Prednisone Taper Dose Schedules (5-day and 12-day)

Key Takeaways

• A taper dose schedule usually decreases your total milligrams consumed on a daily period by around 5 mg per day. Or by 5 mg per every other day. This schedule can last anywhere from as short as 12-days to 12-weeks depending on the length of time that you’ve used the drug.

• A “5-day taper dose” isn’t usually required if you’ve only consumed Prednisone for 5-days or less. This includes those who have consumed the drug for up to 10-days.

Prednisone 5-day Taper Dose

If you’ve been using Prednisone for 5-days or less, it’s actually safe to discontinue use without the need to taper. You should not experience any of the withdrawal effects that are normally felt if you don’t taper off the consumed daily milligram amount.

According to Dr. Megan Jolley Milne, PharmD, BCACP, the cutoff is usually around 10-days or more where you need to taper your daily dose. Meaning, if you’ve been consuming Prednisone for anywhere less than 10-days, you should be okay to discontinue your use without the need of a taper dose schedule.

If you’ve been consuming your prescription for more than 10-days, follow our 12-day taper dose schedule example below. Or take your initial starting milligram and decrease your milligram by 5 mg or 10 mg (pending your tablet dose amount) per week for 12 weeks.

Read more: What is considered to be a “high dose” of Prednisone?

Prednisone 12-day Taper Dose Schedule

If you’ve been prescribed Prednisone as a “taper dose,” you may have received 10mg tablets that you’re intended to consume over a 12-day period. The 10mg tablets are often used as a way of modifying the overall daily milligram that’s getting consumed by using the quantity of tablets that are consumed per day.

For example, on “Day 1,” you would consume 6 tablets of the 10 mg amount of Prednisone. Totalling a 60 mg amount for the first day. And then move down to 5 tablets on Day 3. And then 4 tablets on Day 5. The schedule decreases your total milligram count gradually, causing the taper dose.

Here is what a 12-day taper dose of Prednisone may look like with 10 mg tablets:

• Day 1 take 6 tablets 

• Day 2 take 6 tablets 

• Day 3 take 5 tablets 

• Day 4 take 5 tablets 

• Day 5 take 4 tablets 

• Day 6 take 4 tablets 

• Day 7 take 3 tablets 

• Day 8 take 3 tablets 

• Day 9 take 2 tablets 

• Day 10 take 2 tablets 

• Day 11 take 1 tablet 

• Day 12 take 1 tablet

Read more: How long does Prednisone stay in your system?

General Prednisone Taper Dose Schedule

Tapering from Prednisone requires a tapering schedule. If you’re up to a 40mg count, consider the schedule outlined below. If you have a different initial milligram starting point, use the same percentages and calculate your own schedule. Usually, you’ll decrease your milligram count by around 5mg per week. For example, if you’re at 35mg as a starting point, then the following week you should go to 30mg.

The example of this schedule shows a gradual reduction, decreasing the dose every week to help minimize withdrawal symptoms and allow the body to adjust to your new milligram percentage. When thinking about the “tapering process” it should always get personalized based on you, the patient's response, and the specific condition that’s getting treated. If you’re working with a healthcare provider, it is crucial to follow your healthcare provider's instructions and adjust the tapering schedule as necessary.