[Jenkay]

I've been on low dose prednisone for almost three years and I'm wondering how you take yours.

Does anyone take alternating doses? I've been on 8 mg for the past year and when I drop to 7 it usually doesn't go well. Now I'm trying 6mg one day and 8 the next, and back and forth.

Just wondering what everyone else does.

Jen

 

[calkim]

Jen-
I have been reducing my pred for over a year now. I have been reducing by 1/2 mg every 3-4 weeks. I alternate like this sample:
3.5mg one day-3.0mg the next. I do that for about 2 weeks, then go right to 3mg daily. I have had trouble reducing even by 1mg. My doc suggested reducing by only 1/2 mg. I am down to 3mg. I have taken it really really slow, only about 1/2 mg every month or 5-6weeks. I have been feeling great and dont want to rush it.
Good luck, take your time, its sooo worth it.
Kim

 

[lin]

i dont know how it works, but everytime i try to go under 7 and 1/2 i go down hill, im back on 10mg, have not been off them for going on nearly 4yrs. it cant do us any good,

i thought Aza was to help me come off them, mmmmmmmmm i dont figure this lot at all, hope you get off them though #

Lin xx

 

[Maia]

I've never been on it for much more than 5 months, but when reducing I did not do the alternate day dosing until I got down to 2 mg or so. Getting off those last 7 mg has always been the hardest for me too. Once I go below 10 symptoms usually get worse but a lot of the time it's just an adjustment process to the lower prednisone than true worsening disease activity. I think you can expect a worsening following each drop of prednisone of even 1mg but many times it will get better if you can tough it out for 2 weeks or so.

I generally dropped 1mg every few weeks towards the end of my times on prednisone if I've been on it for over a month or two. My doctors would recommend the rate of 1mg a month but I was a bit too impatient for that and was able to manage it a bit faster

Good luck with dropping your dose. The longer you've been on it the harder it can be.

 

[Jesse88]

I don't take prednisone, but my sister with RA has been on about 5 mg. daily for nine years and about a year ago she needed a bit more so she was put on a slightly higher dose (don't know exactly what) on alternating days and that worked very well for her.