When to start dsns?

Posted , 10 users are following.

i am at 7 mg pred, pmr for 3 1/2 years. getting ready for next drop in dosage next week which will be to 6 1/2 g. my question is: do you start dsns when you are reducing to below 5 or do you do it when you go below 7? i know that some do it when they go below 10 but i havent needed to do that apparently. ive been ok with each reduction10, 9, 8, 7, after 30 days; i havent done 1/2 mg either. but since i am reducing below 7, i am wondering how everyone handles their dosages. i am debating between doing the dsns to get to 6 1/2 vs. just reducing to 6 1/2 and see what happens. i know i will reduce with dsns when i go below 5--if i ever get there. thank you.

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6 Replies

  • Edited

    You can start whenever you feel you want. I happen to have started when I was at 10 mg as I'd had some difficulty dropping directly down to 9. After that I used it all the time, tweaking it for my own needs. I am now using it to get to zero (I hope) by doing each step of the dsns twice, so it will take me 3 months to get to zero from 1/2 mg. I've heard too many stories about people who got to zero and then discovered they still needed a small dose so hopefully is this is going to be the case for me I'll discover it before I start to develop symptoms again.

    • Posted

      "IF" this is the case. Wish I could edit typos!

    • Edited

      helpful, thanks. the reason i asked the question is because when i got down to 4 the first time around--maybe at the end of the first year (too fast, i know now)--i didnt know about dsns, had i known, maybe i wouldnt have had to go back up again, who knows. anyway, i like your idea of doing each step twice at your level--makes sense. im thinking that as it has been suggested many times, when i get to 5 (presuming no hiccups) ill stay there a very long time before dsnsing to 4 1/2. a long ole process, thats for sure.

      im in a senior community in florida, there are 4 of us in just a 2 block area, the other 3 have had pmr forever. one of them for 15 years now--she just cant get to 0, she tries relentlessly (ive posted about her before). hang in there, youre smart, you will do whats best for you.

    • Posted

      I got to 5 mgs last year via 1/2 mg drops from 7 mgs and one flare of 15. I am just reducing from 4 to 3 1/2 mgs taking 6 weeks (Dorset Lady's method) and then going by ear for the next week or two before reducing further. I am in my fifth year. Started at 15 mgs, was on 6 mgs for over a year, increased to 7 after knee replacement flare .

  • Posted

    You start it when you need it - that might be at 15, it might be at 10 or it might be lower. Everyone is a bit different.

  • Edited

    Twopies, I started on 25 mg and have been using DSNS or a modified version since currently on 1.5 tapering to 1mg. It never to early to use DSNS. 🙂

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