Drop of adrenalin in the afternoons

I never found anything to help with the exhaustion/fatigue problem - in the end I just had to take it as it came and if that meant a nap then that's how it was.  I did find that it was better for me to nap late morning rather than in the afternoon, but no two people are the same with this as with everything else in PMR.

However, you have spent a comparatively short time on 5mg Pred and I have found that medics often suggest 6+ months on 5mg.  You are right, at any time under about 7.5mg you are asking your adrenals to wake up and they are now lazy and don't want to! 

Staying at such a low dose for extra time is not a sin or a failure - it does help to ready your body if you stabilise first and that should help the fatigue.  Generally speaking there are no side effects left at that dose so no real reason not to.

I found the same thing that the lower I went the more tired I was.  I was told it is normal as you don't have all the extra pred. in your sistem.  It gets better when you body get use to it.  Going down one MG at a time is best.

I have used slow reduction plan to get me down from 15mg to what i consider a major step on my journy of 5mg.the fatigue& muzzey head have been with me all the way through,i Will now stay at 5mg for a while & hope my body starts to kick start & starts to function something like normal again, As for diet i have tried Gluten free,Veggy,fish,ect for me none seemed to help.All the best for the rest of your journy.

Thank you,  I guess we (or I) rush this treatment to come off these steroids.  But decreasing too quickly  doesn't pay, so I must have more patience  and take time.

hearing from you all is a great help.

Quite a few doctors like to keep patients at 5mg for a few months before continuing the downward reduction and it does seem to help. At that dose the side effects are much less and it is a dose some people remain on for life. It isn't - as someone else has said - a failure to choose to mark time for a while at each of these low doses. 

I have just tried to reduce from 4 to 3 and was fine at first, for a couple of months. Then I got a bad cold and noticed I felt really tired before it really seemed to be threatening a flare. I've had a few days at 5mg and am now trying 4 again and I think I feel OK but I won't be rushing back to 3 for a while.

LO Eileen, It is thanks to YOU Girls on this, Noth East & health unlocked forums that i have reached this stage on my journy. I have been lucky in that have just used Dr for tests& medication.I also learned that not all problems are caused by Pmr&Pred. All the Best to One & All and A Big Thank You. Dave.