Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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SSusieFLA 06/13/2015

I am taking 8 mtx once a week and have managed to lower my pred dose to 1mg per day, everything basically ok. So my Rheum. wants to get me off pred totally (and I'd like that too)....so 2 weeks ago I started 1mg pred every other day... and the flares started creeping up. not horrible but evident and they would go away after 1-2 days to reappear at another joint. Some days I feel ok. I am wondering if it is hurting me in the long run to endure these short and evident flares--- or should I just go back to the 1 mg per day? It isn't a big dose...and the doc said I could if needed..but I don't want to go back!

SSusieFLA 06/24/2015

does anybody have an idea for me about ,y 2-3 day flares? I am trying to cut down pred, way down to 2 mg every other day but it's not working well.

dd24 06/25/2015

If it's not working, then increase and start over. Some people, me included, are very sensitive to reducing Prednisone below 5 mg.
Best of luck to you!

depotblue 06/25/2015

i call it being intimately acquainted with the pain and switch to nsaids (if you can take them motrin et al) and ice.

I have a rebound flare EVERY time i taper and there is no such thing as no rebound flare for me.

it works havoc on my mind to not get it over with.

but its your decision maybe your body is different and will respond in a nicer way at another time if you try.

hang in there

depot

thinksRAstinks 06/26/2015

Not sure how far you are in your journey...I think someone else mentioned how small flares are just the new normal.
You'll come to accept them and not pay them any mind

wishing you all he best

SSusieFLA 06/27/2015

thanks so much guys---will keep working on it- have heard scary stuff about pred. plus dealing with the unpleasant weight gain issues. I was dx-ed with RA in 2009. have taken minocycline, plaquenil. am on 8x2.5 mtx per week and still the pred.

depotblue 06/27/2015

maybe you need a dmard shake up or a biologic

what does your rheumie think?

depot

trishcorsi 06/27/2015

I hate having to take steroids, but will when a huge flare hits. Usually a flare hits after I have gone off of mtx for upper respiratory. I just have to go without steroids while infection is present, my rheumy insists they can make upper respiratory worse, but the minute the infection is gone I'm am right back on steroids until mtx kicks back in. The timing seems to work out. I don't know anything about the drugs you take; I'm on mtx and Meloxicam and have been since 2012. Trish

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