Tapering advice

[Leepeelee]

Hi, just looking for some further advise on tapering preds??

I started on 20mg preds in January this year with advise from my GP to taper. After several flares due to tapering to fast and then eventually gaining some great advise from here, I have now reached 10mg. I have experienced withdrawals along the way which haven't been very pleasant but manageable

My latest taper was from 11mg - 10mg which was 10 days ago, I had about a week of withdrawals to put up with and now things are good again.

Now that I am at 10mg, how long should I leave it before I try tapering further, and should I do this at 1mg stages or 1/2mg stages.

I am aiming to get as low as possible at a reasonable pace as I am aware that a daily Pred dose of 5mg or lower is much safer in the present covid crisis!

[Theziggy]

Lot of tapering plans here Leepeelee steroidtaper.azurewebsites....

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Most can reduce at monthly intervals - depending on symptoms or rather lack of them!

I reduced by 1mg until I reached 7mg and then went to 0,5mg - but some try 0.5mg. Also used my slow taper from 6mg.

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

But it’s all individual- and it’s not a race. Once you get below 10mg it can become more difficult rather than easier to reduce - much more of a fine line between being enough Pred - and not!

[Hidden]

And these are more tapering ideas

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Rushing to get to 5mg won't change anything for you at present - it is the history of being at a high enough dose of pred to suppress adrenal function in recent months that matters. So take that out of the equation.

Since you obviously experience a lot of withdrawal discomfort, you would be better dropping by 1/2mg at a time. But using one of the slowed tapers will also help there - where you only challenge your body with the new lower dose one day at a time at the start and go back to the dose that it is used to inbetween.

[Arflane97G]

I have been tapering down 1 mg a month but once I got to 5mg decided to taper 0.5 mg a month so currently at 4.5 mg. it took a while to adjust but 10 days in and I feel fine but afternoon naps and yoga really help. Best wishes and good luck!

[Susan1705]

I was on 20 in Dec, down to 15 in Jan and 10 by March. Tapering now 1mg every 3 weeks (as advised by my GP). Currently on 8. Tough going with days that are really grim, though does ease. I found that alternating for a week eg 8/9 before going to 8 everyday helps

[Wanne]

Hi o have reduced from 20 down to 5 at present. Reducing 1 a month .since going on 5. I am reducing every 2 months .the best thing for me was to stop taking alondronic acid. Much better for that good luck