• Welcome to Crohn's Forum, a support group for people with all forms of IBD. While this community is not a substitute for doctor's advice and we cannot treat or diagnose, we find being able to communicate with others who have IBD is invaluable as we navigate our struggles and celebrate our successes. We invite you to join us.

Pred Taper Question

Hey everyone,
I am on Remicade and feel great. I am getting off Pred. My doctor told me to reduce 5mg every two weeks. I was on 40mg. Have been on Pred since mid-November. Anyways, I wanted off fast! Pred sucks! So I tapered 5 mg every 5 days and am down to 15mg and have been there for about 5 days. I am thinking of going down to 12.5mg tomorrow. I see my doc on Wednesday of next week. He probably won't like my self medicating. Anyways, after reading more, I can see that tapering to fast can be very dangerous, but I don't want to take pred for two more months.

How fast can you taper after a being on 40mg for a couple months?

Am I tapering myself way to fast?

Any advice would help. I feel fine right now. Thanks.
 
Adrenal insufficiency is the main concern with too aggressive of a taper. I too have had 2 doses of Remicade and feel very good. I am tapering down from 60 mg of pred, first by 10mg every 7 days then 5 mg every 5 days. I feel ok, a bit sluggish compared to being spun out on pred for so long. I am excited for the moon face and bags under my eyes to subside. Look up the symptoms of adrenal insufficiencyto see what to watch for and good luck!
 

DustyKat

Super Moderator
I personally think that 10mg a week is too much but that is just my personal opinion. Matt tapered 5mg every 5 days and I think that, or every 7 days, is pretty stock standard. Some people start to taper more slowly once they hit 10mg, it just depends on whether symptoms start to sneak back in or if you have experienced problems in the past. Matt had no problem with the 5/5 taper until it was finished.

Dusty. xxx
 

ekay03

My dog has hands!
my opinion is that going down to 12.5 from 15 is ok. You are right brianncc, you Dr. probably wont like you taking things into your own hands. I had a GI that wanted me to tapler 10 mgs a week! I tried and got very sick. In a lot of ways pred taper is a personal thing. Some people can handle a quick taper and some can't.
 
Top