Pred reduction

If you follow this link

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/pmr-gca-website-addresses-and-resources-35316

you will find a description of a slow reduction scheme in the replies part of the thread. It has been used by many patients with great success, has been approved by several doctors and is to be looked at in a clinical study in the near future.

There is another quite similar version available from the NE PMRGCAUK support group. The link to their website is in the first post of the thread.

Hi Caroline, I have just done that - alternated for just over 5 weeks and no problems .  Had blood test - results came back last week and were ok so am now having a go at 8mg - 6 days so far and am feeling ok but only time will tell I guess - fingers crossed anyway.  Good luck, Diana

Caroline, there are many different methods for reducing: whilst some people find alternating doses as you are thinking of doing proves successful for them, others find they are able to reduce by 1mg a month at your current level - I was one of those, and succeeded successfuly following this method until I reached the 5mg level.  Going beyond that proved a step too far so 5mg became my 'maintenance' dose for many months. 

If you are not one of the textbook cases with straightforward reductions, or find that you may have reached a 'maintenance dose' for a while, then a pretty foolproof method is to reduce by just 1mg on one or two days a week, gradually increasing the number of days at the new dose whilst at the same time reducing the number of days at the old dose.  Some people find they need to go even more slowly by reducing in just 0.5mg decrements.  From 5mg, I reduced by just 0.5mg on one day of the first week, two of the second, three of the third etc, taking about 7 weeks to reach 4.5 every day.  It's very much trial and error finding what works for you but the main thing to remember is that each dose at the lower levels becomes a much larger percentage reduction than the previous dose. 

Hi Caroline,

have followed slow plan similar to MrsO, reducing by 0.5mg since I got to 10mg, am now down to 4mg. A couple of times I have stayed at one dies for a few weeks, but usually I can complete one reduction, and then the following week start the next. 

Hi Caroline,

It is so individual. My rheumy leves it up to me.

I have done a slow reduction, since 10 mg, by alternating days. 5.5/5/5.5/5.

So far, it has worked for me with no side effects, thankfully.

I have been alternating for over 2 months now. I may alternate 5.5/ 5/5/ 5.5/ 5/5/5/ etc. until September 1, when I think I will get it down to 5 and see what happens.

Good luck to you.