Is there any difference between the gastro-resistant Prednisolone tablets and the non-coated Prednisolone tablets as to their efficacy?
I have always been given the un-coated tablets however this time I was prescribed 2.5mg coated tablets.
I am at 2.5mg daily, I have been at this dosage a few times before and each time I've had a flare. I am hoping that I do not flare this time.
I been taking the coated tablets for 5 days now, prior to I was cutting 5mg uncoated in half (2.5) for 12 days.
The previous 12 days felt fine but since taking the gastro-resistant prednisolone tablets have had some neck and shoulder pain.
Today I've gone back to cutting non coated in half and had no pain. Wondering if all in my head or if the the gastro-resistant tabs have a different result?
All the best.
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The non-coated tablets are absorbed quickly in the stomach, within an hour or so, and reach a higher spiky peak briefly and then the level falls over the next few hours.
The coated tablets aren't absorbed immediately, the coating means they resist the stomach acid and pass through the stomach into the more alkaline lower gut before the coating is broken down and the pred absorbed, This introduces a delay of 3 or 4 hours before the tablet breaks down which it also does more slowly so that the pred is released slower too, The level in the blood rises more gently, it tends to reach a lower peak level and then it falls away in much the same way. The same amount altogether is absorbed though. This has 2 effects - it takes longer for the new dose of pred to start working and the peak is a bit lower so may not be quite as effective in some people. Because it takes longer to start working, that means there may be more inflammation to deal with because of the delay. And the lower blood level adds to that.
There are swings and roundabouts with the coated pred and for some people the effect lasts longer - but it sounds as if it isn't as good for you. I know they think giving you 2.5mg tablets is helpful - the UK seems to have a thing against cutting tablets! - but mixing coated and non-coated is also no idea because of the different timings of being absorbed. And one pharmacist told a patient there was no difference - so heaven knows what they thought enteric coating does!!!
Good morning PMpro, Thank you so much for explaining the difference between coated and non coated prednisolone. And for also confirming that possibly the coated tablets are not as good for me. Yes, strange that UK has a problem with cutting tablets, the score on the tablet is there for a reason in my view. Now to approach the surgery in hopes of getting 5mg tabs. Have a good day and a great weekend. Enjoy
The one possible downside of non enteric coated tablets is that they can affect your stomach. A gastro-resistant tablet is designed to temporarily withstand attack by stomach acid. Gastro-resistant tablets can resist the fluid in the stomach and release their active ingredient in the intestine as PMRPro mentioned. To combat the affect on the stomach that can be caused by non enteric coated tablets some people are prescribed stomach tablets to combat the problem. There is quite an interesting article comparing coated and uncoated tablets at pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articl...
I place non-coated tablets into enteric "acid resistant" capsules. (I buy the empty capsules online.) I don't wish to take PPI's like lansoprazole, which I would otherwise have to take to prevent stomach pain.
That's a really interesting paper. It confirms what we'd expect about enteric coatings, even though the patients involved were all kidney-transplant recipients, and one had had part of their stomach removed.
In addition to PMRPro’s reply a personal one - In the few things about coated v non that I read in the beginning of GCA the curve of blood level with uncoated it was more of a spike and with enteric it looked more like a rolling hill. Due to gastric issues I was cornered into taking the coated as stomach protecting meds had bad side effects and ended up not working eventually anyway. My personal experience of them are:
1) Yes, the wobblies I got from normal Pred when it was at its peak each day was about1-2 hours and lasted for 1-2 hours. With coated I felt it at about 3-4 hours and it lasted also about 2 hours which supports what PMRPro said.
2) Normal Pred didn’t give me 24 hours of symptom control but coated did very obviously.
3) Normal Pred I had to take with a meal not a snack or I would feel sick etc. If I did the same with coated I clearly wasn’t absorbing it as well because I had a rebound of symptoms until the penny dropped and I realised it was the food. I found proteins and fats were particularly influential. So I took coated 2 hours away from food from then on. Once I did that it was plain sailing.
4) Coated had a remarkable effect on my stomach issues but I still needed Gaviscon at night when my stomach was empty for more hours.
My GP was great and believed my problems with PPI’s were real and intractable, enough to go against the theory that for GCA coated is not ideal. She prescribed coated and I did a deal that I would buy my own Gaviscon and she’d save on not prescribing Omeprazole or Famotidine. At that time coated Pred was more expensive than Omeprazole but I think that changed.
Luckily the Rheumy Dept completely failed to give me a follow-up for 6 months after my first 6 week check on 40mg. This suited me fine as I was confident that my own reduction plan was best for me and all was under control. Just as well because when I did come back on the radar 7 months later the registrar was very not happy I was on coated. However, he couldn’t argue with the fact that I had had excellent symptom control, no relapse and a relatively happy stomach. I’m not saying research is wrong at all but I think people are different and it isn’t black and white. When you’ve got raging early GCA it takes nerves of steel and perhaps stupidity to tinker about with experimentation. In my case my hand was forced and circumstances played out conveniently.
Hi SnazzyD, Thank you for sharing your own personal experiences with prednisolone. tablets. There seems that we are all different and really need to listen to what our bodies are telling us. You are lucky to have a sympathetic GP and surgery, I've had to battle with mine they not understanding PMR and not wanting to. Getting the care we need it seems a bit of a mine field. Take care. All the best.
It really doesn’t help having to do battle. In my case the Rhemy’s were awful and every appointment was distressing but the GP was good because she knew me well. It really shouldn’t be that way. Good luck.
I forgot to say that when I got to small doses where cutting was involved, my stomach was better enough. I mixed non with coated and staggered the dosing and eating according to which I was taking. It was a right faff. By then my GCA was quiet so any ‘dry’ periods where my blood level was not optimal wasn’t a problem.
Yes, the lower the dosage the better the tummy. I also take my medication with food. This forum and the members have been so helpful and I so appreciate all. Without the forum I would have been so lost as how to manage my PMR. I have been feeling good for months now and live in hopes that my PMR journey will soon go into remission and I can get off the dreadful Prednisolone. Thank you so much for responding to my question. Enjoy your weekend.
I'm also in the 2.5mg club. I'm on failure no 5 at the moment. It really is my nemesis dose and since I've been on this journey for seven years now, I think I'm possibly going to be one of the long-termers. I tried enteric coated 5mg Pred years ago when I was given it in error. I didn't get on with it and found 5mg of uncoated and 5mg E/C weren't bio-equivalent for me.
Sorry to hear that you are flaring. This illness is so disheartening, just when you think it soon will go into remission, it rears it's ugly head again. I have gone back to uncoated pred. I am doing better on it than the coated tabs. Knock on wood for both of us. We just have to keep as positive as possible and remember not to overdo. You rest and take care. 🙂
"just when you think it soon will go into remission"
You have to remember there are 2 versions of remission. One is medication induced and to maintain that you just need to take enough pred or pred+ if you need anything else like MTX to deal with the daily dose of inflammation. . You use this form of remission to have a decent quality of life until the underlying autoimmune disorder that created the inflammation burns out - which it does eventually for some 95% of patients.
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