Prednisolone

What is the most important information I should know about prednisolone?

Do not take prednisolone if you have a serious fungal infection, or if you have recently received a "live" vaccine. Prednisolone weakens the body's immune system and you could become ill.

Carry an ID card or wear a medical alert bracelet stating that you are taking prednisolone, in case of emergency.

There are many other medicines that can interact with prednisolone. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor. Keep a list with you of all the medicines you use and show this list to any doctor or other healthcare provider who treats you.

Do not stop using prednisolone without first talking to your doctor. You may need to use less and less before you stop the medication completely.

Steroid medicine can affect growth in children. Talk with your doctor if you think your child is not growing at a normal rate while using prednisolone.

What is prednisolone?

Prednisolone is in a group of drugs called steroids. Prednisolone reduces swelling and lowers the body's immune response.

Prednisolone is used to treat many immune and allergic disorders, such as arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, asthma, multiple sclerosis, and ulcerative colitis. It is also used to treat many different conditions such as endocrine (hormonal) disorders when the body does not produce enough of its own steroids.

Prednisolone may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Who should not take prednisolone?

Do not take prednisolone if you have a serious fungal infection, or if you have recently received a "live" vaccine. Prednisolone weakens the body's immune system and you could become ill.

Before using this medication, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

• tuberculosis;
• heart disease, congestive heart failure;
• kidney disease;
• liver disease or cirrhosis;
• high blood pressure;
• a thyroid disorder;
• stomach ulcer;
• ulcerative colitis or other intestinal disorder;
• a nerve or muscle disorder such as myasthenia gravis;
• a history of mental illness;
• osteoporosis;
• glaucoma or cataracts; or
• herpes infection of the eye.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take prednisolone.

FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

Prednisolone can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Steroid medicine can affect growth in children. Talk with your doctor if you think your child is not growing at a normal rate while using prednisolone.

Older adults, especially postmenopausal women, may be more likely to develop osteoporosis while taking steroids. If you are at least 65 years old, your doctor may want to check your bone mineral density while you are taking prednisolone.

How should I take prednisolone?

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the instructions on your prescription label.

Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results from this medication.

Take each dose with a full glass of water.

Take prednisolone with food or milk to lessen stomach upset.

Measure the liquid form of prednisolone with a special dose-measuring spoon or cup, not a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist where you can get one.

To take prednisolone orally disintegrating tablets (Orapred ODT):

• Keep the tablet in its blister pack until you are ready to take the medicine. Open the package and peel back the foil from the tablet blister. Do not push a tablet through the foil or you may damage the tablet.
• Do not use an orally disintegrating tablet that has been broken.
• Using dry hands, remove the tablet and place it in your mouth. It will begin to dissolve right away.
• Do not swallow the tablet whole. Allow it to dissolve in your mouth without chewing.
• Swallow several times as the tablet dissolves. If desired, you may drink liquid to help swallow the dissolved tablet.

This medication can cause you to have false negative skin tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using prednisolone.

Do not stop using prednisolone without first talking to your doctor. You may need to use less and less before you stop the medication completely.

Carry an ID card or wear a medical alert bracelet stating that you are taking prednisolone, in case of emergency. Any doctor, dentist, or emergency medical care provider who treats you should know that you are taking prednisolone.

Store prednisolone at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What happens if I miss a dose?

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

An overdose of prednisolone is not expected to produce life-threatening symptoms. However, long-term use of high steroid doses can lead to symptoms such as thinning skin, easy bruising, numbness or tingling, changes in the shape or location of body fat (especially in your face, neck, back, and waist), increased acne or facial hair, menstrual problems, impotence, or loss of interest in sex.

What should I avoid while taking prednisolone?

Avoid drinking alcohol, which can cause harmful effects on your stomach while you are using prednisolone.

Avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Call your doctor for preventive treatment if you are exposed to chicken pox or measles. These conditions can be serious or even fatal in people who are using prednisolone.

Do not receive a "live" vaccine while you are being treated with prednisolone. You may become ill. Other types of vaccines may not work as well during your treatment with prednisolone.

What are the possible side effects of prednisolone?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• feeling short of breath, even with mild exertion;
• swelling, rapid weight gain;
• vision problems;
• confusion, unusual thoughts or behaviors;
• bloody diarrhea; or
• seizure (convulsions).

Less serious side effects may include:

• sleep problems (insomnia);
• depressed mood;
• increased sweating, thinning of the skin;
• slow wound healing;
• irregular menstrual periods;
• acne;
• increased hair growth;
• weight gain, increased appetite;
• muscle weakness, lack of coordination; or
• nausea, bloating.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

What other drugs will affect prednisolone?

Before taking prednisolone, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• phenytoin (Dilantin);
• ephedrine (found in many diet pills);
• a diuretic (water pill);
• digitalis or digoxin (Lanoxin);
• amphotericin B (Fungizone, Ambisome, Abcelet);
• rifampin (Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane);
• cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);
• insulin or diabetes medicine taken by mouth;
• estrogens (birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy);
• ketoconazole (Nizoral);
• a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin);
• a medicine to treat nerve or muscle disorders, including tacrine (Cognex), donepezil (Aricept), rivastigmine (Exelon), and pyridostigmine (Mestinon), and neostigmine (Prostigmin);
• a barbiturate such as amobarbital (Amytal), butabarbital (Butisol), mephobarbital (Mebaral), secobarbital (Seconal), or phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton); or
• aspirin or other NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), diclofenac (Voltaren), indomethacin, naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), piroxicam (Feldene), nabumetone (Relafen), etodolac (Lodine), and others.

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with prednisolone. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

Your pharmacist can provide more information about prednisolone.

Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2003 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 3.06. Revision date: 10/03/2007.