What is Prednisone?
Prednisone is a prescription corticosteroid medication that works by reducing inflammation throughout the body. It treats conditions where the immune system is overactive and causing inflammation such as asthma, allergies, arthritis, and skin disorders. Prednisone is very effective at lowering immune reactions which helps treat these conditions. However, there are also short and long term side effects that require medical management.
Prednisone comes in tablet form and the dosage is tailored by doctors based on the severity of the inflammatory condition. A typical daily dose can range from 5 to 60 mg taken once daily or split throughout the day. The duration of prednisone therapy can be as short as a week if treating a severe flare-up to several months if managing a chronic autoimmune condition.
Uses
Prednisone has been approved by regulatory bodies worldwide to treat a variety of inflammatory conditions such as:
- Severe allergic reactions
- Flare ups of asthma and COPD
- Arthritis types like rheumatoid arthritis
- Several skin conditions like eczema or dermatitis
- Blood disorders like hemolytic anemia
- Digestive problems like ulcerative colitis
- Lung issues like pneumonia or sarcoidosis
- Brain swelling conditions like multiple sclerosis
- Severe eye problems like uveitis
- Kidney disorders like nephrotic syndrome
- Cancer types like lymphoma and leukemia
Prednisone is often used alongside other medications to treat complex autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. However, it must only be taken on medical advice.
How to Take Prednisone
Prednisone dosage often starts with a higher loading dose which gets gradually reduced over weeks to months based on improvement in the condition. Therefore it is extremely important to strictly follow medical guidance on reducing prednisone dosage to avoid complications from suddenly stopping therapy.
The medicine comes in 1, 2.5, 5, 10, 20 and 50 mg tablets. The right formulation is prescribed by doctors based on the required dosage. It is typically taken once daily in the morning with or after food even for split dosages as that matches natural cortisol cycles. However timing can be tailored if dealing with sleep issues or infections.
Prednisone duration depends on the disease, its responsiveness to treatment and development of side effects. It can range from one week for short term use to several months for chronic autoimmune conditions along with other immunosuppressants and immunomodulators. Doctors closely track patient progress to use the minimum effective dose.
Dosage
Commonly prescribed prednisone dosages are:
- 5 to 10 mg per day
- 10 to 20 mg per day
- Up to 60 mg per day for more severe cases
Higher doses over longer periods often need supplementary medications to manage side effects along with gradual tapering of prednisone dosage before stopping therapy.
Immediate release prednisone is meant to be taken only as directed by the prescribing physician for the specified length of the treatment.
Side Effects
Prednisone therapy does have short and long term side effects including:
- Increased hunger and weight gain
- Difficulty sleeping and mood changes like anxiety or depression
- Stomach problems like nausea and vomiting
- Headaches and dizziness
- Water retention that causes ankle swelling
- Changes in menstrual cycle
- High blood sugar levels
- Facial puffiness causing a moon face appearance
- Skin changes like acne, thinning skin and bruising
- Muscle weakness and tiredness
- Increased sweating
- Increased risk of eye problems like cataracts and infections
- Bone loss leading to a higher risk of fractures
- Suppressed adrenal gland hormone production
- Impaired wound healing capacity
- Increased risk of infections
Doctors adjust doses and supplementary medications to best manage prednisone therapy side effects. Immediately reporting any concerning or serious reactions to medical professionals is very important while on this medication.
Precautions
There are some important precautions regarding prednisone use:
- It lowers the body’s ability to fight infections, so sign of infections need quick medical attention especially chest infections, urinary tract infections and skin infections.
- People with weaker immune systems like those living with HIV/AIDS need to be extra cautious
- Existing cases of hepatitis, herpes, tuberculosis etc. may flare up with prednisone therapy
- Its use in pregnant and breastfeeding women involves strict medical consideration of its necessity versus risks
- People struggling with mental health issues like depression should be closely monitored for worsening mood changes
- Prednisone can badly impact existing cases of diabetes, GI ulcers, osteoporosis, glaucoma and hypertension so additional medications become necessary
- Frequent checks of eye health, blood sugar levels, blood pressure etc. are required
- Suddenly stopping therapy can cause severe fatigue, body ache, nausea, mood changes etc. so slowly tapering dosage under medical supervision is vital
Careful screening, regular health monitoring and reporting side effects early on is very important when taking prednisone for best health results.
Interactions
Prednisone can potentially interact with several types of medicines:
- Blood thinners like warfarin need adjusted dosing
- Drugs increasing potassium loss like diuretics require monitoring
- Anti-fungal medicines eg. ketoconazole require dose adjustments
- Seizure medicines like phenobarbital accelerate prednisone breakdown
- Diabetes drugs need frequent blood sugar level checks
- Anti-depressants like amitriptyline cause increased prednisone levels
- Immunosuppressants like cyclosporine require close immune function monitoring
- Pain medications like NSAIDs increase gut bleeding risks
- Vaccines like hepatitis B vaccine work much less effectively
- ACE inhibitors like lisinopril require monitoring for electrolyte balance
- Birth control pills lead to increased prednisone breakdown
Make sure your doctor knows all medicines you take including prescription, over the counter, vitamins, and herbal products to best manage prednisone therapy. Also avoid grapefruit juice while on this medication unless expressly permitted by your physician.
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