Tapering but no 1mg pills here

[Abykarma]

I've managed to taper down to 10mg Pred using DL schedule - so grateful for the invaluable info on this forum. PMR was diagnosed in March and I started at 40mg but soon got down to 15mg.

My problem is that 1mg pills are not available in my country - only 5mg. I wanted to taper to 9mg but it's impossible. By halving a 5mg pill, I would have to drop down to 7.5mg - that seems to go against what I've read as the smallest taper is the best.

Would it be risky to drop to 7.5mg from 10mg - can I expect to get a return of the pain by doing so?

Any advice greatly appreciated.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Any chance of cutting into quarters? That would give you approx 1.25mg…. doesn’t matter if not exact.

If that proves impossible, you could consider using the ultra long taper - it would still mean dropping by 2.5mg, but as it takes longer to get from current dose to lower one it might work out. But unfortunately you won’t know until you try.

[Abykarma in reply to DorsetLady]

If I get a pill cutter, I can try cutting into quarters. Many thanks.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Abykarma]

Good luck….

[MrsNails]

Hi - we’ve had this question before & l did some research & found that Prednisolone is available in liquid form in SA. Therefore, it’s easy to measure the dose you require with a syringe.

The Doctor was most agreeable to prescribe it & it was working last time l spoke to the Member - l’ll see if l can locate the Post for you.

MrsN

This is the Post……

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk....

[Abykarma in reply to MrsNails]

Many thanks for this - will have a look at price

[MrsNails in reply to Abykarma]

Good Luck 🍀

[PMRpro Ambassador]

The DSNS taper was devised partly for patients taking enteric coated pred which at the time only came in 5 and 2.5mg doses and cannot be cut. Starting with a long gap and repeating stages made it possible for them without too much difficulty.

But if you can get the liquid version - that would be ideal. It is a great deal more expensive than tablets so sometimes doctors are reluctant to use it.

[Abykarma in reply to PMRpro]

Good to know I could do it with an ultra long taper. Thanks.

[christi48]

What does DSNS stand for? What about DL?

[MrsNails in reply to christi48]

DSNS - is the abbreviation for ‘Dead Slow, Nearly Stop’ a method of tapering Prednisolone.

DL is short for DorsetLady - one of the Volunteers in the Forum…..

We have a list of Acronyms used on the Forum as some terms/names are long eg PMR & GCA

MrsN

Acronyms from FAQ’s

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[christi48 in reply to MrsNails]

Thank you so much!

[christi48 in reply to MrsNails]

Where can I find that list of acronyms?

[HalleysComet in reply to christi48]

The blue link below Mrs N’s reply will go straight there. Just click on it.

[christi48 in reply to HalleysComet]

Thanks!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to christi48]

MrsN has given the link in her reply

[Theziggy in reply to MrsNails]

And MrsN means YOU

[MrsNails in reply to Theziggy]

😂 😉

[Nagswoman]

A quarter of a 5mg pill is 1.25mg. Not a lot more than 1mg.

[Corriescot]

I am also in South Africa. I am currently following the DSNS method by reducing one quarter of a 5mg tablet at a time. I find it easier to break the tablets, if I cut I tend to get a lot of dust. If I break the tablets and end up with a tiny piece, I just discard that and break another one.

[Abykarma in reply to Corriescot]

Thanks for the tip