Dose-equivalence by class

Corticosteroid equivalent-dose calculator

Glucocorticoid anti-inflammatory dose equivalence

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Anti-inflammatory potency onlyThis equivalence is glucocorticoid (anti-inflammatory) potency ONLY. It is NOT mineralocorticoid (salt-retaining) potency, NOT duration of action, and NOT a tapering or HPA-axis weaning step. Equal anti-inflammatory mg does not mean equal salt-retaining effect. Agents differ markedly here (Parente 2017; Torpy 2023).

Anti-inflammatory-equivalent dose (not mineralocorticoid)

Dexamethasone
about1.5mg/day

Evidence: 3 of 5 stars: Reasonable method with moderate or indirect supporting evidence.

Prednisone 10 mg maps to about Dexamethasone 1.5 mg by anti-inflammatory potency (≈ 10 mg prednisone-equivalent). A modeled estimate, not a mineralocorticoid or duration equivalence.
Why this estimate & cautions
Not a tapering stepDo not use this equivalence to design an HPA-axis taper or to substitute one agent for another during withdrawal. Equal anti-inflammatory mg does not mean equal adrenal suppression or a valid taper step; adrenal-suppression kinetics differ between agents (Torpy 2023).
Duration of action differsEqual anti-inflammatory mg is not an equal dosing schedule: short-acting agents (hydrocortisone, cortisone) and long-acting agents (dexamethasone, betamethasone) differ markedly in duration of action, so a single mg ratio cannot be read as a regimen equivalence. Adjust the dosing interval accordingly (Parente 2017; Torpy 2023).
Not for high-dose / pulse therapyThis reflects the classical (genomic) potency table and does not hold for high-dose or pulse therapy: at high doses the non-genomic effect hierarchy is completely different from the classical effects, which matters for high-dose glucocorticoid therapy (Buttgereit 1999). No high-dose threshold is asserted here.
Deflazacort is an internal rangeDeflazacort uses the published Parente 2017 table value (7.5 mg ≈ prednisone 5 mg). The paper's own minimum-effective-dose analysis implies a tighter ratio versus prednisone, so treat the deflazacort figure as an internal range, not a precise point estimate.

Equivalence chart

Doses by anti-inflammatory potency relative to Prednisolone 5 mg. Equal anti-inflammatory milligrams do not mean equal adrenal suppression, duration, or salt-retaining effect; not a tapering plan. Educational, not a prescription.

DrugEquivalent dose
Cortisone25 mg
Hydrocortisone20 mg
Deflazacort7.5 mg
Prednisolone5 mg
Prednisone5 mg
Methylprednisolone4 mg
Triamcinolone4 mg
Betamethasone0.8 mg
Dexamethasone0.8 mg

Corticosteroid equivalent doses compare steroids (e.g., prednisolone and dexamethasone) by anti-inflammatory potency only; equal anti-inflammatory milligrams do not mean equal adrenal suppression, duration of action, or salt-retaining effect, so it is an educational estimate, not a tapering plan or a prescription.

Evidence

References4

Parente L (2017) (opens in a new tab) Deflazacort: therapeutic index, relative potency and equivalent doses versus other corticosteroids. BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology.

Mager DE, Lin SX, Blum RA, Lates CD, Jusko WJ (2003) (opens in a new tab) Dose Equivalency Evaluation of Major Corticosteroids. J Clin Pharmacol.

Torpy DJ, Lim WT (2023) (opens in a new tab) Glucocorticoid-induced adrenal suppression: physiological basis and strategies for glucocorticoid weaning. Med J Aust.

Buttgereit F, Brand MD, Burmester GR (1999) (opens in a new tab) Equivalent doses and relative drug potencies for non-genomic glucocorticoid effects: a novel glucocorticoid hierarchy. Biochem Pharmacol.

Method review — pending

Data current as of July 2026.

Educational PK model: not clinical guidance. Confirm any dose change with a prescriber or pharmacist.