immune system and decrease inflammation in conditions such as asthma

What is Prednisone medication used for?

An orally taken glucocorticoid medicine is mostly used to suppress the immune system and decrease inflammation in conditions such as asthma, other breathing disorders, arthritis, severe allergies, skin diseases, cancer, COPD, and rheumatologic diseases. Prednisone is also used to treat high blood calcium due to cancer and adrenal insufficiency along with other steroids.
It belongs to a drug class known as corticosteroids.
Formula: C21H26O5.

How to use Prednisone oral:

As prescribed by your doctor, take this medication by mouth, with food or milk to prevent stomach upset. Take the tablet form of this medication with a full glass of water unless your doctor recommends you otherwise. While using the liquid form, kindly measure using a special measuring instrument. The dose is usually recommended to you as per your health conditions and response to the medication. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully and ask your pharmacist or doctor to explain any part if you do not get it.

If you are taking the concentrated solution, use the specially marked dropper which comes with the medication to measure your dose.


For the cure of long-lasting diseases, you should keep taking it in case you feel well(as suggested by your doctor), as sudden stoppage of use may also lead to a few changes in the body such as, changes in skin color, sores in the mouth, weakness, tiredness, upset movement, craving for salt. Immediately call your doctor if you feel through any of these symptoms. 


Common side effects of Prednisone include:

  • Feeling of headache
  • Feeling of Nausea
  • Vomiting sensation
  • Acne, thinning skin
  • Feeling of restlessness
  • Sleeping trouble
  • Weight gain
  • Uncertain hiccups
  • Growth of facial hair
  • Glaucoma
  • Cataracts
  • Stomach ulcers
  • Puffiness in face

Note: Kindly note that your doctor has prescribed the medicine to you because it can be beneficial to your health for treatment rather than affecting your body. But in any case, if the effects don’t go well or normal, considering it as an emergency, inform your consulting doctor as soon as possible.

Special Precautions before using Prednisone

  • Inform your consulting doctor if you are allergic to the medication, or any kind of inactive ingredients in the prednisone tablet or solution.
  • Inform your consulting doctor if you are taking any kind of herbal or ayurvedic or any kind of other health products or planning while taking Prednisone.
  • Inform your consulting doctor if you are prone to any regular health changes, which usually comes and go
  • Inform your consulting doctor if you are already pregnant or planning to conceive in the coming days.
  • If you do not have any kind of vaccination, kindly inform your consulting doctor
  • You should be aware that Prednisone can decrease your immunity or the ability to fight against any infection specifically. So try to stay away from people who are sick and try to wash your hands often while under this medication. Be very sure to avoid any kind of contact with people who are suffering from chickenpox or measles. Can consult your doctor if you think you have been in contact with any such kind of person in the past few days.
  • Alcoholic beverages must be stopped or reduced while taking this medication as it can cause stomach bleeding.
  • Old age patients could be more sensitive to the effects of the medication, so good monitoring is required for them especially bone loss, mood swings, intestinal bleeding.

Interactions with other drugs:

Drug interactions may vary how your medication affects your body or increase the risk of side effects. While consulting your doctor, keep every medication (prescribed or unprescribed) handy, to inform your doctor about it. Do not make changes to your dose without consulting your doctor.

Some products that may interact with this drug include aldesleukin, mifepristone, drugs that can cause intestinal bleeding(including antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel, “blood thinners” such as dabigatran/warfarin, NSAID’s such as aspirin, ibuprofen.

If your doctor has instructed you for a low dose of aspirin for heart attack and stroke prevention, you should not skip it anyway unless your doctor tells you to do that.

Special dietary instructions to follow while taking Prednisone

Your consulting doctor may recommend you to follow high calcium, high potassium, and a low salt diet. Your doctor may also prescribe potassium or a calcium supplement. Consult with your doctor about eating or drinking grapefruit juice.

 Prednisone can increase the blood sugar of your body, which can lead to weight gain or diabetes in people, so it is necessary to avoid concentrated sweets such as cakes. Candies, snacks, jams, honey.

Alcohol and Prednisone

As such, there are no known interactions with light drinking. But people with existing stomach burn issues should avoid consuming alcohol while getting treated with Prednisone. It can together lead to the stomach lining, heartburn, stomach ulcers, and inflammation, so you should avoid taking it together.

What if you forget to take a dose

While starting the medication of Prednisone, consult your doctor in case you forget to take up a dose, Do not take a double dose by any change, that may affect you severely. Immediately call up your consulting doctor in case this happens.

Patients who should not consume Prednisone

  • Patient with Untreated tuberculosis, active
  • Patient with Inactive tuberculosis
  • Patient with fungal infection
  • Diabetic patient 
  • Patient with low thyroid hormone level
  • Patient with herpes simplex infection of the eye

Storage instruction of Prednisone

Store this medicine as per the rules mentioned on the product package away from light and moisture. Keep all the medications out of the sight of children. To ensure they do not misuse it, lock the safety caps of all the medicines. When we talk about the storage of it, some brands may ask to refrigerate, others may ask to store it at room temperature. Consult your pharmacist for more details. Used medicine or unneeded medication should be disposed of properly to keep out of reach of animals or children. However, not to be flushed down the toilet.

Clinical monitoring of health 

Your doctor or lab assistant may recommend a health test to check the progress of the medication. These tests may include:

  • Blood tests-  As mentioned Prednisone can increase blood sugar level which may prone to diabetes risk, so it is important to do a blood test
  • Bone density test- The doctor may also check the bone loss(if any)
  • Eyesight test- As Prednisone can affect your eyesight too, so a doctor can get you through an eye test.
  • Skin test- Prednisone can affect the skin, so a skin test may be recommended by your doctor.
  • Overall health monitor- A complete health monitoring is required for any kind of changes in the body.

Disclaimer

We have tried our best to give every possible information about the medicine which we mean to be correct, comprehensive, and up to date. However, this article should not be used as an instruction from a healthcare professional.

Patients should consult their doctor before consuming Prednisone, and avoid overdose or improper consumption. In case of any side effects be it short-term or long-term, kindly immediately call up your doctor for changing the dosage or medication of the treatments.

In the US- You can call up your medical consultant or a doctor for advice about side effects, you may also report FDA at 1-800 FDA-1088 or at www.fda.gov/medwatch

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