I am on a steroid taper and wanted to check on the symptoms of withdrawal. Here is a good article. It might be a little loaded with medical terms for some of you. I would suggest that you write down the words, etc that you find hard to remember and write the meaning of them also. This will help you sort of be able to "graze" down the notebook page and keep track of what they are talking about.
Today is my 15 mgm day and tomorrow is my 20 mgm day and I can't wait. I will call the doc as I don't think I dare cut to 10 mgm yet. I have been quite weak and shaky today and I think that going to 10 will be too stressful on my body. My doc told me that it would not be easy and that I would be uncomfortable. Also told me that is why they use the 20 one day and 15 the next(then cutting to 10 mgm alternating with the 20 til just 20 every other day.)
By always having the 20 mgm every other day your body does't drop off the radar with symptoms. Always have the 20 mgm day to perk you up some. Irish
http://www.medicinenet.com/steroid_withdrawal/article.htm
Oh sweetie, I know the feeling. 6 months ago I started cutting down my Medrol dose from 8mg to 4gm. I did it super slow, and it was/and still is horrible. You will get through it. I just kept looking into the mirror and saw my fat face, and that was enough for me!!! ha ha!!! Unfortunately, nothing else can work like steroids do. My inflammation so bad, arthritits popping up all over now. I can barely use my hands anymore. I had to add a tiny bit back in about a month ago because of my shingles..docs thought it would help. I told my rheumy I cant believe how the 4mg little tab made such a huge difference. Im still working on cutting down, but now my allergies are a nightmare. Not sure what I can do now. I just bought some curcumin and going to try that tonight.
One day at a time....just try and do it at your own pace and go according to how you feel.
good luck
Gursie
When I was cutting down, going from 4 mg of Medrol (like 5 mg of prednisone) I would get a two hour episode of shakiness, trembling, extreme fatigue at about 11 am. Keeping a diary helps.
Then I would 'level off' at the lower level (going down VERY VERY slowly, alternating the previous dose with .5 mg lower, and doing this for two or three weeks, before going down again). At 2 mg I 'bottomed out' and had a flare from my IVIG, so we 'compromised' on 2.5 mg.
Since December, however, I go down again between infusions, then back up. So I have a bit of withdrawal every month. My Immunologist wants to stimulate my adrenals.
I put up with what she wants unless it's 'too much' and last month I went into 'flare' mode during the lowest end of the cycle.
I just keep close track daily.
It's that frickin' rock and hard place. However, the rock (corticosteroids) feels MUCH better than the hard place (withdrawal).
So on we go....and it is ALWAYS SOMETHING.
How's your infection, Irish?
Hugs, Elaine
Oh gads! These posts were in my mind when my rheumy put me on daily low-dose prednisone. :-\
The thing is, C3, there isn't a need to STOP a very low dose, especially if you are 'a bit older'. The issue has to do with degree of improvement in Quality of Life versus time to develop side effects and how serious would be complete loss of production of cortisol by your adrenals.
For me, Quality of Life and ability to tolerate my IVIG far outweighs any other issues. So when I see my Immunologist in June, I will argue for a return to an even higher level of Medrol, to 4 mg, which is equivalent to your 5 mg of Prednisone.
We will see. She now gives me an RX of 60 2 mg a month, which would allow me to take 4 mg a day. She knows what I want, and I can take an 'extra' 2 mg if things are going very badly. I did that last month to interrupt a FLARE induced by my mid-cycle reduction.
She is just so careful and so worried about long term effects and side effects, and that is understandable! We all know people here who have Cushing's Disease induced by long term use of Prednisone. It isn't pleasant at all.
But that isn't going to happen to me or you at our low dose and our older maturity!
I hope.
Hugs, Elaine
My infection is improving, but I have so many things going on right now that it is hard to know what is what. I am weak and don't seem to gain much strength--able to get to town for a few groceries, etc., but shaky and have to watch my step.
I can't sit all the time til get stronger cause weakness can become permanent if one is a couch potato.
Also, for those of you doing the daily steroids, it is better to do them every other day as the adrenal glands don't quit working as much. For example, 5 mgm pred a day is better taken as 10 mgm every other day. You maintain pretty much the same amount prednisone in your system but by doing every other day the off days allow the adrenal glands to keep stimulated. It gets complicated with interaction of several other glands in the body.
One thing is for sure, we all affected differently by the prednisone in our body. I don't have much of a fat face and it only came on the past 1 1/2 years. I have the diabetes, but I would have it anyway as it runs in my family. My sister is younger than me and she is not on prednisone and has had diabetes about 10 years before I did. I have cataracts but they are not bad and have not changed much in the past couple of years--no surgery in site yet. Life is interesting. Irish
While American Express has its rewards, I guess age has its advantages--if you have Sjogren's! I wouldn't wish for my children nor grandchildren to have to go on steroids. For myself, I love trusting my doctors--especially the one who Rxed the prednisone!! What I cannot figure out is why my PCP is so leery about giving me 2.5 mg Xanax for sleep and prefers dosing me with 600 to 800 mg of Trazadone. This difference in opinion has sent me to the neurologist this week (whom I LOVE) and to the hospital for an EEG today. (ruling our absence seizures). Anyway....the PCP was worried..and didn't want to write scripts for Xanax...so the neurologist (after about 30 minutes of testing, intake, etc) wrote me a month's supply @ 5mg and gave me 3 months of refills. He had zero problem with such a dosage amount.
Bad news about the neurologist visit, I am going to be watched for (hold on) for Mild Cognitive Impairment. Heavy sigh. I was expecting it. If I disappear someday, I will have forgotten how to get here!
c3