Tapering schedules- what to do when you flare up... - PMRGCAuk

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Tapering schedules- what to do when you flare up/react?

Sydney0503 profile image
5 Replies

Hi everyone, I'm a new member and was diagnosed at 52 last Oct (2020). I got from 15 to 12.5 mg ok, then tried 11 for 1 week then 10 , body not happy (mildly) so back to 11 and then did a taper of 1 day old, 1 new, 1 old 2 new etc to get to 10-stayed at 10 for a week and started to try the same to get to 9. Got to day 3 of doing 4 days on 9 and have finally accepted it is a flare/tapering reaction and not pulled muscle!

I now realise I am not doing DSNS correctly but thought as the 11 to 10 was OK, I might be OK again . So any advice where to go from here? I thought back to 10 for say 3/4 days and assuming that's ok, start a proper DSNS from there? Thanks for any advice.

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Sydney0503 profile image
Sydney0503
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5 Replies
DorsetLady profile image
DorsetLadyPMRGCAuk volunteer

If it were me, I’d go back to 12.5mg - get stabilised again, maybe staying 2-3 weeks. Your body has been up and down a bit recently and needs to get back on track.

The DSNS - or any other reduction plan - will only work if your illness let’s it! If you need 12.5mg at the moment, you need 12.5mg - you will get lower, but not just yet.

When you start again, you could always try only 0,5mg a time......

better to take very small steps than try larger ones and end up with issues.

4 months in is very early days...you need to be a bit more patient. Not easy I know, but really it’s the only way.

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador

You are trying to go far too fast - you are better aiming for 1mg per MONTH, not per week.

The whole DSNS cycle should last about a month depending on where you start and while I know some people find the description difficult I am totally flumoxed trying to work out what you were trying to do.

jinasc profile image
jinasc in reply to PMRpro

Me too.

Sydney0503 profile image
Sydney0503 in reply to PMRpro

Hi thanks for your response, I was trying to gradually step down to the lower dose but realise I was missing out the first part of the taper so I was going straight to 1 old, 1 new, 1 old, 2 new, 1 old 3 new etc . I appreciate it's too fast but I am new to this and figure that some gradual taper rather than x weeks at 10, x weeks at 9 which I think won't be great for me . All advice welcome 😀

PMRpro profile image
PMRproAmbassador in reply to Sydney0503

Ah so!! Hadn't though of that. Though plenty of doctors would tell you to do 1 day old, one day new for a week and then go to the new dose. Or even just from every day old to every day new with no smaller step.

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