Prednisone

Prednisone, a corticosteroid, is similar to a natural hormone produced by your adrenal glands. It often is used to replace this chemical when your body does not make enough of it. It relieves inflammation (swelling, heat, redness, and pain) and is used to treat certain forms of arthritis; skin, blood, kidney, eye, thyroid, and intestinal disorders (e.g., colitis); severe allergies; and asthma. Prednisone also is used with other drugs to prevent rejection of transplanted organs and to treat certain types of cancer.

How should this medicine be used?
Prednisone comes as a tablet, solution, concentrate, and syrup to be taken by mouth. Your doctor will prescribe a dosing schedule that is best for you. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Use the specially marked dropper that comes with the concentrate to measure the dose. You may mix it with fruit juice or semisolid food (e.g., applesauce).
If you are to take prednisone every other day, take it at breakfast on the first day and do not take it at all on the second day. Then take it at breakfast on the third day, do not take it at all on the fourth day, and so on.
If you are to take prednisone once a day, take it in the morning with breakfast.
If you are to take prednisone more than once a day, take it at evenly spaced intervals between the time you wake up in the morning and the time you go to bed at night. For example, if your doctor tells you to take it three times a day, take it at 7 a.m., 3 p.m., and 11 p.m.
Do not stop taking prednisone without talking to your doctor. Stopping the drug abruptly can cause loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, drowsiness, confusion, headache, fever, joint and muscle pain, peeling skin, and weight loss. If you take large doses for a long time, your doctor probably will decrease your dose gradually to allow your body to adjust before stopping the drug completely. Watch for these side effects if you are gradually decreasing your dose and after you stop taking the tablets or oral liquid. If these problems occur, call your doctor immediately. You may need to increase your dose of tablets or liquid temporarily or start taking them again.
Take prednisone exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your doctor.

What special precautions should I follow?
Before taking prednisone,
• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to prednisone, aspirin, tartrazine (a yellow dye in some processed foods and drugs), or any other drugs.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin), arthritis medications, aspirin, cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune), digoxin (Lanoxin), diuretics ('water pills'), estrogen (Premarin), ketoconazole (Nizoral), oral contraceptives, phenobarbital, phenytoin (Dilantin), rifampin (Rifadin), theophylline (Theo-Dur), and vitamins.
• if you have a fungal infection (other than on your skin), do not take prednisone without talking to your doctor.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had liver, kidney, intestinal, or heart disease; diabetes; an underactive thyroid gland; high blood pressure; mental illness; myasthenia gravis; osteoporosis; herpes eye infection; seizures; tuberculosis (TB); or ulcers.
• tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking prednisone, call your doctor.
• if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking prednisone.
• if you have a history of ulcers or take large doses of aspirin or other arthritis medication, limit your consumption of alcoholic beverages while taking this drug. Prednisone makes your stomach and intestines more susceptible to the irritating effects of alcohol, aspirin, and certain arthritis medications. This effect increases your risk of ulcers.

What special dietary instructions should I follow?
Your doctor may instruct you to follow a low-sodium, low-salt, potassium-rich, or high-protein diet. Follow these directions.
If you experience stomach pain or upset stomach, you may take this medication with food or milk.

What should I do if I forget a dose?
When you start to take prednisone, ask your doctor what to do if you forget a dose. Write down these instructions so that you can refer to them later.
In general, if you take prednisone every other day and remember a missed dose on the morning of the day you should have taken it, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. If you remember a missed dose on that afternoon (or later), start a new schedule. Take the missed dose on the next morning (day one), do not take it at all on day two, and take the next dose on the morning of day three.
If you take prednisone once a day, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it. If you do not remember a missed dose until it is time for your next dose, skip the missed dose completely and take only the regularly scheduled dose.
If you take more than one dose a day, take the missed dose as soon as you remember it; then take any remaining doses for that day at evenly spaced intervals. If you remember a missed dose when it is time for you to take another, you may take both doses at one time.

What side effects can this medication cause?
Although side effects from prednisone are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
• upset stomach
• stomach irritation
• vomiting
• headache
• dizziness
• insomnia
• restlessness
• depression
• anxiety
• acne
• increased hair growth
• easy bruising
• irregular or absent menstrual periods
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:
• skin rash
• swollen face, lower legs, or ankles
• vision problems
• cold or infection that lasts a long time
• muscle weakness
• black or tarry stool.

What storage conditions are needed for this medication?
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.