Reducing from 1mg prednisilone

[heli13]

Hi, I've been on prednisilone for 8 years, starting at 60mg, I'm down to 1 mg now. How do I reduce from 1 mg? Do I just halve it, then quarter or just stop taking it?!

[Hidden]

Wow Heli

That’s great news! As you suggest, half then a quarter, you can even do alternate days once you’ve completed the quarter dose if you wish.

Best of Luck 🍀

Let us know how you get on.

MrsN

[Hidden]

I would think slow and steady. There have been a couple of people that seem to have struggled doing it at one leap. Your instinct and hard work have got you to 1mg which is brilliant. And that same instinct seems to point towards 0.5mg to 0.25 etc. I am keeping my fingers crossed. 🌻😃

[Maisie1958]

Hello heli13 , I’m trying to reduce from 1mg at the moment too so any shared advice very welcome. I’ve been on prednisolone for 4 years for PMR and been hovering around 1or 2mg daily for a couple of years. Managed off completely 3 times but only for around 4-6 weeks before returning to a low dose. At the moment I’m taking 1mg daily for 5 days out of 7 this has worked ok for the last month and I might try to miss out another day next month and see. I’ve also tried halving the 1mg tablet in the past. Think it’s a case of patience and waiting till GCA/ PMR go and adrenal function is working. All the best.

[Soraya_PMR in reply to Maisie1958]

That sounds sensible, and I shall probably eek it out if/when I get there. I’d favour 0.75, 0.5, 0.25, then alternate days, one day in three, one day in four....etc. Don’t want to fall at the last hurdle!

[Hidden in reply to Soraya_PMR]

My Mum did that after being on up to 60mg of Pred for many years.

Towards the end on her lowest dose which l think was 0.5mg she actually went from every 24hours to every 36hours then 48hours........

[Soraya_PMR in reply to Hidden]

MiL never got below 5mg, started at 12.5 (she was tiny) fourteen years before. When dementia struck she muddled the GP instructions to stop her HRT, and stopped her pred instead. DISASTER! I got her back on 5mg as soon as poss, and stuck at that dose til she died. No priority to reduce then. (Quite why GP felt HRT had to stop at such a time is anyone’s guess, it lead to the most dreadful incontinence, and he wouldn’t restart pred til after blood results, I assume ESR, and can only assume it was raised as he sanctioned restart. Yup! Same daft GP I have!)

[Hidden in reply to Soraya_PMR]

It’s such a shame to cause such a big change to elderly people especially when they have Dementia as well.

[Soraya_PMR in reply to Hidden]

I agree! The only saving grace was that her dementia prevented her from knowing how dangerous the sudden lack of pred was, but it left me on tenterhooks for a week or so managing her immobility and fearing a crisis, and should I whizz her to hospital....

Her dementia took an absolute nose dive at this point which she never recovered, although mobility improved somewhat when pred restarted.

[Hidden in reply to Soraya_PMR]

Bless Her x

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi,

I did my slow taper from 1mg to 0.5mg, followed by 0. 5mg to zero.

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I would go as slowly as possible! Either split the tablet or use the DSNS approach with zero as the new lower dose - and really go slow increasing the days of no pred.

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

And there are rheumies who wouldn't turn a hair at someone remaining on 1mg that has them well forever. There are people who are absolutely fine at 1mg on alternate days - but not at anything any less.

[Hidden]

Hi heli13, I too am in the same position, at 1mg at the moment. Also I am not sure if this is enough as I occasionally get the deathly fatigue so the adrenals might not be up to speed yet. So the advice you have got from others looks good. Good luck for the final reduction.

[Thomas45]

I didn't think of cutting the 1mg pill so went from 1mg every day to 1mg alternate days then 1mg every 3rd day, then every 4th day and so on until every 7 days, and then just stopped.