My Pred Reduction

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Mair - 30 Apr 2004 22:20 GMT

Hi,

I told you all that I would tell you how I do with the 1mg pred reduction.
Well, I am just "kinda" flarey, but holding my own. Basically just some
extra shoulder pain, and a little more fatigue than average. It's been four
days, usually the amount of time I feel a pred reduction the most.

When I was up at 20 and 30mg, my doc was saying to reduce in 5mg amounts.
That might be okay for someone who has been on pred only a couple of months.
But the longer you are on prednisone, the more you will feel the effects.
So I listened to my body, and not my doctor, and took my reduction slowly,
in 2.5mg increments. And when I reached 10mg, I decided to reduce by one
milligram, and I will not reduce again after I have been on 9mg for a month.

It is hard to be patient sometimes. I want to be off the darn stuff so
badly. the reward is that I am feeling much better than I have in over two
years, and I am not on chemotherapy either!

My wish is health for you all,

Mair

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Maggie - 01 May 2004 00:55 GMT

Hi Mair!

Sounds like a great plan & so much better than reducing too fast, only
to end up right back where you started. So glad you're getting off of
it. Shoulder pain go bye-bye...POOF! It will...just give 'er a few
days. Rest easy, girl!

Hugs4u,
Maggie

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J - 01 May 2004 01:41 GMT

> So I listened to my body, and not my doctor, and took my reduction slowly,
> in 2.5mg increments. And when I reached 10mg, I decided to reduce by one
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> badly. the reward is that I am feeling much better than I have in over two
> years, and I am not on chemotherapy either!

Hugs Mair,
Sounds like a working solution to me.
J

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Aimee - 01 May 2004 11:27 GMT

Hi Mair,
I don't think I have ever written to you before. . . but I saw your post and
had to jump in. . . I too am decreasing my Pred after 2 yrs. . . I started @
80 mg and have had no problems with the decreases until I hit the 10mg
point. . .I am now down to 5mg for about 4 days now. . . I have a heck of a
time due to my wacky blood problems.. . getting below 6mg. . . but I am
finally here @ 5 and I will have to see what it shows @ my next appointment,
unless I feel I am slipping WAY backwards . . .then I manage it myself and
go back up a few mg. . . if this fails I will go back up to 7mg. . . and
start weaning again. . . I know the feelings you are getting from the
decrease but some of the others say it will pass if we let it. . . so I will
try to keep track of how you are doing and hopefully we will be able to do
it . . . for real. . . I want so badly to be rid of the stuff, but
realistically YOU probably have a better chance of getting rid of the stuff
than me . . . just because of my stupid blood. . . but I am hoping for both
of us that we can do it. . . and get rid of it. . . good luck to you and . .
. don't decrease too fast. . . I have been told.. . . now that I am down to
5mg. . . maybe I need to decrease .5 mg @ a time. . . cause 1mg may be too
much @ a time. . . so I WILL STAY @ 5MG FOR AWHILE . . . 3 WEEKS OR SO . . .
THEN I WILL PROBABLY ONLY DROP TO 4.5. . . I will split a onesie in 1/2 and
try it that way. . . My Docs have told me . . .it gets harder when you get
to a lower # like this, because those old Adrenal Glands have been sleeping
for so long it takes them a bit to wake up and start making our own so
called Prednisone. . . they tell me the body makes 4mg / day on its own. .
.but when you are on Prednisone the Adrenal Glands "go to sleep" and from
what I am understanding it may be a reason I might not get below 4 mg. . .
if those Glands don't co-operate. . . I will be stuck. . . but I know how
hard this stage is. . .so good luck to you fellow Pred dropper. . .I hope
you get the chance to rid yourself of the stuff. . . lol. . . Let me know
how you do. . . I will try to keep my eye open for your posts. . .
~HUGS~Aimee

> Hi,
>
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
>
> Mair

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Mair - 01 May 2004 20:50 GMT

Hi AImee and everyone else,

Five days after I reduced the Pred from 10 mg to 9. I have very bad pain in
my shoulder. It starts above my shoulderblade and shoots down the back of
my shoulder. it is on the right side, so I am not worried about cardiac
pain. I will go full-out on my pain meds for a few days, and if the pain
doesn't decrease, I will go back up and then start decreasing by 0.5mg.

Thank you all for sending your "well thinks" to me

Mair

> Hi Mair,
> I don't think I have ever written to you before. . . but I saw your post and
[quoted text clipped - 52 lines]
> >
> > Mair

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herbwormwood - 07 May 2004 14:28 GMT

Hi,
You can try reducing even more slowly by using the shiny brown 2.5 mg
tablet with the white 1 mg tablet.
It may be less stressful this way.
Lynne

> Hi AImee and everyone else,
>
[quoted text clipped - 81 lines]
>>>
>>> Mair

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