Deflazacort

Until now, I've never heard of it. I'm in the USofA.  I assure you I will check into this with the many doctors I see for various health issues I'm facing.  Inflammation and autioimmune deficiencies are the two I'm dealing with in.  This sounds as though I could benefit from it.  Will let you know how the outcome is.

Warm regards,

Frustrated

Frustrated

I haven't heard of it,  I just take Prednisolone [commonly known as Pred!]  I found this comment

Deflazacort is a glucocorticoid used as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant. Deflazacort is an inactive prodrug which is metabolized rapidly to the active drug 21-desacetyldeflazacort. Its potency is around 70–90% that of prednisone. Wikipedia 

Frustrated61 yes I meant pred  to be predisone / prednisolone. Pred is easier to write!!

However, before you get excited about it, the main reason for the choice of a particular corticosteroid in PMR is the half life of the drug in the body. The half life is the time it takes for the body to get rid of half the dose. Some corticosteroids are excreted very quickly, others take longer. The longer it takes to get rid of it the longer the effect will last - because the effect lasts longer than the drug is present in the body. In the case of pred the length of effect is from 12 to 36 hours - so a single dose should cover the majority of people for 24 hours before the effect wears off and the symptoms return. It isn't perfect for everyone and a few people find they need a split dose to avoid a few hours of discomfort before the next day's dose is due.

Deflazacort's half life is shorter - and so is its length of effect so that would mean probably at least 2, possibly 3 doses a day. The longer the body has excess corticosteroid in it the more likely the side effects become so over a long term therapy with deflazacort the effects will be little different. One way of reducing side effects with pred is to take double the dose on alternate days - this gives the body far longer without any pred present and so the side effects are lessened. Unfortunately it doesn't work as well in PMR as in other illnesses where this alternate day dosing is used and it must not be used in GCA at all, the risks are too high. And it would be impossible with deflazacort. 

Frustrated61 - yes, pred is what we usually say when we mean prednisolone and prednisone. They are slightly different, not just in spelling: prednisone is metabolised in the liver to make prednisone which is the active form of the drug. In the UK it is almost always prednisolone that is used whereas it is more often prednisone that is used in the USA. Sometimes methyl prednisolone (Medrol) is used in the US - newer, supposedly a more effective antiinflammatory but that comes with a payback: the side effects are worse! I have had few to no side effects with the pred used in the UK except a bit of weight gain, now I am on Lodotra, a much newer form of prednisone that is released 4 hours after you take a delayed release tablet at 10pm and so prevents morning stiffness, I have no side effects at all. Medrol gave me a lovely black beard, massive weight gain and skin and hair problems, and caused muscle wasting - it was horrible!

Hope this helps understand the reason for it being prednisone/prednisolone that are used in PMR.