It's hard to say what you might be experiencing. I don't think that I've ever had withdrawl from Prednisone but have not really been off of it for too long because my RA is still not controlled yet. I hope you feel better soon though and I woud definatey talk to your Doctor if this continues. Take care!

I went thru accidental withdrawal while on prednisone. I was extremely nauseated, headache, dizzy.
When I go off pred, I do go into a funk bc lets face it, you don't feel decent anymore like on pred!
Best wishes,
Jess

Call your Dr. and see what they say. I have been tapering since Aug. When I got down to 2mg I had some swelling . I'm with a new Rheumy her suggestion was to stay at a low dose until she can figure some things out. Apparently your body produces 5mg a day on it's own. 2 docs I have spoken with say that low dose 2 to 4 mg is basically harmless. My point is check with your Dr. and if they agree maybe a little low dose can get you through the holiday at least and then you can stop it again when you have time to deal with the effects.

Thank you all so much for your replies. I called my Rheumy yesterday and explained my symptoms to his nurse. She called back and said quote..."Dr C. said that this happens sometimes. Give it 2-4 more weeks and you should be feeling better." That was it. When I was first dx I went to the University Hospital for a second opinion. I do believe that I need to return to the University. I am going to check out the 2-4 mg dose with my 2 nd opinion dr. I really liked him and from the response of my Rheumy yesterday It will be worth the extra 1 1/2 hour drive to be with someone who cares!

@blessed - yes, there is such a thing as prednisone withdrawal - i've experienced it myself, and as a long-term low-dose user, if i forget to take my pred in the morning, i will get some of these symptoms described below until i take it. my rheumy is tapering me more slowly than you, mainly i'm sure due to my long-term use of the drug, but maybe your taper schedule could be adjusted.

FYI, from the mayo clinic:

Question

Prednisone withdrawal: Why taper down slowly?
Prednisone withdrawal: Why do I need to slowly taper down the dosage?

Answer
from April Chang-Miller, M.D.

Prednisone is similar to cortisol, a hormone naturally made by your adrenal glands. If you take prednisone for more than a few weeks, your adrenal glands decrease cortisol production. A gradual reduction in prednisone dosage gives your adrenal glands time to resume their normal function.

If you abruptly stop taking the drug or taper off too quickly, you might experience prednisone withdrawal symptoms:

Severe fatigue
Weakness
Body aches
Joint pain
The amount of time it takes to taper off prednisone depends on the disease being treated, the dose and duration of use, and other medical considerations. A full recovery can take anywhere from a week to several months. If you experience prednisone withdrawal symptoms as you are tapering off the drug, contact your doctor.

When I was on prednisone for a short while, I took 15mg one day, 10mg 4 days. Then my rheumatologist said to take 7.5 for 10 days, 5 for 10 days, 2.5 days. I even went to 1mg for 7 days before going off.

I also when I take prednisone which is not very often I only start with 15 mg and take the last dose about 5 p.m. so I can go to sleep. At bedtime I take benadryl and tylenol so I can go to sleep.

Even after quitting prednisone, I feel a little edgy I may take tylenol especially at night for the tense muscles.

Prednisone is known for causing to make your adrenalin rush. They give it ashtmastics who can't breathe. The prednisone may have been keeping your flares in check and once off of it they returned. The MTX possibly cannot do the job alone. I would hate to recommend staying on the prednisone because it is so bad for you long term. Best call your doc to discuss and see if other meds can be added to the MTX to help allieviate your anxiety and flares. Hope you feel better soon.

One reason to taper slowly is to give your body time to start making the cortisl a an. When I first tapeted off, going belw 2.5 made me swell a little. Back on 5 mg and doc upped the mx and I was able to get off the pred. Do this with doc approval!

Hi Blessed - I just came off Prednisone about one full week ago and I had exactly the same symptoms you are describing, including some of the more severe anxiety and depression symptoms. These are withdrawal symptoms and will hopefully go away. I keep my Rheumatologist and my counselor in the loop so that they can monitor the technicalities of it all. I am now a week or more out and I am feeling a bit better mentally. I hope you begin to feel better soon. Please keep us posted. I'll be thinking of you!

