Prednisone Taper – No Longer Needed for Short Course Corticosteroid Therapy: As a medical student and resident I remember hearing all of the attending physicians tell me about the best way to do a prednisone taper. Prednisone alternating with cyclosporine has been recommended at doses of prednisone 1 mg/kg/day PO plus cyclosporine (10 mg/kg/day PO in 2 divided doses) based on actual or ideal body weight, whichever is lower. Tip. Expect that you will be tapering off of prednisone for a period of days or even weeks. According to NetWellness.org, a typical strategy to taper patients off of prednisone includes decreasing the dose every three to seven days by 2.5 to 5 mg. Prednisone withdrawal symptoms can be serious if your dosage isn't discontinued gradually. Find out how long it might take to taper off. Sciatica is a condition that causes a sharp, burning pain in the back, buttock, and leg. The condition is caused by injury to or compression of the sciatic nerve, which is located in the back of the leg. The drug must be taken according to directions, since misuse, long-term use, or high doses can lead to undesirable side effects. Similarly, discontinuation of the drug in the proper way can help prevent symptoms of prednisone withdrawal. I had a similar reaction. Was on a 9 day oral pred taper about 5 months ago. Everything was fine. But then decided to go on another 9 day taper less than a week later. Hi endlessPred, My teenage daughter started taking both Plaquenil and Prednisone 7 wks. ago. She started at 40mg. and is now at 15mg. She has been going 5 mg. off per week. Welcome to Resto Pub Bord'Eaux. Elegant simplicity, charmingly inviting, a homestyle bistro menu.this is Resto Pub Bord'Eaux, your undisputed choice for a memorable dining experience. Actually one can not taper that fast. I know of a friend who is down to 1/2 of 1 mg tablet and still her adrenals have not healed enough, The recommendation has to come from the doctor only and prednisone cannot be tapered like pain medicine, antidepressants and so forth.