How do you discontinue steroid therapy in patients who have been on it for less than 3-4 weeks and the underlying condition is controlled?
0%Stop
0%Taper
The European Society of Endocrinology and the Endocrine Society have issued joint guidelines for managing glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency. Key recommendations include:
No tapering is needed if steroid therapy is <3–4 weeks regardless of the dose.
For therapy >3–4 weeks, tapering is advised to minimize withdrawal symptoms and aid hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal recovery.
For doses >40 mg prednisone equivalent, reduce by 5–10 mg weekly.
For doses <40 mg, reduce by 2.5 mg every 1–4 weeks for 10–20 mg daily doses, and by 1 mg every 1–4 weeks for <10 mg daily doses.