Dead slow, nearly stop taper

[HelenDaisy]

I'm following this super slow tapering, but have a (probably stupid) question.

When you leave 6 days, then 5, then 4 etc between new dosage, do you include the dose day in the 6 days?

Such as:

1 new 6 old : If you start on 20th Sept with new dose, and leave 6 days until the next new dose, is that dose on 26th or 27th Sept?

Are there 6 full days between doses, or do you take it on the 6th day?

I hope I'm clear, but I am super-fuzzy headed atm.

Thanks!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Six full days - but it doesn't really matter because you are always leaving one less day between the single days of new dose.

Maybe it is clearer if you think of taking a calendar with a square per day and 2 different coloured highlighters. Mark Day 1 in one colour, count 6 days/squares and mark each in colour 2. Then 1 day in colour 1, five days in the other colour, 1 day colour one, 4 days colour 2 and so on.

Does that help?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

1 day new -20th

6 days old - so 21,22,23,24,25,26

So 27th would be next new dose.

[HelenDaisy in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you. That all makes sense! I guess it doesn’t matter too much as long as you’re tapering.

[TheMoaningViolet]

Sorry to barge in on this post HelenDaisy, but I have been looking at DSNS taper for a while now and wondering whether there is a way to slow down the stage when the new dose starts to be administered on multiple days. Has anyone tried some creative accounting with the new dose?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

I do say that you can do any stage more than once to slow it down further and even stop at any stage if you find the next one too much. Nothing is written in stone ...

[Jackoh in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

Repeating a stage more than once was a bit of a revelation to me!! Sounds ridiculous I know but I am the type of person that follows a recipe etc to the letter!! 😂It has really helped me to be slow and at times, extra slow, with the reduction!

[HelenDaisy in reply to Jackoh]

I know just what you mean! My problem is that I have had back surgery, and the pain has been hips, lower back and legs.....so similar to PMR that I've got confused!

[Jackoh in reply to HelenDaisy]

Yes must be difficult.

[BoaterAnnie in reply to TheMoaningViolet]

I do that. I have added an additional week to the whole taper plan. So right before the week where you start doing multiple days on the new dose, I added a week of alternating. That seems to be going well for me.

[HelenDaisy in reply to BoaterAnnie]

That seems like a good idea.

[TheMoaningViolet in reply to BoaterAnnie]

I was thinking exactly that! Thank you.