Quick reduction - bad withdrawal -increased markers

[Nap1]

All the above insisted by rheumatologist because of steroid myopathy. So I moved to another state for a top rheumatologist who reduced my prednisone from 30 mg to 20 mg to 15,14,13,12,11 all 2 weeks apart. After 2years of .05 a month and relapsing at 12 anyway decided to do this; plus this is a famous doctor in his field of rheumatology. ESR went up to 42. CRP up to 33. He wanted to continue reducing. I went to my GP and went up to 20 mg of prednisone. The withdrawal symptoms were horrible. I felt like a heroin addict's. After this episode I took another blood test and the CRP was 10 and ESR 31 this is before I had an opportunity to go up to 20. So the numbers went down by themselves. Today is day number 6 on 20mg and I take another blood test on Tuesday. I am shocked at how far down the numbers went without additional prednisone and just don't understand what happened. Could the horrible withdrawal have anything to do with the increase in blood numbers. One of those days my sugar went up to 216 after I threw up. (I am prediabetic). Prior to this relapse everything was normal. My normal ESR is in teens and CRP 1.5. When do I go back to 15? Do I wait until and if I get to my normal? I am Hoping I still continue to decrease in blood numbers. Thank you.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Both ESR and CRP can be raised for other reasons - and CRP will increase due to stress. Reducing at that rate would be pretty stressful.

I don't care how renowned they are - they can still forget that patients are all different.

I wouldn't go straight to 15, I'd have a few days at 17.5 on the way down.

[Nap1 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you so much for your valued input. Marilyn

I have an interesting video on TCZ for more trials that were done recently I just don't know how to send them to you it's on Facebook. Will make a stop at 17.5 for a while but first have to get back to normal before any reductions.