Is 16mg Methylprednisolone Available?
Yes, methylprednisolone 16mg tablets are commercially available as Medrol 16mg tablets. 1
Available Formulations
The FDA-approved methylprednisolone (Medrol) tablets come in four strengths 1:
- 4 mg tablets (white, elliptical, scored, imprinted "MEDROL 4") 1
- 8 mg tablets (white, elliptical, scored, imprinted "MEDROL 8") 1
- 16 mg tablets (white, elliptical, scored, imprinted "MEDROL 16") - available in bottles of 50 1
- 32 mg tablets (white, elliptical, scored, imprinted "MEDROL 32") 1
Clinical Context for 16mg Dosing
The 16mg dose appears in standard tapering regimens 2, 3:
- Day 3 of the standard Medrol dose pack: 16 mg (4 tablets of 4 mg each) is the prescribed dose 2, 3
- The standard dose pack follows a 6-day taper starting at 24 mg on Day 1, decreasing by 4 mg daily 2
Important Prescribing Considerations
The standard Medrol dose pack may be inadequate for many inflammatory conditions 2, 3:
- The entire 6-day pack delivers only 84 mg total methylprednisolone (equivalent to approximately 105 mg prednisone) 2, 3
- Optimal therapeutic dosing typically requires prednisone equivalent of 1 mg/kg/day (maximum 60 mg daily), which translates to approximately 48 mg methylprednisolone daily for a 60 kg adult 2, 3
- For severe inflammatory conditions, higher doses (such as 125 mg every 6 hours IV) demonstrate superior clinical benefit compared to lower doses 4
Wait at least 1-2 weeks after completing a methylprednisolone course before administering another corticosteroid 5, and extend this to 3-4 weeks for patients with diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, or glaucoma 5.