Tapering Prednisolone

[rockitorknockit]

My Oscar has been on 5mg once a day of prednisolone for several months now (think probably 8ish months, after being on 10mg for a couple before that).
Right now he is stable and the doctor's want to reduce this dosage to 2.5mg once a day to reduce long term dangers and due to having a mild-moderate heart disease.

Having been on steroids before myself and needing to taper much more slowly than doctors initially wanted me to, and knowing the delicate condition of Oscar's stability (we've found a magical perfect balance that I am so scared of disrupting), I am really nervous to make any changes to the meds. It's been a few days since his appointment and so far I have not made any move to change the dosage because I've been stewing on it and wanting to make a post here. That said, I totally understand why we should try to do this and I don't want my fear to prevent me from doing what is best for his health and happiness long-term.

The vet said to just switch him to the lower dosage immediately and let them know if he reacts poorly. Is this the best/safest way to do this? Just looking for others thoughts/opinions/anecdotal experience. Should I taper him differently or more slowly? I guess there would be no harm in doing so but I am not sure what that should look like because I am no expert.

Thanks so much!

 

[sivyaleah]

I think you should follow your vets advice. There are different methods of tapering off this medication; sometimes they half the dosage and continue to give it daily but other times a vet opts to keep the same dosage on an on/off schedule (one day on, next day off, etc) for a certain amount of time. Some years ago we needed to use it short term for one of our cats and the tapering was reduced on a daily basis.

I personally wouldn't change what the vet suggested without a full consultation on why you disagree. Perhaps there's another tapering schedule that would make you feel more comfortable that is appropriate for your cat's health situation or they can explain to you better the reasons why they picked this schedule.

 

[mrsgreenjeens]

I really do think if you don't want to cut the dosage in half, discuss this with your Vet and get their take on it. They know Oscar's health better than we do, so would be much better suited to figure out the best way to handle this. You could ask them to explain their thinking in cutting the dosage in half rather than a slower decrease, etc. Any good Vet should be happy to explain these things to you. As a matter of fact, they should welcome your questions as it shows how much you care about Oscar.

 

[SafariDoc]

FWIW ... my cat was gradually tapered off of prednisolone, on a prescribed basis, by the veterinarian, about 3 years ago.

At that time, the prednisolone was gradually tapered over a length of 3-4 weeks.

The veterinarian asked me to call the vet's office to let them know how my cat was doing, on a weekly basis.

If you're concerned about tapering, or have questions about it in connection with your own cat, it's helpful to contact your cat's veterinarian.

A telephone call often provides concerned pet owners with peace of mind - especially since they're familiar with your cat's medical history. :-)

 

[neely]

FWIW ... my cat was gradually tapered off of prednisolone, on a prescribed basis, by the veterinarian

Ditto, same here but our cat was not on the prednisolone as long as Oscar and each cat is prescribed it for varying health reasons. I agree with the other members to share your feelings with the vet and discuss whether or not to taper gradually. Best of luck, please keep us posted on your cat's progress.

 

[SafariDoc]

In case you're curious, here are some details for my own cat:

Originally, my cat received a 5-mg prednisolone tablet, every 10-12 hours, for 3 months.
Then, pursuant to veterinary supervision, the prednisolone was tapered to 2.5 mg, every 10-12 hours, for 10 full days.
Then, the prednisolone was further tapered to 2.5 mg tablet (every other day) until finally reaching 0 at the end of 4 weeks.