Hi Peter,
I was on a long, slow taper from July 2012 - April 2013. I began tapering from 60 mg/day at the rate of 5 mg/ 2 weeks down to 20 mg/day. From there, it was 1 mg/2 weeks until I got to zero. I felt fine until mid-July ( about three months after reaching zero) when I started having roaming joint pain, joint stiffness, and my feet would burn for about 30 minutes after getting out of bed. I ascribed these symptoms to aging (I'm 67). They were actually the first symptoms of a flare that went untreated until September.
My goal during this taper was to get off pred altogether. My goal going forward is to find the minimum dose that keeps me asymptomatic.
Knowing what I know now, I'm following the same taper schedule down to 10 mg/day. From there, I think I'll do 1 mg/month reduction and pay close attention to odd symptoms. If/when they materialize, I'll go back up to the last dose and see how it goes.
good luck with your taper.
Pete
dx 1/11
"Every day is a good day. Some are better than others." - unknown
"Take your meds as directed and live your life as fully as you can." - Michael Chacey, MD
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