My primary once told me that she has patients who have been on 1mg for years. Seems like a ridiculously small dose, but it can make a difference.

See how you feel in a few days. It takes time to adjust to any change.

I can vouch for the 1mg making an impact. I have a go-to prescription of 1mg pred. I take 1 when hurt badly for 2 days. I take it in the morning. If I still feel bad, I take a second 1mg in the evening. That's it. Just 2mg. Then the next day, I automatically take 1mg in the morning even if I feel better. I do that for about 3-4 days then stop.

It's probably 1-2x a month I venture into the pred. And it makes a difference.

Hi, I am very new to this just got my confirmation month ago. I just got off my first dose of prednisone ( it was only a week) and i got hit with a flare in almost every joint that i could barely get out of my bed... is it normal??? will this thing ever just fall asleep like for 20 years? For now i just want wake up and just hear that all this was just a bad dream..

I've been tapering up and down off prednisone for 3 months now. I managed to get off totally, and although I was in pain, it wasn't bad. Then I got shingles and massive flares.

I finally got back down to 2.5 mg for a week, and then had massive flares.

When I was on Rituxan, I took 15 mg of prednisone for 3 months till it started working. Then I tapered and got off and never needed them again.

I do believe part of this is rebound, but the other part is my biologic not working well. I have to tough out the Xeljanz another two months. Who knows, maybe it will start working fully?

newbie - yeah its normal to be frozen physically and unable to move. i seem to go through this at least so many times per year with each lung infection requiring pred and each full pred taper.

my body does a rebound flare (RA wise not lung wise thank god) to a worse spot then I hang on that ledge for so many days to weeks and finally revert to where I was before the lung infection and pred. in some small ways, for myself only, i feel the emotional rollercoaster of the withdrawal is worse than the physical or at least commensurate. you are not alone. I react the same way. My rheumie does not prescribe it maintenance and neither does my primary. the primary will not maintenance it at all, period. The rheumie does a few things like bridges, and i have had a push in the office IV wise RA also but no maintenance script. so many doctors are different.

get up eventually, the bad dream will go through hues until eventually you right yourself. to me it feels like withdrawal and that is how I think of it.

depot

Depot you hit the nail right on the head. Withdrawal covers it.
After all your body craves what it's no longer getting while playing a game of catch up on producing its own.

Its earned the name "Good guy, Bad Guy" for good reason.

SB Feeling any better?
I'm reducing as we speak. Dreading every step.
As tough as it is I know it's for the best.
The one & only time I was weaned off was extremely difficult. Hurt & felt horrid.
Now at the same time both my docs stated the weather we are having is causing problems for patients. So perhaps double whammy.

Lord I pray this treatment plan works I'm tired of the roller coaster ride.
Now this new Rhuemy said he would reduce in smaller increments if need be. Such as 1/2MG & I plan on reminding him when or if that times comes. Trying to think positive yet I recall my last experiance.
If the need arises for Prednisone again I pray I only need to it it very short term.

This disease is crazy. The wait to see if & when treatments will work is crazy. Coming off Prednisone I may just fit right in that crazy category.
Hope your feeling better ASAP.
Sammy

You're right about cutting pills into parts. You can get 1,5, and 10 mg pills. Here's a plan that seems a little bit obsessive, but just get a pill organizer, divide the pills and don't have to think about it. Take your time when you taper off prednisone, so you don't cause problems. You need cortisol, so you need healthy adrenals.

http://mpkb.org/home/othertreatments/corticosteroids/weaningoffsteroids

~ap

what the heck is benicar? I have never heard of it. I don't have high blood pressure or any gasto issues.

and is this the road back foundation in disguise? (the above link) or a link towards advertisements?

I don't take pred and I have done minoc, did not work at all for me.

Depot

I am sorry. This is an old link from my doctor to taper from long prednisone use. Steps 1-13 are a slow and safe way to taper from prednisone. When I used the method a long time ago, I just ignored everything else excepts those steps, and forgot other stuff was there.

If you don't tape prednisone, then youdon't need to worry about this, but thank you for catching my mistake. A lot of people do take prednisone, and then they have trouble stopping. I'm only trying to help. This is a good method. Just follow steps 1-13.

Depot, I think it's a low-fat margarine.