taper from 2

[Booch]

how on earth do you taper from 2 and not exceed 10%??? I was going to go to 1.5 after few weeks but terrified!!! Having knee replacement in June. Hoped to be off it.

[Koalajane]

either go to 1.5mg or 1.75mg.

I don’t expect you will be off for your op but hope all goes well

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Use one of the slowed tapers we talk about and slow it further - you will find them under Tapering in the FAQs.

Don't set your heart on being off pred by June or any other specific date - some people need as long for the last couple of mg as they did for the rest. Even 1mg can be plenty to keep the inflammation under control but zero is a step too far. Slowly does it, especially now.

[Sharitone]

You could go to 1.75, as KJ says, or if you have a tablet splitter and 2.5mg tablets, you could actually achieve 1 7/8 if you wanted (3/4 of one 2.5mg tablet = 1.875mg). Otherwise just use DSNS.

I don't think I would try to get off, or even reduce your pred so soon before your op.

Good luck!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

You can’t, but you can make it as small as possible, and as PMRpro says use a slow taper, slowing it down even more by repeating each stage twice - my 14 week one does just that…

But tbh… the dose you are on is so small, is it worth rushing just to be off Pred by time you have knee op… I’d be happy to stay put.. you might find you need that dose post operation… especially as your adrenals won’t be in tip top condition by then.

Good luck with replacement.

[Bcol]

I certainly wouldn't be rushing to get off Pred before a TKR. Even without the upcoming op I would be working on a 0.5mg reduction over nothing less than five to six weeks, you may need even longer before reducing. At this level there is no need to rush reducing and if you do you may find you have to up your dose which will then take you even longer to drop down from.

[HamishPMR]

Best think in terms of the whole week. So at 2mg that is 14mg in the week less 10% take total of 12.5mg in the next week.

[Mazxstitch]

I have been tapering by a quarter for some time now and had no problems.

Using a cutter 2.5 mg cut in half is 1.25mg. A 1mg cut in half is .5mg. So using 1.25 + .5 gives you 1.75.

[JoanCook]

You can take 1.5mg every 4 days, then every 3 days, etc....

[Janet57]

I had a knee replacement 5 weeks ago and was on a taper of 3 to 3.5. All went well. Just tell the medics what you’re on. Just be prepared for it to be painful afterwards - but it’s not PMR pain it’s just the knee healing, repairing and the body getting used to the new knee. I had my first lunch out yesterday and it felt great. Do ALL the exercises every day and push through the pain. If you can get physio then do. I got a private apt as none available on the NHS for eight months. A physio will guide you and keep you on track. Don’t worry about being off Pred - don’t be tempted to rush your taper. Your body will be having to deal with other stuff so don’t give it something else to work on. Good luck and let me know how you get on 😊

[Booch in reply to Janet57]

Janet. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You just relieved so much anxiety. I appreciate it so much. ❤️❤️❤️❤️

[Exflex]

At 2mg I was tapering at 0.25mg every 5 weeks, sometimes repeating the previous step, and/or pausing until all signs of PMR inflammation were quiet. It was a slow process to 0mg but what’s the hurry on such low inconsequential doses of steroid. Any steroid toxicity happened at higher doses. This is not a sprint to zero, more a marathon at walking speed. Good luck!

[Booch in reply to Exflex]

Thank you. Great attitude. I’ll remember that last line. ❤️❤️❤️

[ChrisBeeLoop]

Buy a pill cutter on Amazon and cut a 1mg tablet into quarters. Also, a lot of people seem to yo-yo their dose so initially you take the low dose one day in the week, then two days of the week, then three days until you eventually go full time on the lower level.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to ChrisBeeLoop]

It's not yo-yoing, it called a slower tapering regime.... and can be found in FAQs.