Steroid Dosage Conversion

Usage

Patients using steroid medications may need to have doses converted to another steroid for various reasons, such as formulation (IV, oral, liquid or pill) or drug availability. This may be required whether a patient is on a short "burst" dose or taking medication long-term.

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Summary

Different glucocorticoids or steroid medication exhibit a range of duration of effect and potency. Both factors ought to be considered when converting steroid medications. 

• IV and oral administration dosing relationships only apply for this use case. 
• Intra-muscular and intra-articular routes are not included due to significant differences in potency compared to IV and oral routes.
• Fludrocortisone is not included as it is used for its mineralocorticoid properties and not its glucocorticoid effects

 

Rules for Corticosteroid Conversions:

Medication	Route	Equivalent(Eq) Dose (mg)	Duration of Action
Betamethasone	IV	0.75	Long (36-72 Hours)
Cortisone	PO	25	Short (8-12 Hours)
Dexamethasone (Decadron)	IV or PO	0.75	Long (36-72 Hours)
Hydrocortisone	IV or PO	20	Short (8-12 Hours)
MethylPrednisoLONE (Solu-Medrol)	IV or PO	4	Medium (12-36 Hours)
PrednisoLONE	PO	5	Medium (12-36 Hours)
PredniSONE	PO	5	Medium (12-36 Hours)
Triamcinolone	IV	4	Medium (12-36 Hours)

 

 

Formula: 

Convert To Dosage (mg) =  Convert From Dose (mg) / (Convert From Eq Dose (mg) / Convert To Eq Dose (mg)) 

 

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