Split dose

[barbthy]

Hello, I'm back again with the same problem. I had been splitting my dose - 8.5 in AM and 5 at 6PM. After reading that full dose in morning is preferred I tried and the past 2 mornings I not only have arm and shoulder pain it is now in hips - stiff!! I have been on this dose for a month and want to reduce by 1mg. If I go back to split dose how do I divide it and how would I do the slow reduction. I have been on prednisone since June and feel like I am going backwards. Started at 15 and go up and down.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi barbthy,

If you are better on split dose then go back to it - whatever suits you, suits you. Yes it recommended that full dose be taken am, but if it’s not working, then you try something different.

You could try taking full dose early hours, say before 4am ish, and then go back to sleep giving it time to work - but that doesn’t suit everybody.

If you want to continue splitting, then approx 2/3rds am, 1/3rd bedtime. So depending on what tablets you have you could do 8/5 or 8/4.5. You don’t have to decrease 1mg a month, can do smaller, but don’t do either until you’ve got symptoms back under control.

Many tapers - see Pinned Post - Steroid Taper Web Application or following (which is one on there anyway) **********

1st week - Sun & Thurs new dose (Mon, Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat old dose)

2nd week - Sun, Tues & Thurs new dose (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sat old dose)

3rd week - Sun, Tues, Wed, Thurs new dose (Mon, Fri, Sat old dose)

4th week - Sun, Tues, Wed, Thurs & Sat new dose (Mon, Fri old dose)

5th week - every day new dose

[jinasc]

Send an email to [e-mail] and both plans will be sent to you free of charge. Subject Heading 'Reduction Plans'.

Try a 'Duvet' sandwich.

If you wake early, have a cup of tea and a piece of bread, take you pred and snuggle down for an hour. Then a warm shower and you will find a difference.

Also, have you had your Vit D Level checked. Vit D deficiency causes aches and pains just like PMR.

[barbthy in reply to jinasc]

Yes Vitamin D level was good

[PMRpro Ambassador]

First of all go back to your split dose and get the niggles settled before you try any reduction. I think if it were me I would take the 0.5mg off the morning dose for the first attempt.