Withdrawal symptoms after stopping prednisolone

[Raffs]

I've been on prednisolone for 12 weeks starting at 30mg/day for seven days and reducing by 5mg each week. My original symptoms flared up (a rare rash caused by pregnancy) when I got to 10-5mg so was put back up to 15mg and reduced again. I stopped my course last week. My symptoms (the rash) started to reappear but this time I had 1% topical steroid to keep managing it.

Today within 30mins I went from feeling fine to all of a sudden feeling flu like, achy all over (especially back and legs) and within 4 hrs I had a fever, headache etc. Is this prednisolone withdrawal symptoms and should I see how I'm. Am doing over a couple days to see if my adrenal gland /cortisol picks up or should I contact consultant straight away??

Thanks

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Welcome to the forum

Are you also diagnosed as having thyroid problems?

Is rash urticaria?

[Lalatoot]

It should be tapered off slowly if you have been on it for more than 3 weeks. Did you just stop?

[Raffs in reply to Lalatoot]

I was tapered down to 5mg for seven days then stopped..the consultants didn't give me anymore or a lower dose

[Lalatoot in reply to Raffs]

verywellhealth.com/does-pre... that was too quick. Hope the withdrawal symptoms improve. Plenty articles on a google search to help.

[Hidden]

I agree with the other poster dropping by 5mgs is too quick, people on Pred are usually told to taper by 1mgs a week. 5mgs is a high dose, it could be that your adrenal glands have got to used to not having to produce cortisol so aren't producing enough for you to manage. The symptoms you are experieincing are low cortisol symptoms, you need to be very careful as it is possible to go into adrenal crisis & need urgent hospital treatment. If you have a BP monitor then check it on a regular basis why you are tapering, you need to know what your normal BP is so if it drops you know that you are probably low on cortisol, especially if you have the same symptoms as before. When you do your BP, then put the cuff on & sit still for a few minutes before doing a reading. Please take care.

[Twdibwd]

Hello Raffs. How thoroughly miserable for you. I had Urticaria the last week and onwards of my first pregnancy (49 yrs ago) so I can sympathise with you totally. I’m not sure why you were prescribed Prednisolone unless you had an inflammatory condition. Urticaria is usually a kind of allergy reaction, surely. Anyway, you were, and now you have to come off. I totally agree with the others comments, about the speed with which you tailed off. 30mgs is considered a ‘buster dose’ and short term gradually tailing off. As you reached 15mgs and had a negative reaction, you may have to go slower than the recommended speed. Get 1 mg Prednisolone from your GP. It takes a seemingly long time but it’s worth it.It took me 6 months to vanquish the last 5mgs , 1 mg a month. If you do it too quickly, your body can go into shock and as you’ve found produced some very nasty symptoms.

May I ask, was the rash your only symptom originally?