Has anyone taken L-Glutamine with Prednisone?

Unfortunatly we don't have the coated ones in US.  Atleast that is what local pharmacist said. 

when I asked my rheum for coated prednisone, she said it's expensive and to take a ppi. She also sent me for all kinds of heart tests because of the heartburn. The heart doc said it's heartburn take a ppi. But I have osteoporosis, and a ppi isn't good for that. that's why I got the coated capsules. I'm in the U.S., but I ordered them on-line.

Thanks Annie!  Geez, doctors should let us decide if it's too expensive! I'll check in to it.

maybe you can private message me where you order the coated ones?

Ok, I'll see if I can find my order form. They are just coated capsules that I put the pills in.

Hi Layne, Rayos prednisone is available in the US but they may cost a lot, it is coated though.

great idea.....I never knew there was such a thing.

Where did you get them?

sent me a private e-mail since moderater will probably

delete any info.

I don't know what the costs are in the US but in the UK there was the same dispute a few years ago when the enteric coated sort were more expensive - but that was relative, it's said it was a 17-fold difference. A directive was issued that instead of giving enteric coated pred to patients they were to be given the ordinary sort plus a PPI. No consideration that that introduced another set of side effects which can be quite unpleasant and a second lot of tablets to take which it is known reduces compliance.

The immediate reaction on the part of the drug manufacturers was to increase the price of ordinary pred tablets to bring them far closer to the cost of the eneteric coated version! 

The approximate actual figures in the UK are:

Plain pred 5mg x 30                   cost £1.33

PPI x 30                                      cost £1.83

Total                                           cost £3.16

Plus 2x dispensing fees

Enteric coated pred 5mg x30     cost £1.83

Plus 1x dispensing fee

Which when I was in school made the enteric coated sort clearly cheaper! The authorities will not listen!

Oh I didn't know Rayos were the coated ones!!

My last Rheumy visit right before holiday wants me to change to Rayos just because I said I'm still in most pain all morning. She wants me to take those at night and said they were time released. Said they were expensive and said a special pharmacy would be calling me...I haven't heard from them yet.  Sounded a bit shady to me. 

Hmmmm, now I wonder.

Eileen aren't you on Rayos?  Should I call and press the issue?

Rayos have a super new special coating on prednisone, I have actually got shares in the company who manufacture the coating, although they have not done brilliantly recently!! I have been taking Rayos for a while and they are great. I reckon the side effects are less but I may be imagining it.

I had a nice surprise this month when I found enteric coated 5mgs in my meds packet. I now have them in 5mg and 2.5. I wonder if they do 1mgs. I am in the UK by the way.

Penelope, unfortunately the coated pred in UK is only available in 2.5 and 5mg tablets. 

As ptolemy says - no enteric coated 1mg pills. The NE charity did enquire but it was claimed it wouldn't be cost-effective. They would cost the same as the 5mg tablets to produce. The vast majority of patients are only on pred short-term and can reduce to zero OK using 2.5mg and 5mg. Others are on 5mg or 10mg long term (i.e. pretty much for life). PMR does tend to be a special case (hence the lack of understanding that a slow and more accurate reduction helps. 

My "Dead slow and nearly stop" approach to reduction does work with 2.5mg at a time if you repeat the steps several times to spread it out over an even longer time.

As ptolemy says, they have a special time-sensitive coating. You take them at 10pm within 3 hours of your evening meal or with a slice of bread and something (preferably cheese or cold cuts for the fat/protein content to slow absorption). This creates the right conditions in the gut for the coating to disintegrate all at once after 4 hours at 2am and so it is exactly the same as taking your plain white tablets at 2am except you don't have to wake up! A study showed that the optimum time to take pred to avoid morning stiffness in RA (and PMR by extrapolation) was 2am and that was why the coating was developed.

Because of the coating they are much more expensive than ordinary pred, 1mg, 2mg and 5mg tablets all cost the same and you have to combine them to get the right dose. I get them on prescription here in Italy because I couldn't tolerate Medrol which is the only other option but I would consider paying myself if I couldn't have them. The 4 hour delay must also mean they are past the stomach when they break down, purely on the time consideration.

I think the side effects are less for me too ptolemy - I have steadily been able to lose the Medrol weight, hair and skin are back to normal and beard gone! Other than that I couldn't say I have any side effects. I wake in the early moring with sweats - but whether that is the pred or the PMR I couldn't say, I had similar sweats with PMR and no pred.  The theory is that you can get away with a lower dose because of the more specific timing of the dose. I know people who woke at 2am to take ordinary pred and sailed through their reduction - could be coincidence of course.

I can honestly say I NEVER have morning pain and a 5mg dose lasts me all day. I was also OK on 4mg PMR-wise - but was much more tired and that got worse when heading for 3mg. Working on the GP to do an adrenal function test - but she hasn't come across the concept before so it is a slow job!

Could you post the dead slow and nearly stop approach, please.  Thanks.

Could you post your dead slow and nearly stop approach again, please?

Thanks.

Jeannae

https://patient.info/forums/discuss/reducing-pred-dead-slow-and-nearly-stop-method-531439