5 day steroid course with no taper

[betwelve]

I've been prescribed a five day course of steroids (prednisolone) but there's no instruction to taper them, it's just six tablets every day for five days (6 x 5mg). I thought steroids couldn't just be stopped like that? Or can they?

I've had that for asthma before, can't remember the dose. Didn't taper.

Taken for only five days you don’t need to taper. Generally you only need to taper if it’s a two week or longer course. Your body isn’t used enough to them yet for stopping them suddenly to be a problem. Source asthmatic and have several courses of steroids a year of varying length and have developed adrenal insufficiency as a result.

Yes, it's common for a short course to just end. You will feel like you've been got by a bus for a day or two afterwards though!

*hit

There is no need to taper a short course.

Thanks everyone. Scary things, aren't they? But I don't have much choice.

You'll be fine with a short dose like that. You might have raging insomnia though!