prednisone
Prednisone is an oral corticosteroid. It's taken by mouth by adults and children to treat health conditions related to an overactive immune system or inflammation, such as allergies and certain skin conditions. Your healthcare team will determine your dose based on what medical condition you have. Some of the common short-term side effects of prednisone include stomach irritation and mood changes. And if you take this medication for a month or longer, you're more likely to experience long-term side effects, like weight gain and weakened immune system.
What is Prednisone?
What is Prednisone used for?
This medication is used for many different conditions. Generally, it's used for autoimmune problems, conditions related to swelling, or cancer. Some examples include:
- Allergies or allergic reactions
- Skin conditions
- Conditions affecting certain hormones (e.g., low adrenal hormones)
- Eye conditions
- Lung conditions
- Gut conditions (e.g., ulcerative colitis)
- Conditions related to blood cells
- Certain cancers (e.g., leukemia
- Nervous system conditions (e.g., multiple sclerosis)
- Joint conditions (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis)
- Lupus
How Prednisone works
Prednisone is a corticosteroid. It's a lab-made medication that's similar to cortisol, a natural stress hormone your body makes. Prednisone works by calming down your body's immune response that otherwise would cause you pain and discomfort (e.g., itching, redness, swelling).
Drug facts
Side effects of Prednisone
The following side effects may get better over time as your body gets used to the medication. Let your healthcare provider know immediately if you continue to experience these symptoms or if they worsen over time.
Common Side Effects
- Swelling (e.g., puffiness in the face, hands, or feet)
- Stomach bloating
- Muscle weakness
- Headache
- Insomnia (trouble sleeping)
- Changes in your mood
- Larger appetite (possibly leading to weight gain)
- Higher blood sugar
Less Common Side Effects
- Acne
- Higher blood pressure
- Changes in electrolyte levels in the blood (like sodium and potassium)
Prednisone serious side effects
Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience any of the following.
- Serious allergic reaction: trouble breathing or swallowing; swelling (on your face, lips, mouth, or throat); peeling skin; rash; hives
More on Prednisone side effects
The following Prednisone side effects have also been reported
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur:
More common
Aggression
agitation
blurred vision
decrease in the amount of urine
dizziness
fast, slow, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
headache
irritability
mood changes
noisy, rattling breathing
numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
pounding in the ears
shortness of breath
swelling of the fingers, hands, feet, or lower legs
trouble thinking, speaking, or walking
troubled breathing at rest
Incidence not known
Abdominal or stomach cramping or burning (severe)
abdominal or stomach pain
backache
bloody, black, or tarry stools
cough or hoarseness
darkening of the skin
decrease in height
decreased vision
eye tearing
facial hair growth in females
fainting
fever or chills
flushed, dry skin
fractures
fruit-like breath odor
full or round face, neck, or trunk
heartburn or indigestion (severe and continuous)
increased hunger
increased thirst
increased urination
loss of appetite
loss of sexual desire or ability
lower back or side pain
menstrual irregularities
muscle pain or tenderness
muscle wasting or weakness
pain in the back, ribs, arms, or legs
painful or difficult urination
skin rash
sweating
trouble healing
trouble sleeping
unexplained weight loss
unusual tiredness or weakness
vision changes
vomiting
vomiting of material that looks like coffee grounds
Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:
More common
Increased appetite
Incidence not known
Abnormal fat deposits on the face, neck, and trunk
dry scalp
lightening of normal skin color
red face
reddish purple lines on the arms, face, legs, trunk, or groin
swelling of the stomach area
thinning of the scalp hair
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.
Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Get your GoodRx coupon
Pros and cons of Prednisone
Pros
- Works well to treat many different conditions involving the immune system
- Available as a liquid, which is a good option for people who have difficulty swallowing pills
- Available as a lower-cost generic
- Dose can be adjusted based on your response to the medication
Cons
- Can cause side effects like upset stomach, mood changes, and sleep problems
- Need to taper your dose before stopping (if you took it for more than a couple of weeks)
- Might raise your risk for infections, bone weakening, and skin problems if used long term
- Can slow growth in children if they take it for a long period of time
Pharmacist tips for Prednisone
- It's best to take prednisone with food. This medication can be rough on the stomach and cause stomach irritation. Taking the medication with food helps to avoid upset stomach.
