Last taper advice please.

[Posey1]

After what I consider to have been a very fortunate PMR journey compared to many here, I have been on 1mg pred for 5 weeks now. I just can't seem to convince myself to either stop taking pred or halve the tablet! Silly I know. I probably just need one of you to give your advice. I have been so very grateful to you for all the advice and information over the past 2 and a half years.I hope this year is kind to you all.

Thank you.

[SnazzyD]

What’s wrong with halving a tablet? 0.5mg can still be doing things. Don’t be fooled by the notion that the difference between 1 and 0 is insignificant. Let’s keep your record clean! 🙂

[Posey1 in reply to SnazzyD]

I think that's what I needed to hear SnazzyD! Thank you!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Slow taper to 0.5mg, then to zero… and I do mean slow….plenty to choose from, and extend each one if you feel necessary … as SnazzyD has said, vast difference between 1mg and zero p and 2.5 years is not that long for PMR….

[Posey1 in reply to DorsetLady]

Wise advice as always, which I shall take. Thank- you DL.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Don't just stop taking 1mg! It can be loads to manage PMR that is very quiet but not entirely gone. Half a mg is the next step - and if that is OK, then have a zero day once a week. Then twice a week, not consecutive at first. Then 3.

No hurry but it often pays to be that slow ...

[Posey1 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you PMR pro. I've started that today. ....half a mg. I shall give that a month then, all being well , will do exactly as you suggest. As all you knowledgeable people say, why the hurry on such a low dose when I've been this fortunate so far.Many thanks 💐

[Lookingforideas in reply to PMRpro]

Yep, I believe VERY slow is the way to go - I did the advised slow taper even slower from 1 down to 0 - going from 1 to a 1/2 over several months - as I really didn’t want a rebound and then 1/2 to zero was another several months as by then I was chopping the tablets into 1/4s. Obviously they weren’t that accurately 1/4s and there were plenty ‘crumbs’, but it averaged out - I think by then I was definitely a bit OCD about it 🤦‍♀️ but it worked really well for me. No hiccups, no backsliding and touch wood, I’ve been on complete 0 for around a year now - maybe longer actually - I’d need to check my old diary - so now I’m hoping it’s gone for good but who knows? PMR dances to its own tune doesn’t it?

Good luck Posey1 😊

[Posey1 in reply to Lookingforideas]

Thank you so much. That is both helpful and reassuring! I can relate to the OCD part though I've only been cutting the tablets in half for a couple of days 😉 Very best wishes and may you now always be PMR free. 💐

[Lookingforideas in reply to Posey1]

Thanks Posey1, I’m staying cautiously optimistic- best of luck to you 😊

[piglette]

When you get to the point you feel you can stop, just stop for one day and then you can carry on taking the pred the next day. Then stop for a day again say in six days time. You can then do it for five days if everything went OK and so on, as long as you feel OK.

[Posey1 in reply to piglette]

All such good advice and much appreciated Piglette 💐