Can I compress this dosage schedule?
July 29, 2015 11:29 AM Subscribe
I need to take six pills on the first day. But, I only got the prescription early this afternoon. Can I compress the dosage schedule?
YANAD, YANMD, etc.
My doc had me start a round of prednisone because reasons (nothing serious, though). I need to get this going asap. But, when I got the pack home and looked at the dosage instructions for the first day's six pills, it says "2 tablets before breakfast, 1 tablet after lunch and after supper, and 2 tablets before bed."
Being that I only got the script filled earlier this afternoon, can I compress today's dosing in order to still get all six pills in? Without complications, that is.
Thanks.
YANAD, YANMD, etc.
My doc had me start a round of prednisone because reasons (nothing serious, though). I need to get this going asap. But, when I got the pack home and looked at the dosage instructions for the first day's six pills, it says "2 tablets before breakfast, 1 tablet after lunch and after supper, and 2 tablets before bed."
Being that I only got the script filled earlier this afternoon, can I compress today's dosing in order to still get all six pills in? Without complications, that is.
Thanks.
last time I got prednisone 2 years ago (yay nasty poison ivy outbreak), the instructions were to take the whole day's dose at once. It was the doc and pharmacist who told me that.
(I'd had it years previously, yay torqued ankle, and then it was 1 pill every 2-3 hrs, the dosepack said what times to take).
(DO take it with food, milk, or something, it will burn a hole in your stomach)
posted by k5.user at 11:39 AM on July 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
(I'd had it years previously, yay torqued ankle, and then it was 1 pill every 2-3 hrs, the dosepack said what times to take).
(DO take it with food, milk, or something, it will burn a hole in your stomach)
posted by k5.user at 11:39 AM on July 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
When I was on prednisone, I took the full amount all at once on the first day and it was fine.
posted by rainbowbrite at 11:40 AM on July 29, 2015
posted by rainbowbrite at 11:40 AM on July 29, 2015
Yup, totally. Take it *now*, though, or it might affect your sleep. (It might anyway. Prednisone sucks. It works, but it sucks.)
posted by restless_nomad at 11:42 AM on July 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by restless_nomad at 11:42 AM on July 29, 2015 [1 favorite]
I was on those, yes all at once is fine and yeah you might get cranky/sleepless so go do it now.
posted by jessamyn at 11:51 AM on July 29, 2015
posted by jessamyn at 11:51 AM on July 29, 2015
Sounds like prednisone. Somewhere on the dose pack, it says something like "if you receive this dose pack late in the day, take 2 pills every 2 hours." That may just be the particular does packs my pharmacy uses.
posted by tckma at 11:57 AM on July 29, 2015
posted by tckma at 11:57 AM on July 29, 2015
Well, I did not see and was not told about the whole thing at once option so I just waited 12 hours and started it in the morning. That worked too. I would call my doctor and ask which is best, the all at once or wait until tomorrow.
posted by AugustWest at 12:16 PM on July 29, 2015
posted by AugustWest at 12:16 PM on July 29, 2015
In the future, this is exactly what pharmacists are for! You can always call them for advice about this kind of thing.
posted by jesourie at 1:39 PM on July 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by jesourie at 1:39 PM on July 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Agreed on checking with pharmacists. My doc in the box gave me the option to start the next day only because he'd give me a shot to get me started
posted by tilde at 2:13 PM on July 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by tilde at 2:13 PM on July 29, 2015 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks all. I much appreciate the heads-up on side effects. AFAIK, I've never taken this stuff. Tonight, though, my wife reminded me about her reactions to prednisone (overeating and weight gain) and our son's reaction (suicidal thoughts and agitation.) Good lord. As for me, so far so good tonight.
FWIW, when I picked up the pills, I did ask the pharmacist whether I could take them all at once, and he said "yes". My confusion came when I got home and saw the actual dosing instructions (and missed the teeny, tiny alternate dosing instructions.)
posted by Thorzdad at 7:10 PM on July 29, 2015
FWIW, when I picked up the pills, I did ask the pharmacist whether I could take them all at once, and he said "yes". My confusion came when I got home and saw the actual dosing instructions (and missed the teeny, tiny alternate dosing instructions.)
posted by Thorzdad at 7:10 PM on July 29, 2015
Those are very weird instructions for pred - I prescribe it a lot, for lots of different indications (transplants, autoimmune diseases, asthma exacerbations, etc) and I've never heard of anyone taking it multiple times a day (hydrocortisone tablets yes, pred no). The half-life of prednisolone is really long, so there's no reason at all to split the dose like that.
It's generally better to take it in the morning because that mimics the diurnal variation in cortisol levels (and thus messes with your sleep less), but you're fine to take the first dose whenever you get it, and then the second dose the following morning.
posted by tinkletown at 4:33 AM on July 30, 2015
It's generally better to take it in the morning because that mimics the diurnal variation in cortisol levels (and thus messes with your sleep less), but you're fine to take the first dose whenever you get it, and then the second dose the following morning.
posted by tinkletown at 4:33 AM on July 30, 2015
I've never heard of anyone taking it multiple times a day
For people who need it for a one-off thing like poison ivy, there is a special pack that these come in (at least mine was) that look like this. Basically you are starting it and tapering off of it at the same time.
posted by jessamyn at 6:10 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
For people who need it for a one-off thing like poison ivy, there is a special pack that these come in (at least mine was) that look like this. Basically you are starting it and tapering off of it at the same time.
posted by jessamyn at 6:10 AM on July 30, 2015 [2 favorites]
From a medical point of view:
1) you don't need to taper prednisolone unless you have been on it for more than two weeks, as your own adrenals should still be functioning.
2) even if you are tapering, there's still no pharmacological reason to take it multiple times a day (in fact there are physiological reasons NOT to split the dose, as I mentioned).
But seeing that pack (thanks Jessamyn) I will just chalk it up to different medical conventions in different countries and stop arguing about it. To answer the question, yes you can take all of them at once today.
posted by tinkletown at 6:35 AM on July 30, 2015
1) you don't need to taper prednisolone unless you have been on it for more than two weeks, as your own adrenals should still be functioning.
2) even if you are tapering, there's still no pharmacological reason to take it multiple times a day (in fact there are physiological reasons NOT to split the dose, as I mentioned).
But seeing that pack (thanks Jessamyn) I will just chalk it up to different medical conventions in different countries and stop arguing about it. To answer the question, yes you can take all of them at once today.
posted by tinkletown at 6:35 AM on July 30, 2015
Response by poster: For people who need it for a one-off thing like poison ivy, there is a special pack that these come in (at least mine was) that look like this. Basically you are starting it and tapering off of it at the same time.
That is exactly the pack I got from the pharmacy.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:53 AM on July 30, 2015
That is exactly the pack I got from the pharmacy.
posted by Thorzdad at 9:53 AM on July 30, 2015
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:38 AM on July 29, 2015 [1 favorite]