Back up to 6 mgs?

[Merryfield]

I am feeling dizzy and icky on 5 mgs methylpred. Should I go back up to 6 for a while?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

All that does is postpone the evil day! I did ask how you had dropped the dose - from one day to the next or did you use a slowed taper? And at this stage, 1mg at a time is a lot, 20% change in dose.

[Merryfield in reply to PMRpro]

yes i know. postponing the inevitable. but i have a friend i need to pick up a ways away for a visit. i need to be able to drive. will ask gp to prescribe some 1 mg methylpred

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Merryfield]

That is different!

[Pixix in reply to Merryfield]

If you’re feeling dizzy surely you shouldn’t drive…you say your friend is a distance away, too. Dizzy means you’re unwell! I suffer it a lot as I have orthostatic hypotension. Perhaps think about delaying the visit? It doesn’t sound as if you’re well enough for it anyway!

[Paulagcl]

I feel off balance (slightly dizzy at ties) too, tapering down on prednisone, and overall more tired but not too bad -- just am giving in and resting alot and going with it. Also being sure to have some protein every couple of hours, and that definitely helps. Keep some hardboiled eggs, etc, whatever is fast and easy on hand.

[Merryfield]

Do you drive with the dizziness? I am going ahead and popping back up to 7 mgs and reducing more slowly. Took 2 extra mgs at noon and I am already less dizzy. But boiling some eggs to have on hand a good idea for lots of uses.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Merryfield]

If you are dizzy - you shouldn't be driving, could be dangerous. But next time - smaller steps and slow slow slow taper ...

[Louisepenygraig]

This post is good timing for me. I've had the odd dizzy spell recently especially if I stand up too quickly and yesterday it was a lot worse. It happened when I put my head up quickly and then later when I went to the dentist he put the chair up too quickly and I nearly blacked out. Because I'd had a cataract operation last week and my eyesight is still a bit funny I wondered if it was somehow linked although I couldn't see how. I never even though of adrenal insufficiency.

I need a bit of context here. April last year I was tapering from 5.5 to 5mg pred after 6 years, then I had a nasty road accident which landed me in hospital for 8 weeks. I told them I was on 6 and I stayed on that dose for most of my stay. After 6 weeks they started trying to get me standing up and walking with a zimmer but I couldn't stand for very long without feeling dizzy. Eventually the doctor decided it might be adrenal insufficiency and put me up to 15mg. I was rather disheartened after taking so long to get down but it did the trick. I was discharged in mid June with instructions to taper by .5 mg a month.

I knew I'd had a bit of a wobble around 7 first time round when I got very tired but once I'd got past that everything had gone quite smoothly so I was confident I could taper down relatively quickly using the DSNS method, and so it has until now when I'm tapering from 7.5 to 7. I tend to slow down by repeating a stage if need be depending how I'm feeling, I've been alternating the two doses for a couple of days, but yesterday was the first day I'd taken 7 on two days running which may have been the root of the problem. I'm having a busy week, dentist monday, follow up appointment with the opthamologist 40 miles away tomorrow and physio on friday so I'll stay on alternating doses to the end of the week and then continue down. My aim now is to get down to 5 reasonably quickly if I can and then stay there for a while

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Louisepenygraig]

That timetable is a recipe for adrenal wobbles!!!!

[Louisepenygraig in reply to PMRpro]

yes, I'm starting to think I can manage stuff like that if I have a day off in between! Actually after I'd written that I remembered I have an appointment with a urologist locally a week tomorrow, I have to make an appointment for a blood test to check for possible bone loss and when that's all over I really need to get my hearing checked! It's all go these days! I was hoping to at least get to 7 and have a rest there. I'm not in a hurry any more