She is still taking four tablets daily. She has been taking prednisone for a total of three weeks. The doctor wants to start reducing her prednisone beginning next week by giving her eight tablets on alternating days for one week, then seven tablets, then six, and so on for a period of two months. I'm worried about the side effects of the prednisone. The primary use for prednisone is to decrease inflammation, suppress the immune response and stimulate bone marrow production.
Many people take prednisone daily throughout their lives.
These people will experience long-term side effects. Your daughter's exposure to prednisone should cause little or no side effects. It is necessary to withdraw from prednisone slowly to avoid rebound inflammation, fatigue, weakness, fever, low blood sugars, low blood pressure and loss of appetite. Talk to her doctor again about her weaning schedule. It may be too abrupt, considering the 40 mg dose she had been taking for one week.