$Unique_ID{BRK02104}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{PREDNISONE (SYSTEMIC)}
$Subject{Deltasone (Upjohn)
Liquid Pred (Muro)
Meticorten (Schering)
Orasone (Reid-Rowell)
Panasol-S (Seatrace)
Prednicen-M (Central)
prednisone (various manufacturers)}
$Volume{}
$Log{}

Copyright (C) 1991 Publications International, Ltd.


PREDNISONE (SYSTEMIC)
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BRAND NAMES (Manufacturers):
     Deltasone (Upjohn)
     Liquid Pred (Muro)
     Meticorten (Schering)
     Orasone (Reid-Rowell)
     Panasol-S (Seatrace)
     Prednicen-M (Central)
     prednisone (various manufacturers)
TYPE OF DRUG:
     Adrenocorticosteroid hormone
INGREDIENT:
     prednisone
DOSAGE FORMS:
     Tablets (1 mg, 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 25 mg, and 50 mg)
     Oral syrup (5 mg per 5-ml spoonful, with 5% alcohol)
     Oral solution (5 mg per 5-ml spoonful, with 5% alcohol)
     Oral intensol solution (5 mg per ml, with 30% alcohol)
STORAGE:
     Prednisone tablets, oral syrup, and oral solution should be stored at
       room temperature (never frozen) in tightly closed containers.

USES

     Your adrenal glands naturally produce certain cortisone-like chemicals.
These chemicals are involved in various regulatory processes in the body (such
as those involving fluid balance, temperature, and reaction to inflammation).
Prednisone belongs to a group of drugs known as adrenocorticosteroids (or
cortisone-like medications).  It is used to treat a variety of disorders,
including endocrine and rheumatic disorders; asthma; blood diseases; certain
cancers; eye disorders; gastrointestinal disturbances, such as ulcerative
colitis; respiratory diseases; and inflammations, such as arthritis,
dermatitis, and poison ivy.  How this drug acts to relieve these disorders is
not completely understood.

TREATMENT

     In order to prevent stomach irritation, you can take prednisone with food
or milk.
     If you are taking only one dose of this medication each day, try to take
it before 9:00 A.M.  This will mimic the body's normal production of this type
of chemical.
     The oral syrup or solution form of this medication should be measured
carefully with a specially designed dropper (intensol solution) or 5-ml
measuring spoon.  An ordinary kitchen teaspoon is not accurate enough.
     It is important to try not to miss any doses of prednisone.  However, if
you do miss a dose of this medication, follow these guidelines:
     1. If you are taking it more than once a day, take the missed dose as
soon as possible and return to your regular dosing schedule.  If it is already
time for the next dose, double it.
     2. If you are taking this medication once a day, take the dose you missed
as soon as possible, unless you don't remember until the next day.  In that
case, do not take the missed dose at all; just follow your regular dosing
schedule.  Do not double the next dose.
     3. If you are taking this drug every other day, take it when you
remember.  If you missed the scheduled dose by a whole day, take it; then skip
a day before you take the next dose.  Do not double the dose.
     If you miss more than one dose of prednisone, CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR.

SIDE EFFECTS

     Minor.

     Dizziness, false sense of well-being, increased appetite, increased
sweating, indigestion, menstrual irregularities, nausea, reddening of the skin
on the face, restlessness, sleep disorders, or weight gain.  These side
effects should disappear as your body adjusts to the medication.

     Major.

     Tell your doctor about any side effects that are persistent or
particularly bothersome.  IT IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO TELL YOUR DOCTOR about
abdominal enlargement; abdominal pain; acne or other skin problems; back or
rib pain; bloody or black, tarry stools; blurred vision; convulsions; eye
pain; fever and sore throat; growth impairment (in children); headaches;
impaired healing of wounds; increased thirst and urination; mental depression;
mood changes; muscle wasting or weakness; rapid weight gain (three to five
pounds within a week); rash; shortness of breath; thinning of the skin;
unusual bruising or bleeding; or unusual weakness.

