Time of day for steroids

[Italybound62]

Hello all

I started taking methylprednisolone almost 3 years ago for PMR. In order to control weight gain I implemented intermittent fasting and skipped breakfast. So I have been taking my steroids at lunch time ever since in order to take with a meal.

I have since started eating breakfast again for other reasons but still taking the steroids at lunch time due to habit

My question: Would my ability to taper off steroids be more effective if I switched to mornings?

Is the lunch time dose timing causing any unknown taper issues for when I get down below 4mg as this is when I begin to have problems with fatigue and flares. Would switching to a morning dose help? Or have no effect?

I am at 6mg and pain free with no inflammation markers. I am beginning a 7 week taper to 5.5mg.

Thank you.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Difficult to say but I wouldn't think so. What are the symptoms like in the morning and up to when the next daily dose is due?

The only possible problem I can think about is that not taking the pred until midday, gives a much shorter period for the pred level in the blood to fall before midnight which is the witching hour for the body to register it needs to make a bit of its own cortisol so that might tend to delay the signal to the adrenals to wake up until you get to a lower dose.

[Italybound62 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you.

I have no symptoms. No pain or fatigue currently

but that may change again once I get below 5mg

Maybe I’ll try switching to morning at some point