Spondylitis Association of America
Posted By: poodlegirl Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/05/11 04:31 PM
What is the difference between a medrol dose pak and a prenisone taper? My primary is giving me a pred taper for my sciatic pain. The nurse said this is not the same as the medrol dose pak, but didn't give me any more info. I've not had the pred taper before.

Thanks for your help with this.
Posted By: Roqufort Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/05/11 06:22 PM
a medrol dose pak is 6 days of a 6-5-4-3-2-1 taper. pred taper would most likely be a longer time frame, maybe a week of 5, then week of 4 ect. I cant take pred as it makes me rage, but I have been on medrol long tapers before.
Posted By: JenInCincy Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/05/11 06:39 PM
Brenda, it is worth asking for a lot more detail - one of prednisone's renowned side effects is TROUBLE SLEEPING! I'm not saying you should/shouldn't take it - it could really help with the pain - but definitely make an informed decision. Try to start with something that could be a short taper in case the side effects make you want to kill someone and eat them smile
Posted By: KimD592 Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/26/11 05:57 PM
I'm not quite sure, to be honest. My neurosurgeon ordered the Medrol dose pak for me about a month and a half ago, but the pharmacy didn't have it at the time, so they substitued it for Prednisone taper. They are both taken the same way...first day you take 6, then 5, then 4, and so on. I think they are just different types of steroids, but both can be taken in a taper, which is basically a steroid burst. I'm currently on the Medrol dose pak now.
Posted By: seekonk Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/26/11 06:27 PM
It's the same thing. Medrol is a kind of corticosteroid just like prednisone. The Medrol pak is a taper over a specific number of days.
Posted By: avonldy Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/26/11 06:33 PM
My GP just gave me a script for a pred taper. It's for 20mg pills. I take 1 pill/day for 5 days, the 1/2 pill/day for 3 days then 1/4 pill /day till all the pills are gone. When My GI puts me on steroids, he has me start at 40mg/day for 2 weeks the 1 week at leach lever on the way down.

My GI's nurse says that you wont have a problem sleeping if you take it as early in the morning as possible. She said to take the whole dose and not split it up. It worked the last time I was on pred. In the past, I had to take sleeping pills to get to sleep and now I don't. This is a new thing in his office as in the past they had me split my dose.
Posted By: poodlegirl Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/26/11 09:54 PM
Now the rheumy wants me to take 5 mg of pred a day for awhile to see if it helps the toe. I don't want to take it very long, though. She gave me 30 pills. I am afraid of having trouble getting off of it if I take it for very long. I have seen some posts where people had problems, but I can't remember the dosage or time length.

Anyone have any problems with a 5 mg dose?
Posted By: avonldy Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/26/11 10:30 PM
Usually when someone has problems getting off pred, it's because the started on much larger doses and for a long period of time. I had problems many years ago when I was on 40mg for over a month. It took me over 6 months to taper off. I was taking 1mg pills at the end.

I don't worry at all now when I take a short course of pred. I just started one that my GP put me on because I wanted stronger pain meds. He is hoping the pred will reduce my pain and we can avoid going to a much stronger med. 5 mg of pred is really a small amount. I wouldn't worry. I hope it helps you to feel better.
Posted By: poodlegirl Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/26/11 10:37 PM
Ok. Thanks, Donna. That really helps.

I hope the pred helps reduce your pain a lot, too!
Posted By: avonldy Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/26/11 10:43 PM
It always does. Between my GI and my GP, they keep me with a stash of pred to keep on hand, just in case I get a AS or UC flare over a long weekend.
Posted By: sunflower Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/27/11 09:01 PM
Gosh, I wish they only put me on 5 mg! I have have had to go as high as 80 mg and taper down. Usually at 40 mg. I hate the stuff, but will take it to avoid death.

We are avoiding it this time, and I am using a cortisone enema which doesn't seem to have as much side effects, but I am going to have trouble getting off of it, I can already tell. Ugh. We tried the every other day thing a while back, and I had incredible pain (Crohn's).

I know you already know the answer, but the 5mg probably won't give you too much trouble. Hopefully it is helping!
Posted By: avonldy Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/27/11 09:41 PM
I can understand how you feel about it. The side effects can be awful. I get so grouchy and shaky when I am over anything over 20mg. When my girls were younger they would call pred my grouchy pills. I would feel so bad when I lost patients with the girls. I would go to the bedroom and sit down and cry. I hate that stuff. The side of the dose depends a lot on what they are treating. With IBD, they frequently put the patient in the hospital and give it in the IV. They usually give doses like 120 and up.

There is a type of steroid, Budesonide, that is a pill that dissolves when it get into the intestines. The steroids go to work where they are needed and less gets into the blood stream to cause all those side effects. It works really well for IBD.

I am just taking the lower doses to calm down the inflammation caused by the AS.
Posted By: poodlegirl Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/27/11 11:53 PM
Ok. I feel blessed that I only have to take 5 mg. I'm wondering why she is giving such a small amount, but I'm not complaining. I guess it is possible to get help with a small amount. Maybe because it is just the toe she is testing on it. I guess, but I don't know.

I'm sorry that you guys have to take so much. I know it is difficult. I remember the times I had to take a steroid pack back when I had iritis. I really think it started at 60 mg and then came down. But whatever it was, when I was on it, I became VERY assertive and did a few things that scared my son. Like yelling out the car window at people. He called them the psycho pills.
Posted By: avonldy Re: Medrol dose pak vs prednisone taper - 08/28/11 03:35 AM
If you just have inflammation from some kind of arthritis,5 mg will probably have you feeling much better in just a few days. It does for me.
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