Cold tapering and asthma :  Been tapering from 4... - PMRGCAuk

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Cold tapering and asthma

Nap1 profile image
Nap1
6 Replies

 Been tapering from 40 last number was 30/25 when I started to feel achy. Been on 25  over a week and got a cold and my asthma kicked in. Also have headache  which went away with aspirin. The question is should I take a blood test and if I do  wouldn't it possibly be higher because of the cold? I do not want to mistake  The high numbers for a relapse when it is my asthma and a bad cold. It has taken a very long time to get to 25 approximately nine months. And the prednisone has made me very sick. Can tapering at high number make you sickly nd weak?

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DorsetLady profile image
DorsetLadyPMRGCAuk volunteer

Hi Nap,

If you have an ESR test, then yes cold and asthma are likely to give you a higher reading, so you won't get a true PMR reading. So no point really. Not sure whether a CRP test is more accurate, my local surgery only seems to do ESR. 

When I was on higher doses, and reducing at 5mg at a time I certainly felt the effects of withdrawal symptoms for a few day - not exactly ill or in pain particularly but certainly yucky and a bit lethargic and short tempered. At that time I was doing an overnight drop, but once I started a slower reduction plan, then no problems. 

If you don't already, you may find a slower reduction helps, that may be all you need to alleviate your sickly feelings. Hope so! 

Nap1 profile image
Nap1 in reply toDorsetLady

 Thank you Dorsetlady.  From what I understand I do both like tests since the ESR is not a true reading unless it's done within four hours of being drawn.  My reductions in 2.5 since July 2015. I'm not sure how much slower I should go.  I am quite accustomed to muscle pain since Epstein-Barr in my younger days.  I was also very sick as a child with mononucleosis again with muscle issues. So I don't mind   The aches I find it normal and some fatigue as well. I have a feeling that with the GCA  The PMR has returned. I will wait a week and then take my blood test. My iPad is  acting up so if my sentences are run-on that's why. Thank you again   

DorsetLady profile image
DorsetLadyPMRGCAuk volunteer in reply toNap1

When you reduce do you go from one dose to the other overnight, or do you stagger the reduction over a number of weeks? That's what I mean by a slower reduction, not necessarily the amount reduced. Hope that makes sense. 

Nap1 profile image
Nap1 in reply toDorsetLady

I guess I do not stagger I just do  30 one day and 25 the next and so on.  I thought with the high doses 5mg was ok and I'm doing  (in my brain ) 2.5. My cold and aches are letting up. Only the asthma lingers forever. How else should I stagger. By the way this has worked for me when I was on 40mg even through the herpes I was able to keep on this regime. Just stayed a little longer on 30/35. 

Nap1 profile image
Nap1 in reply toNap1

Now Ivey you DorsetLafy. I stay on that 23/30 for a month. 

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply toNap1

The further down the doses you go the higher the percentage drop becomes. Top US experts some years ago suggested it was good not to reduce more than 10% of the current dose to avoid problems. 5mg is now nearer 20% of your dose so I really would suggest that a smaller step-down might well help. Although some people manage the 5mg drops OK, others don't and doing 2.5mg twice per month does the same as 5mg once - but with probably less discomfort.

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