Has anyone solved the 1 mg Prednisalone shortage? ( Gastric Resistant)

[SheffieldJane]

I understand that the shortage has been caused by a change of hands in the supply line. The pharmacy attached to my GP surgery has supplied extra 5 mgs, tabs, to me.I am currently unable to taper from 10 mgs as we cannot cut up 5 mg entric tabs. Nobody seems to get why this matters. Any advice?

[miss-philosopher]

Maybe you could take some plain pred i a gel capsule. Like one 5 mg. tab of gastric resistant and 4½ mg of plain pred in a gel capsule.

[Yellowbluebell]

Why can't you cut 5mg tablets. All mine just snap in two easily. I hadnt realised there was a shortage though as my supply seems fine. YBB

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Yellowbluebell]

SJ is talking about enteric coated form.

[Yellowbluebell in reply to DorsetLady]

Oops xx

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Yellowbluebell]

It's only enteric coated 1mg that is a problem - company buy-out and the new lot won't be available until late Ocotber. Suppliers are refusing to send out existing stock as the expiry date is November.

[Yellowbluebell in reply to PMRpro]

Uncoated with a stomach protector?

[Slowdown]

Jane, I'm sure you've seen this but thought I'd put a link in healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk... in case you missed it... I've been lucky so far even though the visiting head pharmacist said she didn't know 1mg g/r existed! I've got an emergency supply of plain pred to enable those small increase/decrease adjustments.

Can't say I'm ecstatic about heading into a lockdown winter but we could really do without this extra annual stress with our meds. Good luck x

[SheffieldJane in reply to Slowdown]

Can you send me a link for the Phoenix email address? I think that my oesophageal spasms and sharp intestinal pains come from steroid damage over the 4 year+ period I have been on them. Thanks Slowdown.

[Slowdown in reply to SheffieldJane]

I haven't got Phoenix email but if you PM Joyce69 I'm sure she will respond.

I agree about gut and related issues with plain pred. When I had a hospital stay in May they i gnored all g/r pred I'd brought and put me on 15mg plain (double dose) it took me 2 weeks to sort out all the meds and stomach pain. Let us know if you get a response from Phoenix ... on we go...

[SheffieldJane in reply to Slowdown]

Thank you! I had thought it was you. I can’t seem to tolerate it at all now.

I just tried to locate Joyce69 and drew a blank. I just used the search box.

[Slowdown in reply to SheffieldJane]

At the top of this page go to Home Posts Members About: click on Members and a search box opens - it's specifically PMRGCA. I just tried it

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Can Surgery/pharmacy get 2,5mg tablets in gastro resistant form?

[SheffieldJane in reply to DorsetLady]

Yes, I have got 2.5 Entric Coated Prednisalone tablets and 5 mgs Entric Coated. Before I moved to Entric Coated I hadn’t realised that my, quite sharp, stomach pains, all came from ordinary Pred. Omeprazole and similar caused other digestive issues.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to SheffieldJane]

can you manage with those - and make up to required dose with uncoated - or will that tip you over edge gastric-wise?

[SheffieldJane in reply to DorsetLady]

1mg uncoated caused gripping pains and there is the differing absorption rates issue. Thanks though.

[Coffeebeans]

I seem to be getting 1mg enteric without any issues. They are the Alliance brand.

Maybe another pharmacy could source them?

[Rache]

I am still getting 1mg enteric coated. They are Alliance brand. However for quite some time now they are ones which expire in November 2020 so I’ve been thinking there may be no newer ones available. I also have 2.5 enteric coated. If you had those you’d need less of the uncoated ones when reducing and maybe, as mphil says, you could use a gel capsule with them.

[SheffieldJane in reply to Rache]

That was my use by date. Unfortunately my Pharmacy denied that there was a problem back when we were alerted and now they announce that they have none and show no will to seek a solution. They are attached to my GP surgery and on the same site - this has had some advantages in the past, they are not very efficient though.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

The 2.5mg enteric coated tabs are't affected are they? I found I could manage 2mg of plain pred together with enteric coated without any problem. 4mg was another matter though.

And with TCZ on board 10 to 7.5 using one of the slowed tapers and doing each stage at least twice will almost certainly work OK.

[SheffieldJane]

Thanks. I will get an Endoscopy when these tests become more freely available. It doesn’t help that Tocilizumab does have stomach perforation as a side effect. I wonder if the Charity could make a case for our much needed Entric Coated 1 mg tablets? We are in a uniquely needful position.

[Rugger]

Jane, could you take your prescription to an independent pharmacy? My pharmacy isn't attached to my GP's surgery and they seem able to get the 1mg gastro-resistant tablets, with just over 2 months left until the expiry date.

Good luck!

[SheffieldJane]

I am waiting for a prescription for Entric Coated 1 mg Prednisalone alone because my Pharmacy would not release the prescription that has all the other items on it, to me. I am really aware that simple requests like this are subject to big delays and accorded low priority. Understandable I guess.

[MrsNails in reply to SheffieldJane]

Explain the situation to your GP & ask for another ‘script to take somewhere else, don’t ring up, write a note & pop it in the post, you’ve nothing to lose & everything to gain x

[SheffieldJane]

Thanks Angela!

[maria40]

I rang my pharmacy this morning as I had been given 60 instead of my prescribed 120 Pred mg e/c. I was told that the GP had altered my prescription ; so far haven't got through to GP. I need more this month as I'm going down to 11.5 and need four a day I do have a little horde but they won't last long at this dose. Pharmacist didn't know about the supply problems though she was a locum and I'll try to speak to the regular pharmacist when she's back.

[Pollyanna16]

I had to chase around for gastro resistant pred a few days ago. Thank you for reminding me as realise I only have 2 weeks supply! Speaking to GP today so will ask her for a specific prescription I think.

[SheffieldJane in reply to Pollyanna16]

The problem is at the supply end I think. Nothing older than Nov 2020.

[Telian]

It’s just happened to me.

Have you any 2.5mgs enteric coated - that way you only have to take 1.5mg of uncoated. Worth a try?

Pharmacy have no idea when things will be back to normal.

[SheffieldJane in reply to Telian]

Yes I do have some 2.5 gastric resistant. I have had a really bad cold this week so I haven’t been tapering. I am also a bit confused about the GCA protection afforded to me by Tocilizumab. Nobody is unequivocal on this point.

[Telian in reply to SheffieldJane]

Wise not to taper yet. I would ask SM’s advice. Hope the cold’s getting better.

[SheffieldJane in reply to Telian]

Thanks it is. SM told me that the statistics for eyesight loss are affected by the numbers of much older people experiencing this devastating occurrence. She said I was too young. Not comforted.

[Telian in reply to SheffieldJane]

Mmmm.... There are variances within those statistics too - as you say not

much comfort when you’re on the receiving end...