Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

I feel pretty much as you, that once I get below a certain dose, I don't notice the effects of prednisone. In fact, I don't really notice it below about 15 mg, but I can feel the effects of ibuprofen within an hour. My aunt has RA and lupus, and she's survived for 30+ years on very small (5 mg and less) doses of prednisone.

My rheumy wants me to taper from 10 mg (now at 9) by 1 mg per month. I'm far too impatient to take that long, but I'll have a 2nd opinion in a month.

I've seen wonderous relief from prednisone when I had no other primary drug, but I had having something like that, even small doses, messing with the delicate endocrine balance.

Yeah, it sounds like your body has become addicted. Read below. It took me a year to wean off 10mg of prednisone after I had been on it for only 4 months. It sucks, I know. Good luck!

Dependency:

Adrenal suppression occurs if prednisone is taken for longer than 7 days, a condition wherein the body is unable to synthesize natural corticosteroids and becomes dependent on the prednisone taken by the patient. For this reason, prednisone should not be stopped abruptly if taken for longer than seven days; rather the dosage must be reduced slowly. This reduction may be over a few days if the course of prednisone was short, but may take weeks or months if the patient had been on long-term treatment. Abrupt withdrawal may lead to an Addisonian crisis, which may be life-threatening. For those on chronic therapy, alternate-day dosing may preserve adrenal function, thereby reducing side-effects.[1]

I have been tapering off 40 mgs since February. Presently down to 6 mgs and I am allowed to drop 1 mg every 2-4 weeks depending on how I feel.
My experience has been this after most drops: A few days after I drop I get achy. I also get "blue". At first Imused to really worry- oh boy here it comes...it's coming back...I'll never get off this prednisone. But actually my experience has been that it levels off.
Now that I am down to dropping only 1 mg. I notice I'm not always able to drop after 2 weeks. Sometimes I'm still achy and have to wait another 2 weeks for it to level off. But it has.
The doctor says 1 mg doesn't sound like a lot but in relation to the lower dose I'm on it is significant.
If the pain you are experiencing is not too bad maybe you stay on the lower dose and see if it levels off.

I HAVE BEEN ON A ROLLER COASTER OF PZONE..
HIGH AS 30 AND AS LOW AS ONE..NOW I AM
OFF ENTIRELY FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS..
I AM STILL TAKING THE MTX, AND IT SEEMS 2
BE WORKING WELL..I PREFER THE 10-15mg
PZONE, BUT RHEUMY DOES NOT LIKE THE
POTENTIAL SIDE EFFECTS..AND THE LONG TERM
SIDE EFFECTS..
PZONE EFFECTS DIFFERENT PEOPLE DIFFERENTLY..I BELIEVE WE CAN DEVELOP
A TOLERANCE TO ANYTHING..THIS IS MY 2ND
ROUND WITH MTX..WE HAVE ALREADY TRIED
THE PLAQUENIL, SULFASALAZINE, PZONE,
PZONE COMBINATIONS WITH THE ABOVE,
MTX COMBO WITH PZONE AND NOW MTX ALONE..
THERE IS ANOTHER MEDICATION I HAVE BEEN
ON WITH AND WITHOUT THE PZONE, BUT I
CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS..BE PATIENT..
BE INFORMED AND BE PROACTIVE..ASK YOUR
QUESTIONS!! GOOD LUCK TO YA..STAY
POSITIVE..TAM

Hi there.. I currently am on 5mg of prednsione and also on 200g x 2 of plaquenil.. when that wasn't cutting it anymore... I went to my rhumy and said look I DESPERATELY need something NOW... he prescribed Naproxen for me and I'm a changed woman... maybe you need someother concoction to ease the pain like methotraxate, enabrel or something else that he/she can prescribe...
I know that methotraxate is what he wants me on next, but since me and hubby are TTC baby#1, I cannot get on that so he gave me the Naproxen and then I can only use that until I actually am pregnant then I need to come off of it.
Thanks for letting me ramble on... :)
Irnee