- In general, it's recommended to take prednisone in the morning. You might have trouble falling asleep if you take it too close to bedtime. If your prescriber tells you to take a dose in the morning and evening, take the evening dose a few hours before bedtime to help prevent problems falling or staying asleep.
- If you're taking prednisone delayed-release tablet (Rayos brand), you can take it at bedtime if instructed by your care team. This is because the medication gets released into your body 4 hours after you take it, when you should already be asleep.
- If you're taking prednisone delayed-release tablet (Rayos brand), swallow the tablet whole. Don't break, crush, or chew the tablets. Damaging the coating around the tablet can affect how the medication gets released into the body. This coating is specially made to release the medication into the body 4 hours after you take it.
- If you're taking prednisone oral solution, only use the measuring device provided at the pharmacy to measure out your dose of prednisone properly. Don't use household spoons because they might not be accurate. Store the prednisone oral solution at room temperature, and throw it away 90 days (about 3 months) after you first open it.
- Talk to your healthcare professional (HCP) first if you want to stop taking prednisone. If you've been taking prednisone for more than a couple weeks, they'll help you stop prednisone safely by lowering your dose slowly over time. Doing so lowers your risk of withdrawal symptoms, like tiredness and muscle pain.
- If you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant, talk to your obstetrician gynecologist (OB-GYN) to see if prednisone is the best option for you. There's a risk that taking prednisone during pregnancy can cause harm to the unborn baby. Your care team can let you know if there are safer options for your condition.
- If you have diabetes, it's important that you check your blood sugar regularly while taking prednisone. This medication can raise your blood sugar levels. Depending on your blood sugar numbers, your diabetes care team might need to make changes to your blood sugar medications.
- If you have high blood pressure, check your blood pressure regularly while taking prednisone. This medication can raise your blood pressure, especially if you're taking a higher dose for a longer period of time.
- Always tell your HCP and pharmacist that you're taking prednisone before getting any vaccines. Since prednisone can weaken your immune system, some vaccines might not work as well or be safe for you while you're taking this medication. Your HCP and pharmacist can make sure you can get the vaccines you need.
- Taking prednisone for a longer period of time can raise your risk of getting an infection. Call your healthcare team right away if you have a fever, chills, flu-like symptoms, cough, pain with passing urine, or a wound that won't heal. You might need more medical attention.
Common questions about Prednisone
No, prednisone doesn't make you sleepy. In fact, this medication is more likely to keep you awake as a side effect. This is because prednisone affects hormones that are involved in regulating your energy levels (e.g., cortisol and melatonin). Typically, you're recommended to take prednisone in the morning. But if you're prescribed multiple doses to take throughout the day, ask your healthcare team for guidance on when to take your doses so that you won't have trouble falling asleep at night.
It can take about a day for prednisone to clear from your system after your last dose. This estimation is based on the medication's half-life, which is a measure of the time it takes to get rid of the medication from the body. Prednisone effects might clear faster in children.
It's usually not recommended to drink alcohol while taking prednisone. Drinking alcohol can raise your risk of infection, stomach pain, or other problems. Talk to your prescriber about when it's safe to have a drink after finishing your prednisone course.
It's possible to gain weight while taking prednisone. This medication is known to make you feel hungrier and make your body hold onto more water, which can both contribute to weight gain. But this weight gain might be more likely to occur with higher doses of prednisone or if you take the medication for a longer period of time. Ask your care team for tips on maintaining a healthy weight while you're taking prednisone. They might recommend that you eat less refined sugar and salty foods. Or, they can talk with you about building healthy sleep and exercise habits.
In general, it's recommended that you avoid taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen (Advil), with prednisone. Doing so raises your risk for stomach-related side effects, including bleeding and ulcers. But if your prescriber thinks the benefit of taking ibuprofen (Advil) with prednisone is greater than the risk of harm, it's best to take both medications with food to lower the risk of stomach irritation.
People who take prednisone don't typically experience constipation or diarrhea as side effects. But this medication can cause other gut-related symptoms, such as indigestion or a stomach bleed. The risk for a stomach bleed is greater if you take this medication with an NSAID. Get medical help right away if you notice black, tarry stool when you go to have a bowel movement after taking prednisone because this might be a sign that you have a stomach bleed.
