I know this is not a major issue but am not sure how to switch from my Rayos at ten PM to a regular dosage in the morning. I have run out of samples and my lodotra from England is on the way. It will not be here for two to three weeks ...so I have to go back to the regular until then. If I wake myself up at 2 AM ...and take the regular ...will it keep me awake. ? I am on 12 mg. I thought I would split it....somehow.
For people in the US ...I was able to find two sources in the U.K. They will ship for a fraction of the cost of it in the US. One is Global RX and Candrugstore.com I got the cost down from three thousand to 500. ( the first estimate without insurance was 13,000$) after applying for an insurance waiver it came down to the 3, 000 figure.
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Having always been on 'regular' Pred can't advise from personal experience, but if you intend to split dose, why not try 4mg at your usual 10pm time with 8mg when you wake early morning.
If you don't find the 4mg carries you through til morning okay, you may have to then consider the 2am wake up for the 8mg. But personally I would avoid that unless it's absolutely necessary, like my sleep too much!
Or you could try splitting 6mg/6mg. It's a bit trial and error for most.
Sure you'll find what suits you best, and hopefully it's only for a short time.
In case anyone wonders why I have gone thru all this to get the coated tablets. I was not absorbing the regular prednisone for some reason.. noOne knows why...but when the doctor put me on Rayos he said it would cut my dosage by 40%. I have been able to absorb it and I am slowly reducing. Time will tell.
When I switched from ordinary to Rayos, I took the ordinary early morning then took the Rayos at 10pm in the evening. I suppose you could take your last dose of Rayos at 10pm then wait around twenty eight hours and take the ordinary ones. On the other hand it would not be the end of the world if you took the ordinary ones the following morning and had a little extra pred. A lot of us have doubled up by mistake so there would be no difference. Sleep should be no different from Rayos. I would try it as one dose to start with and see how it goes.
I would try taking the ordinary pred as late as you can before bed - and see what happens.
Otherwise I'd do what piglette suggest. But because the Rayos doesn't release until early morning, if you then took the first lot of "ordinary" as early as possible the next morning it really shouldn't make a lot of difference.
Thanks for everyone's suggestions. My doctor emphasized the timing as the key to the Rayos.... hence my dilemma...will just have to play it by ear and pray for fast shipping 😊
Timing IS key for Rayos - you take it at 10pm, it releases all at once 4 hours later and the peak in the blood happens about 4am, cytokines are shed at about 4.30am and the pred is waiting for it so it avoid morning stiffness. But with ordinary pred it just takes about 2 hours from swallowing to the blood peak level. You may find mornings less comfortable - but if you can take it at night before bed and it doesn't keep you awake that will work fairly well too. It isn't that critical.
As your doctor says Rayos must be taken at 10pm as stated by the manufacturer. You can continue to do this when your supply of Lodotra comes and while you finish off your old batch of Rayos.
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How I reinvented myself after PMR
Relapse after two weeks on 15mg Preds
I haven't posted for a long time but feel desperate.
Update ... flare has nicely abated...not on methotrexate YET! what do I do when medical insurance stops my cover for PMR?
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