Posted , 4 users are following.
My husband George's village pharmacy in France ran out of Predisalone today. He's been given Betamethasone Celestene instead. Does this sound a good thing, please? I haven't seen that name before..
He's also been told the strength is different, so he must do complicated arithmetic to get his tapering plan right.
0 likes, 9 replies
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EileenH Amanda4567
Posted
https://www.rxlist.com/consumer_betamethasone_celestone_betaject/drugs-condition.htm
Presumably they have told him what dose to use? A suitable amount to reduce would be 10% of that dose - rounded to a sensible number if you can as it is very much stronger than pred.
If you were on 5mg pred, you would only require 0.8mg betamethasone, near enough 1mg. What dose is he on at present? And how long will it be before he can have pred? I would be pestering them!
Amanda4567 EileenH
Posted
Thank you. Eileen. He's on his way back to the pharmacy now to ask them to get in his Pred asap.. They had run out and persuaded him to have the Betamethasone instead, but the dosage looks far too complicated. She should've sent him into Limoges.
George has been on 7.5 Pred for a month now and he wants to take the next step down, but breaking even the Pred pills is quite tricky! He is able to get 1mg Pred in France - when it's available..
EileenH Amanda4567
Posted
I have to say - I can't imagine my pharmacy suggesting it! I might have to wait a day but they usually manage to order or they phone the local pharmacies to find who has it.
Tell him not to worry about having to wait a bit to go down from 7.5. That is the edge of the adrenals having to wake up - a physiological dose, what the body makes anyway. He's done brilliantly so far!
Amanda4567 EileenH
Posted
Thanks, I will tell him you say he's done well!
The pharmacy baffled him today by saying Pred is no longer manufactured. Husband has left a note with the GP to query this. But there must surely be some misunderstanding?!
Would you be able to suggest a suitable dose of the Betamethasone to replace the 7.5 of Pred? Or to go very slightly lower? He says he's going to try taking half of one tablet which will give him 1 mg of it - is that a bit low, perhaps..?
EileenH Amanda4567
Posted
Possibly not by the company who usually supplied it to them but what a stupid statement! You certainly wouldn't get away with stopping manufacturing a drug that is used all over the world and is on the WHO's essential drugs list! There are a lot of companies making the generic versions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prednisolone
I'd be questioning other pharmacies about the situation. - and do tell me!
1.2mg of the betamethasone would be the same dose strength as the pred I think - but that is ridiculous. And I'm fairly sure the pharmacist can't switch the drug on the prescription just like that. They can offer the generic if it isn't stipulated that it must be the brand - but that is a different thing from handing out a totally different drug which this is.
To the GP in person and get advice from them. Urgently,
Amanda4567 EileenH
Posted
OK, many thanks. You have to be right, and George has been unwilling to make a fuss unfortunately, but this is too important. I will forward this to him.
Amanda4567
Posted
George saw the doctor this morning who, George says, confirmed that Prednisolone is unavailable at present in France !!!
I'm flying back there tomorrow and will make sure we go to Limoges immediately and try our luck at the main pharmacy there.
Amanda4567
Posted
Husband tells me village pharmacy produced one box of 5md Pred for him on Thursday morning.
It's puzzling. And, its so hot here I can't go in search of answers yet..
I've read that Pred, or PMR, can make changes to personality. Husband has been becoming muddled at times about things, and can't work things out s he used to.. Could it be the illness, or the steroids, or perhaps just old age..?!
By the way, I'm not receiving any emails from the Forum. I search for replies. I have clicked 'Follow'.
Amanda4567
Posted
You asked me if I'd let you know about availability of Pred in other pharmacies around here. We went to a large one in Limoges - they said Pred is always in stock.
So, our problem was just in the village!