy had me do.

Take care,
Karen

[ducky_23]

Jude-

EVERY time i get below 5mg my hair begins falling out! right now i am trying to see if i can tolerate 4.5 (yet again) but if i keep shedding like this i will be back up at 5 in no time!

ducky style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/jump.gif

[jude mack]

Hi Ducky

Oh great, I am just so obbsesive with the hair thing it's ridculous. My hair had quit falling out, I was so happy. Now at 6mgs, it's falling out again. I even started counting the hairs, okay I am going NUTS. But does it stop after a bit????

Laura I'm sorry I barged in on your thread, I just couldn't help asking.

Hugs Jude

[flibble]

That's fine barge away. I have been losing hair also but I just assumed I was "blowing my coat" like a dog or a horse does in the spring. I do hate when I have to do the combover thing on the top of my head. Oh well! Laura

[Mariposa]

<span style="color:#009900"> style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/scaredy.gif Getting off 100mg/day of Predisone was a bad experience for a long time.

style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wacko.gif For six months all the signs/symptoms that I was experiencing were driving me crazy.
It's difficult to explain in detail because there were so many at different times and sometimes they were all together. It was like LUPUS turbo action with a vengance... Grrrrrr!
I am not kidding, my hubby got scared and demanded answers from my rheumy but rheumy didn't have them( as usual). My Rheumy was no help at all style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hissy1.gif she confused us even more.

Hubby, Neuro and I came to the conclusion that perhaps it was the side effects from the meds or may be it was the Lupus all that timel...I don't know. All I know is that it was awful! style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/aww.gif
One thing I'm sure of is that my hair didn't fall out. style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/shrug.gif it did before I got sick, but then again, I've been Hypothyroid for yrs. prior to this mess.

SORRY, if I didn't make sense or if I scared you... style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif I didn't mean to. I just wanted to share my case. There are many people who never went through what I did with getting off predisone...Well, that's what my rheumy says, anyways style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blink.gif

I think I got traumatized by the whole " Predisone" experience style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/hide.gif

Good luck and take care.</span>

[ami42]

Hi Laura, when tapering down on the Prednisone... I don't usually notice any "issues" if it's 5mg's or less. Like going from 30mg to 27mg. But, put me to 25mg and it will through me into a mini-flare and I will be the full effect of aches and pains. Usually affecting my sleep as well. So you are very lucky to taper down 1mg at a time & not have effects! My doctor's office says everyone is different and what may cause zero problems for one person may for another.

Hope your feeling better & the taper down will continue to help you!
Ami
style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/overhere.gif

[frono]

I flared everytime I tapered down. It wasn't easy to say the least but I finally got off pred and am doing okay. Good Luck!
I will be thinking about you.