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How Can Predisone Be Weaned Off While Recovering From Contact Dermatitis?
Question: I have been taking a half tab of prednisone for the last 2 days, every 8 hours....to help relieve the severe inching I have from a bad case of contact dermatitis (poison ivy). I nurse practitioner called me today to update a health care assessment I had recently taken and she asked if I had any current medical concerns. I told her about my sever rash from the poison ivy, the blisters and redness and some swelling. I told her I read up on remedies online and learned that taking a 12 day regimine of prednisone, tapering off after 6 days, can help elevate poison ivy rash symptoms. The nurse was alarmed by my taking prednisone that wasn't subscribed for me and insisted I should go to the ER or a walk-in clinic to see what they might suggest for my rash instead of taking an unsupervised RX med. I really don't feel the need to wait to see an ER doctor (or walk in clinic) only to be told to taper off prednisone now and keep up with cold compresses and lots of calamine lotion. Is it really necessary to see an ER doctor for this rash, in your opinion? I'm not having any weird symptoms from the prednisone and I have no problem in ending the regimine, other than that they mentioned online its safer to taper off the doses instead of quitting cold turkey. I seriously DO NOT want to waste a trip into an ER room for something as unnecessary as this, but I promised that nurse I'd give her an update. Can you give me advice as to how to slow down or stop taking (safely) the prednisone? Thanks! Plus, I currently am between PCP at the moment.
Brief Answer:
No ER necessary
Detailed Answer:
dear patient,
No, in my opinion ER visit isn't absolutely necessary. Your nurse is just trying to be very cautious. You can go ahead with your plan. Please tell me your prednisolone dosage in mg and I can tell you how to further reduce it, since it depends if you are over the "cushing limit" or not. Normally with a 12 day regime there won't be any problems though even with higher dosages.
Best regards
No ER necessary
Detailed Answer:
dear patient,
No, in my opinion ER visit isn't absolutely necessary. Your nurse is just trying to be very cautious. You can go ahead with your plan. Please tell me your prednisolone dosage in mg and I can tell you how to further reduce it, since it depends if you are over the "cushing limit" or not. Normally with a 12 day regime there won't be any problems though even with higher dosages.
Best regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Prasad
Hello, thanks for getting back to me. I'm only taking 10mg every 8-12 hrs now.....a half tab twice a day. I don't have a problem cutting back, and am now finding that the cold compresses and calamine cream, plus Benadryl (oral) seems to help more. The itching seems to be subdiding, the redness and angry look of the rash on my arm, not so prominent as a day before. Should I cut down to 5mg (or less) of the prednisone now or continue with my current dose for another day or more?? I appreciate your feedback! Thanks again!!
Brief Answer:
Prednisolone reduction scheme below
Detailed Answer:
Dear patient,
you can decide that depending on how the rash proceeds getting better: take 5mg twice per day for a few more days as needed, then reduce to 5 mg for 3-4 more days, then you can usually go to zero. Normally this will not cause any complication. If anything feels weird you can get a quick appointment with your local general practitioner rather than ER.
Best regards
Prednisolone reduction scheme below
Detailed Answer:
Dear patient,
you can decide that depending on how the rash proceeds getting better: take 5mg twice per day for a few more days as needed, then reduce to 5 mg for 3-4 more days, then you can usually go to zero. Normally this will not cause any complication. If anything feels weird you can get a quick appointment with your local general practitioner rather than ER.
Best regards
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Shanthi.E
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