INTERACTIONS

     Prednisone interacts with several other types of medications:
     1. Alcohol, aspirin, and anti-inflammatory medications (such as
diclofenac diflunisal, fenoprofen, flurbiprofen, ibuprofen, indomethacin,
ketoprofen, meclofenamate, mefenamic acid, naproxen, piroxicam, sulindac, or
tolmetin) aggravate the stomach problems that are common with use of this
medication.
     2. The dosage of oral anticoagulants (blood thinners, such as warfarin),
oral antidiabetic drugs, or insulin may need to be adjusted when this
medication is being taken.
     3. The loss of potassium caused by prednisone can lead to serious side
effects in individuals taking digoxin.
     4. Thiazide diuretics (water pills) can increase the potassium loss
caused by this medication.
     5. Phenobarbital, phenytoin, rifampin, and ephedrine can increase the
elimination of prednisone from the body, thereby decreasing its effectiveness.
     6. Oral contraceptives (birth control pills) and estrogen-containing
drugs may decrease the elimination of this drug from the body, which can lead
to an increase in side effects.
     7.  Prednisone can increase the elimination of aspirin and isoniazid,
decreasing the effectiveness of these two drugs.
     8. Cholestyramine and colestipol can chemically bind this medication in
the stomach and gastrointestinal tract, preventing its absorption.
     BE SURE TO TELL YOUR DOCTOR about any medications you are currently
taking, especially any listed above.

WARNINGS

     * Tell your doctor about unusual or allergic reactions you have had to
any medications, especially to prednisone or other adrenocorticosteroids (such
as betamethasone, cortisone, dexamethasone, hydrocortisone,
methylprednisolone, prednisolone, and triamcinolone).
     * Tell your doctor if you now have or if you have ever had bone disease,
diabetes mellitus, emotional instability, glaucoma, fungal infections, heart
disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, kidney disease, liver
disease, myasthenia gravis, peptic ulcers, osteoporosis, thyroid disease,
tuberculosis, or ulcerative colitis.
     * To help avoid potassium loss while using this drug, take your dose with
a glass of fresh or frozen orange juice or eat a banana each day.  The use of
a salt substitute also helps prevent potassium loss.  Check with your doctor
before making any dietary changes.
     * If you are using this medication for longer than a week, you may need
to have your dosage adjusted if you are subjected to stress, such as serious
infections, injury, or surgery.  Discuss this with your doctor.
     * If you have been taking this drug for more than a week, do not stop
taking it suddenly.  If it is stopped abruptly, you may experience abdominal
or back pain, dizziness, fainting, fever, muscle or joint pain, nausea,
vomiting, shortness of breath, or extreme weakness.  Your doctor may,
therefore, want to reduce the dosage gradually.  Never increase the dosage or
take the drug for longer than the prescribed time unless you first consult
your doctor.
     * While you are taking this drug, you should not be vaccinated or
immunized.  This medication decreases the effectiveness of vaccines and can
lead to overwhelming infection if a live-virus vaccine is administered.
     * Before surgery or other medical or dental treatment, tell your doctor
or dentist you are taking this drug.
     * Because this drug can cause glaucoma and cataracts with long-term use,
your doctor may want you to have your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist
periodically during treatment.
     * If you are taking this medication for prolonged periods, you should
wear or carry an identification card or notice stating that you are taking an
adrenocorticosteroid.
     * This drug can raise blood sugar levels in diabetic patients.  Blood
sugar should, therefore, be monitored carefully with blood or urine tests when
this drug is started.
     * Be sure to tell your doctor if you are pregnant.  Prednisone crosses
the placenta, and its safety in human pregnancy has not been established.
Birth defects have been observed in the fetuses of animals that were given
large doses of this drug during pregnancy.  Also, tell your doctor if you are
breast-feeding an infant.  Small amounts of this drug pass into breast milk
and may cause growth suppression or a decrease in natural adrenocorticosteroid
production in the nursing infant.

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The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace 
the counsel and advice of your personal physician.  Promptly consulting your 
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical 
problem.
