5 mg prednison per day

I like to call Prednisone the miracle demonic drug! 5mg is a fairly lose dose and much safer than higher doses (10-60mg). It also depends on what you are taking Prednisone for. For many of us, Prednisone is what keeps us upright and moving, especially while waiting for other RA meds to kick in. It is important to be on the smallest dose, for the shortest time to avoid a variety of side effects. For some people with RA this means occasional small dose, short courses, others are on it for years. It is very important to follow your doctor's instructions on dosing and especially before weaning off of it. Hoping for relief from whatever you are taking Prednisone for, Jo (Moderator)

Hi . Long-term use of steroids is usually not recommended because the immediate side effects can be intolerable for some people and the long-term side effects can cause lasting damage, but doctors sometimes recommend it for people who get no relief from anything else. Here is an article about corticosteroid treatments from our editorial team: https://psoriatic-arthritis.com/medications/corticosteriod-how-well-works-side-effects. I hope this helps and that you get more input from people who have experience with long-term Prednisone treatment. Best wishes. - Lori (Team Member)

Hi . My wife, Kelly Mack ( a contributor here), was diagnosed at two and has had juvenile RA for over 40 years. she has been on low-dose prednisone for many years (5 mg a day, with a prescription for one mg pills as needed for flares) with no ill effects. Of course, this is anecdotal and every case is different. That said, I also want to share some research. This article notes that "Low doses of prednisone are safe and effective in the management of RA. Yet, some clinicians continue to manage their RA patients with glucocorticoid doses that are too high or avoid them altogether: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12386945/. The authors argue that "One should not deem it a failure to hold the patient on the lowest effective dose of prednisone." In addition, this literature review of studies on use of low-dose prednisone found "Safety data from recent randomised controlled clinical trials of low dose glucocorticoid treatment in RA suggest that adverse effects associated with this drug are modest, and often not statistically different from those of placebo:" https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1798053/. Note: I could cite numerous articles with similar findings, but I could also cite studies that recommend the lowest possible dose for the shortest possible time. All of this indicates that individual circumstance may be the best guide. I know that in Kelly's case the severity of her RA, coupled with no known adverse prednisone effects make the daily low-dose worth it, however, for others who have RA controlled without or have adverse effects it may not be. I realize that this is a little bit of an unsatisfying conclusion, but unfortunately, like many aspects of RA treatment some trial and error may be involved. Wishing you the best. Richard (RheumatoidArthritis.net Team)