Do You Take Prednisone All At Once?

Answer

Hello and thanks for reaching out! Prednisone can be prescribed as a once-daily dose or multiple times daily. How exactly your prescription directions read will indicate if they are to be taken all at once, or multiple times daily.

• If your prescription reads, take four tablets by mouth daily, this means that you are to take the tablets all at once.

Prednisone prescriptions that are intended to be dosed multiple times daily will always indicate as such. For example:

• Take one tablet by mouth four times daily.

Based on how you have it written in your question (take 4 tablets a day), that would indicate all the tablets at one time, which is the typical dosing for severe eczema. In your instance, you would take 4 tablets in the morning. However, these prescription directions aren't written in the recommended way. To avoid medication errors, your doctor should have added a frequency of dosing (i.e. once daily).

If the directions are ambiguous or you were told conflicting information by your pharmacy or doctor, it is important to clarify with them.

What Is Prednisone?

Prednisone is a glucocorticosteroid that is typically used to blunt the immune system when patients are having allergic reactions or to treat other autoimmune diseases.

This medication has been known to cause insomnia which is why it is typically recommended to be taken in the morning. It can also cause stomach upset so it is typically recommended to be taken with a meal or small snack.

For patients that take prednisone or other glucocorticosteroids for an extended period of time (over two weeks), it is recommended that they slowly taper off the medication when it is recommended by a physician that they stop the medication.

If the glucocorticosteroid is stopped abruptly, it can cause suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (axis), which can lead to an adrenal crisis and be life-threatening. When stopping the steroid, it is typically recommended to reduce the dose by about 10% each week.

While on prednisone, because it is used to turn down the immune system, you may be at greater risk for developing an infection of some sort. It is important to maintain proper hygiene and avoid friends and family who have measles or chickenpox during your treatment.

Final Words

Based on the information from your question it appears like your prescriber is recommending a dose of 4 tablets a day. This should be taken all at once in the morning and with a small meal to avoid the potential side effects of prednisone.

Be sure to ask your doctor about tapering off prednisone if you are on it for an extended period of time.