Dexamethasone

I just recently got out of hospital with counts of 4. Lowest count ever. Have had ITP since 2001. I got 1gram which my understanding is 1,000 mg by infusion.Plus one platelet infusion. Platetlet went up to 6. Then given 3 units IVIG with 40mg tablets of Dex. Platelets reached 54 and was sent home. I am now on 4mg/10 pills once a week for 5 weeks. My question is do you need to be weaned off Dex like Prednisone? Also how much is 40mg Dex equal to Prednisone?

Charlotte,

That is a dexamethasone protocol I have never seen used for ITP. I have always seen dexamethasone given as 40 mg X 4 days repeated (usually) monthly, if repeated at all. 40 mg X 1 day repeated weekly is the protocol for multiple myeloma, not ITP.

I would suppose that after each dose you would effectively wean down to zero in your system before taking the next dose one week later, so you probably would not develop a dependency.

40 mg dexamethasone is equivalent to either 250 or 267 mg of prednisone, depending on whose conversion formula you use.

You did not say what the 1,000 mg infusion was.

Platelet infusions generally work extremely short term in ITP patients, because the platelets are destroyed very quickly. Platelet infusions are only to be given to ITP patients when there is life-threatening bleeding.

I've never heard of Dex used that way either. It will be interesting to see how it works. Please let us know how your counts are.

Thank you Rob for your information. I have never been on Dex always been Prednisone so wasn't sure about weaning off. I recently had to get new Hemo as old one left area. Very unsure about this new one and putting me on Dex now.

Sandi will let you know what counts are in 5 weeks if I decide to take Dex for that long.