Can I stop taking Deflazacort once I take it?

Deflazacort is a glucocorticoid drug with similar pharmacological effects to prednisone, but has certain advantages in terms of safety and metabolism. It mainly works by inhibiting inflammatory response, regulating immune system function and affecting protein metabolism. It is often used to treat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) and so on. Since this drug can significantly affect the adrenal cortex function in the body, the method and time of stopping the drug during use are crucial and cannot be interrupted at will.

From a pharmacological perspective, deflazacort inhibits the body's own secretion of cortisol by exogenously supplementing glucocorticoids. If the drug is suddenly stopped after long-term use, the body's adrenal glands have not yet returned to normal secretory function, which may lead to acute adrenal insufficiency, manifested as severe fatigue, hypotension, nausea, and even life-threatening "drug withdrawal reactions." This is why doctors emphasize the need to "gradually reduce the dosage and discontinue the drug." In the treatment of chronic illness or long-term hormone dependence, the deflazacort dose is usually tapered over weeks or even months to allow the body to gradually restore endogenous hormone production.

In addition, the risk of discontinuation is closely related to the duration, dosage and type of disease. Those who take it for a short period of time (such as less than two weeks) generally can stop using it without special reduction; but for long-term users, especially children, the elderly or patients with chronic diseases, the reduction process needs to be strictly controlled under the guidance of a doctor. For example, patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy often take deflazacort for a long time to delay muscle atrophy. Any sudden discontinuation of the drug may lead to acute exacerbation of the disease or loss of function.

It is worth noting that if patients encounter stress states such as infection, trauma, or surgery during dose reduction or drug withdrawal, they may need to resume hormone therapy for a short period of time to prevent adrenal crisis caused by stress response.

Reference: https://www.drugs.com/mtm/deflazacort.html