Issues with Tapering - Please help

I've been on prednisone since September 2015 and only down to 16.5mg because my body does what yours is doing. Symptoms come back so i now drop very small doses and over a longer time than the drop dead slow. I repeat werks especially nrar the end. When i do have some of my returning symptoms and I'm at the new level i stay there for at least 2mos before starting again to let my body adjust.

So you may want to go back to the reduction week you were fine at and repeat it for a week or two and then the next for the same or increase the amount you are trying to reduce.

I hope this helps.

Mariane

I'd give it at least a couple of weeks at 11mg and if things hsve settled back in, then you could try your suggested dosage schedule

It may be something else - an infection for example. Did returning to 11mg do the trick?

However - even at the very slow reduction, it may be that the dose you NEED at this stage is 11mg and taking 10mg ever few days still isn't ideal. This isn't a race - there is never any point in trying to force a reduction and you obviously don't feel too good whatever it is due to. It is never a good idea to try to reduce if you aren't well.

I'd go back to 11mg for at least a month and then maybe try again - and like maid marianne, slow it down even further. I do suggest that if you are very sensitive to dose change, some of us are. There is no point suffering just to say you are on a tiny bit lower dose.

Some of these symptoms could be due to a lack of corticosteroid - have you been under any stress recently? It doesn't matter if it is physical or emotional stress, an infection or a fall can be enough - your body can't produce more when needed.

You haven't started a new batch of pills have you? Sometimes different manufacturers use different fillers in their tablets and they don't agree with us - and we don't absorb as much of the drug. Different people don't absorb the same amounts of pred anyway - it can vary from 90% (i.e. almost all) down to 50% - which means you are getting about half the dose you think you are! This of course may be the reason some patients need much higher doses than others!

I am having the same problems with the palpitations and I also have pain returning. This happened as soon as I was completely on 8.5mgs. It started the week I had my grandchildren staying and even when they were home for a week it continued. They are now back staying for a week and I decided the reduction is too much. Today I went back up to 9mgs and will start to reduce again in 2 weeks when they go home. I am feeling better, the palpitations have lessened and the pain has reduced. I think I was doing too much and the steroids are not quite 'covering it.'