Should have known better

[kimsaunsc]

Would love some advice after thinking I could reduce from 10 to 8 without a problem! Since diagnosis in May ( after starting at 12 and ending up at 32 ) my tapering has gone very nicely. Each reduction was followed by a few days of fatigue but no new pains. Had been splitting my dose between am and pm. When I reduced to 8 I started taking at 2 am. A week or so later my PMR pain is starting back in shoulders. I know I know- should have listened to all the advice I have read here and not made the last reduction of 20%! Following the Rheumatologist advice has set me back. (Why do I think the Dr knows best? My hubby is a Dr and he he doesn’t always know best 😁) Have taken an additional 2 this morning to get me to 10 today.

Do you think I should try the ten for a week and see if that is enough? Or do I need to go up further to nip the inflammation more quickly?

Thank you!!!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Difficult to say - you may have caught it quickly enough but all you probably need is 13mg for a few days and drop back to 10mg. Even the reduction schedules you find in the medical literature say 1mg at a time from 10mg!!! Not just us ...

[kimsaunsc in reply to PMRpro]

Well perhaps she has not read all the current literature. She still says I am atypical be use of my age !!! Hope the medical community will catch up with the real community soon.

Thanks

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to kimsaunsc]

How old are you?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to PMRpro]

Mid 50s. Another doctor behind the times.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Ditto to PMRpro's comments.

As you're in US, does that mean you can only get 2mg tablets? or can you get 1mg on prescription?

If so I would request them, and then reduce by only 1mg in future...if not available then so long as the tablets are the plain white variety they can be cut - pill cutters available in pharmacies or online.

Just as an aside - 12mg is a low dose to start on - which is probably why you had to increase.

[kimsaunsc in reply to DorsetLady]

The Medrol does not come in 1 mg but I should be able to split it.

[Meggsy]

I couldn’t even do 1 mg from 10. I tried 9mg twice to no avail, so have tapered by 0.5mg since. Presently 3mg.

[kimsaunsc in reply to Meggsy]

How long has it taken you to get to 3? And did you reduce .5 mg each time? Thanks

[Meggsy]

Yes, I tapered by .5 from 10mg. It was mostly monthly till I got to 5. I stayed there for about 3 months as I had family staying, followed by a 450km drive there and back to visit my youngest son’s family, came home and picked up a nasty coughing virus which hung around for a month. From 5mg I have tapered by .5mg but have stayed for 6 or 7 weeks each time. Presently on 3 for 7 weeks and thinking about dropping down again soon. The lower I go, the slower I go.

[kimsaunsc in reply to Meggsy]

Great advice! Thanks so much for sharing your plan.

[Meggsy in reply to kimsaunsc]

It’s not really a definite plan, I just go by how I feel. I’m feeling quite comfortable on 3mg at the moment and have always been a little apprehensive about dropping down once I was under 5mg. I guess I will have to take the plunge soon with 🤞.

I hope things settle for you soon. 🌻