Hi when I was first diagnosed the pred I was given came in bright pink soluble tablets. Then the GP said she had prescribed them by mistake - they are usually reserved for patients who have trouble swallowing as they are more expensive than ordinary pred.
So put onto the white tablets - thought nothingof it at the time. Lately I have been reading about how not all of the pred is absorbed and some absorb it better than others. Going forward I wonder if there might be anything to be said for requesting another try of the soluble ( asking for private prescrition if cost is an issue for NHS)
I dont believe I have ever seen this soluble pred mentioned on this site and I wondered if anyone had any experience of it?
The only experience I have of it was a letter sent out by one of the comissioning groups in the Midlands of England asking doctor to PLEASE stop prescribing it routinely! It was costing that local NHS group hundreds of thousands a year.
Google "prednisolone use plain not soluble tablets" and you will get the link! As you can see, there is a 30-fold difference in price - it is obviously more expensive than the Lodotra I use (I don't live in the UK) which is only availble privately in the UK. If it were me and I was considering paying for a private prescription - I'd rather have the Lodotra. But then, I'm biased
It doesn't really matter how much you absorb because we titrate the dose to get the one that is right for us personally. If you only absorb half, then you will need (say) 9mg where someone who absorbs 90% will get the same effect from 5mg. But there are other factors such as the activity of the disease process and other illnesses.
Thanks Eileen - very interesing. I didn't know the price difference was that great. I will hold off for the moment.
Interestingly I found an old box from when I was first prescribed them over a year ago and noticed the use by date was a year from when they were prescribed. Quite differnt from my normal pred which have a expiry date of 2-3 years hence.
I wondered if my soluble tabs were just an old batch that had been lying around as it isn't prescribed much or if there is something in their make up which gives them a shorter shelf life.
2-3 years is quite a long time for pred - I have often had just 6 months or so. And ptolemy (I think) was once handed out of date ones!! I suspect it depends on how conscientious the supplier is! Like any supermarket...