Hi Amberhere, We all hear you on the Prednisone taper thing!

When I go below 10mg of Prednisone, I will taper down by a half milligram every fourteen days. (I cut the little 1mg pills in half.) I have found tapering by a half milligram is much more tolerable. I also will not taper down further if I feel weak or bad. I make sure that I am stable on a dosage before going down again. I think tapering is not a race. My goal is to feel well and stable on the meds on a daily basis. This DM for me is always a raise and lower steroid event over time. I learned there is no point in feeling horrible just to go lower.

Another trick that I use is drinking some Gatoraid during tapering. I also drink Gatoraid if my blood pressure drops. Gatoraid has a nice blend of hydration, sodium and sugar for supporting the adrenal glands. I feel so much better with the drink. You might consider asking your doctor if Gatoraid would be appropriate for you. The drink makes a big difference in helping me to feel better. Gatoraid does raise blood pressure. I take my blood pressure daily and especially when tapering. Tapering for me will bring a drop in BP.

I hope this helps. Keep us posted.

Hi Amberhere, I found a quote that you might like:

"If your going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill


Hugs!

Hi Amberhere. I know its tough but it will get better. If it's the taper you should recover from that by the middle of this week, if you don't ask your Doctor if you can return to 9mgs and try again when you have Ben longer on the MTX. If I remember you have not been on your MTX very long. Rheumatologists hate Prednisone do will always rush you off it but you have to go at the pace your body allows. I had tiredness, muscle pain and all kinds of issues each time I went down by 1mg. This lasted fir about right days, I would then recover until the next time. Please don't get downhearted. You will get there. This is the worst part. Autumm

Thank you for your comments and the quote - why is it so hard to taper? You'd think just 1mg wouldn't make such a difference. I think trying to keep busy helps - at the moment its me and the dog during the day and I think even he is getting fed up with me!! I will plod on as everyone does so well in this group!!

I to have trouble with my tapers and I am stuck at 10 mg. I have been trying to go to 9 mg but already feel the difference in a bad way. It may be too soon for you since you are not at the max dose on the MTX. It took a good 2-3 months for the MTX to start working well.

Hi Amberhere. It is very well documented that going down by half of 1mg can cause problems. Tapering Prednisone is hard which is why they add the MTX or something else. My Rheumatologist calls my Imuran a 'sparing drug' meaning it was given in the first place to get me off the Prednisone. It's not you, it's just the way it is. The best part is you could be free of it all in a few short months and be feeling better. Onwards and Upwards !!!'m autumm

From everything I've read, the last 10 mg. are the most difficult to taper down. Has your doctor done an ACTH blood test to check your adrenal function? Maybe that would help the doctor determine how to proceed. My doctor transitioned me over to hydrocortisone, which worked well. She said that hydrocortisone is bio-identical and has a shorter half-life, so it leaves the body quicker. Theoretically, this should help one's adrenal glands to "kick in." Also, MD's online said that a person must support their adrenal glands in order to successfully taper off prednisone. A couple of them recommended taking a supplement called Drenamin from Standard Process. I did this for several months before tapering the final 5 mg., and stayed on it for several months after getting off steroids. This plan worked well for me. Best wishes for you and your doctor finding what will work best for you.

Hi all, thanks for your comments - I have today upped tapering my 8mg sterioid to 8 1/2mg and what a difference!! I felt a lot better, so I think for me it will be 1/2mg taper every 3 weeks - fingers crossed - I am determined but know how this condition is a pain in the backside to put it mildly!!

Amberhere, that 1/2 is a good compromise. When i have a taper to do like 9 to 8 i try to trick my body into not giving me all the fuss. I would do 9.8,9,8,9,8,8,9,8,8,8,8,8,8 and usually i avoid most of the nasties. It is not comfortable but so much easier than a one day switch. then i am still on the doc's 1 mg a month switch or whatever they ask, and i can get off faster, but not feel so awful...
My doctor is great with this plan, but said it is too hard to write it down on a perscription pad... so ask your doc, about altering so you can do it and not feel awful...
All the best to you this week
Shawna

Hi Amber. You have to do it the way that gets you to the end without feeling terrible or having a flare. At this point your own adrenals will slowly come back to life and start helping you. Rheumatologist really hate steriods because they can sometimes cause the problems they are given to cure. Slow and steady was how I got off the stuff.,I wish you well. You will get there. Autumm