Good tapering schedule for prednisone

I've been on prednisone for 7 weeks for what I feel is a fairly mild UC flare. I have a different dr. than I've had before because my previous dr. retired. Anyway, this dr. put me on 20mg./day at the end of April after upping my Asacol to 9/day and having me try mesalamine enemas for a week and then cortisol enemas for a week.

I've never been on prednisone before now. I don't think it's helped much and, after reading about prednisone, I definitely want off of it ASAP. My dr. started bringing my dosage down in May, first to 15mg./day and then to 10mg./day right before he went out of town. After he was gone a week, I went down to 7.5mg/day on my own and this past Mon., 3 days ago, I went down to 5mg./day on my own. No bad effects so far. As a matter of fact, my morning headache and lightheadness I've had since starting the pred is gone.

I called the dr.'s office today to ask if going down to 2.5mg/day next week would be OK and then 2.5mg every other day the following week, and then stop. The dr.'s nurse called me back and said the dr. said to stay at 5mg./day until I come in for an appt. that she set up for me today for July 15th(!). So much for this being a quick fix! Why does he want me to stay at 5mg. this much longer? It's not doing me any good. I just want off of this as quick as I can. I've really been hoping to be completely off by 4th of July. I'm not going cold turkey even though I'd love to. I know that's dangerous. What's wrong with my tapering plan, down to 2.5mg/day next week and then 2.5mg every other day for a week and then off?

dakotagirl, thanks so much for your feedback. I really appreciate it. Even though I'm married,I feel all alone dealing with my UC. I know my body pretty well, but dealing with prednisone is totally new to me and, after learning about it, scary.

Reading more about tapering pred after posting this, I'm thinking it would be good for me to stay at 5mg. for 10 days to 2 weeks before going down to 2.5mg/day. Then, I'll alternate between 2.5mg and 5mg for 10 days to 2 weeks before going down to 2.5mg/day and finally alternating between 2.5mg and 0. Even though I'd love to be off this tomorrow, I understand that taking it slow is most important and to watch for withdrawal symptoms.

Wish me luck in getting off the pred!

I understand totally about the taper thing. I am on 10 mg a day for 5 days then 7.5 for 5 days etc... I want to get off ASAP also but because I have been on it so many times and I know the drill I am impatiently waiting to get off of it. I am not having any abnormal side effects but it is just the fact. 

I am on 7.5 of prednisone. Started in October at 60 for an autoimmune disease. A month or so ago the disease was gone thanks to prednisone.
My rheumy handed me a schedule to taper. I wasn't going back for a visit. I thought if I had trouble near the end, I could call her.

Today she says since I'm not seeing her she can't help me. I'm having a hard time going from 7.5 to 5. This just doesn't sound ethical to me. She said I should call my PCP (who started the prednisone last October) but then I went to see a rhuemy for tests.

What's with all this back and forth. Why don't they know some ppl have a harder time when they get below 10 mg?