prednisone tapering

[Guest guest]

Joan,

This is the second time I've tried to come down below 10 mgs of

prednisone without success. With each drop, I've given myself 3-4

weeks to " settle " into the new dose, and actually made it to 6 mgs

before I realized that I'd been declining in small measures since the

start of the taper. You know the feeling... just a *little* more

pain, just a little more tired... gee that stabbing pain in my finger

joints isn't good... but now it's gone... oh, but now I can't walk on

that ankle... but now that's gone too. How can you tell you're

*really* getting worse if the damn thing just dances around so much?

The real flare just knocked me down for two weeks. When I found

myself sitting on the couch all day crying, taking the sixth vicodin

of the day and contemplating jumping off a bridge, I realized that I'd

probably let it get too far. DUH.

I should have immediately called my rheumy, as he suggested I should

do if I had trouble tapering off pred again, but I had already booked

an appointment for early October and was too depressed and

dysfunctional to do anything else. Instead, I upped the pred. again

(only to 8 mgs, so I guess that's an improvement!), felt better within

a few days, and will deal with it later. I don't know what your doc

has suggested, but mine has said that we can try MTX by injection and

increase that dose (I take pill form now but can't increase without

getting really sick from it) and also try the self-mixing Enbrel and

divide it into two doses spread over the week (right now I'm on one

weekly dose). He REALLY wants me off prednisone, and I agree, but

until the other meds are keeping the disease in check, what can I do?

I don't THINK the flare was just a from coming off the drug... I mean,

I tapered SLOOOOWWWLLLLY. I'm thinking that the MTX and Enbrel just

aren't enough--that the pred adds that little *omph*.

Anyone else want to chime in?

in Maine

>

> Dear

>

>

>

> Sorry to hear that you have suffered a flare. Have you settled on

the lower

> dose of pred.? I ask because I am in the same position of trying to

reduce

> my dose and I feel absolutely awful, totally exhausted all day, sick and

> achey can do nothing but sit down nearly all day, I wondered if it was a

> stills flare or coming down from medication I don't know whether

your body

> gets used to the lower dose or I still need the higher dose. I would

> appreciate your opinion and I do appreciate that it would be just that.

>

>

>

> Hope you are feeling better and good luck with your campaign.

>

>

>

> Best wishes Joan U.K.

>

>

>

> _____