I was on it years ago. When all my problems actually started. They could not find the cause so they put me on it & I stayed on it for 8-9 months. Yes there is withdrawl. I stayed in bed for over a week.
Anxiety, sweaty achy, just over all sick feeling. For the first time ever depression. Not sure but I think it was from no doctor knowing what the problem was & coming off the pred. Took me a long time to taper off but in the beginning it was a life saver. One of the doctors said they call Prednisone the "Good guy, Bad guy" drug & I can see why.
I don't know how many times I had to go up to come back down while attempting to come off it.
I wish you the very best of luck.
God bless, Sammy

Prednisone does definetly make you feel better in ways but it is NOT a drug you want to mess with it or stay on. I am in my 20s and it gave me osteoporosis at 23, ulcers, adrenal insufficiency and cushings my skin has thinned and even tho I have been extremely careful I have gained about 20lbs I was very tiny before but now I have stretch marks all over more than I have ever seen on any obese person and my current weight is 130lbs! This weekend like you I have been excruciating pain in tears just driving home because its hurt that much to move the steering wheel. i know that my RA dr would tell me to up the steroids again I have been on them for more than 2yrs and I know that they would make me feel better but I really want my body my face and my 20s back!!!!!!!!! I went and got injections in 4 joints the last couple days but I refuse to go up on steroids again. I wish my Dr would have told me more about them when they put me on them or that someone else would have! I have also had a lot of trouble maintaining my blood sugars. they do make you feel better at first but it comes at a price!

How long have you been on MTX? Do you take them orally or injected? I took them orally first and the first two days after taking them I could lift my head move my eyes or speak I was so weak. My mom came to check on me and thought I was asleep because I couldnt move or respond at all. Maybe thats part of it? Injections of MTX are SO much better it bypasses most side effects.

It sounds like all of us have had our own prednisone tapering experience. For me, the tapering is pretty easy until I get down to 2mg doses. When I last tapered, I did get to 2mg daily, then when 2mg every other day, when i could do that and felt okay, then i tried to get completely off. the every other day, just gives you a little bit more ease out of the affects of prednisone. I hope you feel better.

Thank you for all of your comments. Just knowing that I am not alone in all of this means so much. I too remember feeling so wonderful when I first started Prednisone. The huge burst of energy, the loss of pain, the sense that my life was becoming "normal" again, etc. etc. I couldn't understand why so many people disliked it. Wow, the things we learn through experience :) I am feeling much better today. But those withdrawal symptoms are something else! I hope I will not forget how difficult it is to get off of Prednisone because I sure don't want to go back on it again. Here's to better days ahead!!!! Lisa

Hi, I was put on predisone 5mg September 7, 2011 for a 6 days, because the PA suspected me having fluid in my ears causing Vertigo. I started the first day with 30mg(which was 6 pills) then decrease each day by one pill. This was my first time on it and by day 3, I was sick as a hit dog!! I was weak, edgy, nervous, irritable, weird feelings throughout my body. But the most bizarre thing that happen to me was on day 3 as I was trying to fall asleep. Everytime I would doze off, my body would have this sensation of heating up starting in my mid area, then moving up to my head, my head then feels like im being zapped and then I wake up(no pain). My arms and hands feels slightly numb and tingly, over all my body feels exhausted and heart racing after these sleep episodes. Anyway that night it happened everytime I tried to go to sleep, I was dripping wth sweat and scared!! I couldnt take it any more and went to the ER they couldnt find anything wrong. This happened again the next day, a few times. I stopped taking the predisone 2 days early per PA clearance. It took me along time to feel better. But I still have these weird adrenal like rushes when I doze off to sleep. Maybe once a month, two at the most. Doctors seem baffled and have no reason for this. But I feel like its a horrible reaction from the Predisone. Ive had a complete work over, all normal. Im just waiting to get an MRI done. The Neurologist who saw me back in September, didnt find anything while doing his preliminary check. Sorry for the long message, but maybe somebody can relate to me or I can answer someone elses questions. Does anyone know how long can prednisone side effects last in you body?