Prensidone

[Homely2]

I have just seen an asthma consultant, after coming out of a and e four days ago with an asthma attack. A good experience, a good listener.

He has taken my short five day course of prensidone and added a 21 day wean period to it, reducing by 5 mg every three days.

Before I have always just had a short course with no weaning period.

Indeed last time I had a presidone course and requested an extension, my gp answered very much in the negative.

What are peoples views on weaning for short courses of prensidone?

[teddyd]

It depends on how long the course of prednisolone was. Although I think generally a reducing routine is best.

[CallysMum]

Hi glad to hear you are home again. It depends on the dosage and length of the course. Weaning allows your adrenal glands to resume making their own steroids gradually, and will certainly do no harm.

[Birthday60]

it used to be common practise some years ago - that’s what I was prescribed - but more recently it was thought it unnecessary. I guess they are rethinking??

[Poobah]

Personally, I prefer the old method of prescribing Prednisolone as I just react so badly to one high dose a day then stopping dead after 5 or 7 days. So there is flexibility on a case by case basis and your doctor has probably assessed your current flare up as requiring a longer course than usual and that would require tapering for adrenal safety.

Hope your recovery is making good progress.

[runcyclexcski]

I got a 5-day-long 40 mg a day course, and the AE doc said no weaning was needed. I was OK. My consultant later said that if taking it for 2 weeks, a 20-10-5 would have been better.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Generally, you don't need to wean off a 5-7 day course.

The exception might be if you have had a lot of short courses recently, and/or some longer courses. In that case, your adrenals may not be functioning at their best and a slow wean may be safer. I needed to wean off short courses after I'd been on longer ones, and when I didn't, my adrenals didn't like it at all! But I would have been fine to just stop if it was just a couple of short courses spaced out.

[Hidden]

In recent years I have found stopping a week's course of prednisolone abruptly just causes a rebound in my asthma symptoms, so I always now wean myself off slowly. My GP seems to understand this.

[lejaya]

I also do slow weans of pred 40mg mg for 5 days then taper by 5mg every 3 days, I have been doing this for many years and now also have adrenal insufficiency so I wean to my maintenance dose for that

[Itswonderful]

years ago it was always best practice to gradually reduce the dose but then the guidelines changed. No idea the evidence for this. However,, in my experience weaning off slowly has always worked better for me.

[Patk1]

Usually,for short courses Donny need to wean.id follow consultants plan as he must think the longer course,currently,is needed