Skip to content
PharmaInsight

Dexamethasone vs Prednisolone

National NHS prescribing compared (Prescription Cost Analysis)
Data updated March 2026

Prednisolone was dispensed 25.7× as often as Dexamethasone in March 2026 — 516,172 items versus 20,080 in England.

20,080items

Dexamethasone · March 2026

NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis

516,172items

Prednisolone · March 2026

NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis

Figure 1. Dexamethasone versus Prednisolone: national items dispensed by month

▬ Dexamethasone   ·   ╌ Prednisolone

Prednisolone 20,080

Source: NHSBSA Prescription Cost Analysis, to March 2026

Dexamethasone versus Prednisolone, March 2026
Measure Dexamethasone Prednisolone
Items, March 2026 20,080 516,172
Items, last 12 months 228,590 6,119,972
Net ingredient cost, March 2026 £114,028 £1,340,741

See the full profile for Dexamethasone or Prednisolone.