Both prednisone and prednisolone are corticosteroids taken to treat similar health conditions. They're chemically different, which affects how they start working in your body after you take the medication. For example, prednisone is a prodrug. This means that once you take prednisone, it needs to get changed into its active form in your liver before it can start to work. On the other hand, prednisolone is the active form of prednisone. So when you take prednisolone, it's already in the active form. One isn't really better than the other, but your prescriber will likely consider your liver's ability to convert prednisone to its active form.
How to save using GoodRx
Risks and warnings for Prednisone
Prednisone can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Greater risk of infections
- Risk factors: Taking other medications that weaken the immune system | Using prednisone for a long time | High doses of prednisone | Not vaccinated against viral illnesses | Coming into contact with people who have viral illnesses | History of long-term infections | Receiving live vaccines
Taking prednisone for a long time or at high doses can raise your risk of getting an infection. This medication can also hide some signs of infection so it might be hard to recognize if you're sick. Avoid contact with anyone who has chickenpox or measles. If you had tuberculosis (TB) in the past, your healthcare professional (HCP) will need to follow up with you while you're taking prednisone to check if the infection has come back. You might need to take antibiotics to prevent or treat TB. Also, talk to your HCP first before getting vaccines while you're taking prednisone. Depending on the vaccine and your treatment plan, they might not work as well or be safe for you during treatment. Let your HCP know if you feel sick while you're taking prednisone.
Mood and behavior changes
- Risk factors: History of mental health conditions
Prednisone can cause changes in your mood or behavior. Tell your HCP right away if you feel depressed, have mood swings, trouble sleeping, anxiety, or hallucinations (hearing or seeing things that aren't there) while taking this medication.
Reduced adrenal gland function
- Risk factors: Taking high doses of corticosteroids | Using prednisone for a long period of time | Young children | Stress such as trauma, injury, or infection
Your adrenal gland makes certain hormones for your body. Taking prednisone for a long time can cause adrenal suppression. This is when your adrenal glands stop making your own natural hormones as your body gets used to prednisone. This is more likely to happen if you're using the medication over a long period of time. Lowering the dose or stopping it suddenly can lead to steroid withdrawal because your adrenal glands need some time to start working again. These withdrawal symptoms include tiredness, joint or muscle pain, and low energy. Talk to your HCP or pharmacist before making any sudden changes to how you take prednisone.
Changes in heart and kidney function
- Risk factors: High blood pressure | History of heart failure | Kidney problems
Prednisone can cause high blood pressure, water buildup in the body, and other changes in the way your kidneys work. These changes can worsen certain medical conditions, like high blood pressure, heart failure, and kidney problems. If you currently have or have had any of these medical conditions, talk to your HCP first before using prednisone to make sure it's safe for you to take.
Stomach problems
- Risk factors: History of stomach bleeding or ulcers | History of ulcerative colitis | Taking other medications that can also cause stomach problems | Alcohol use
Taking prednisone raises the risk of stomach damage, leading to certain problems, like stomach irritation, and more seriously, ulcers and bleeding. Your risk is higher if you have a history of stomach problems or if you're taking other medications that can damage your stomach, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). You should avoid drinking alcohol while taking this medication because it can worsen stomach irritation. Get medical attention right away if you have stomach pain that doesn't go away or you get bloody or dark stools. These can be signs of a serious stomach problem.
Bone problems with long-term use
- Risk factors: Taking prednisone at high doses or for a long period of time | Risks for osteoporosis (e.g., female sex, history of falls, smoking) | Infants and young children
Long-term use of prednisone can raise your risk of having weakened bones (osteoporosis) and bone fractures. This medication can also slow the growth in infants and children. This is more likely to happen if the medication is used for a long period of time. If your child needs to take prednisone for a long time, their pediatrician will closely keep track of their growth during treatment. Discuss with a healthcare professional about any concerns you have about prednisone and possible bone problems.
Eye problems with long-term use
- Risk factors: Using prednisone for a long period of time | History of cataracts or glaucoma | History of herpes simplex of the eye
Long-term use of prednisone can lead to a higher risk of cataracts, glaucoma, and certain eye infections. Let your HCP know if you have herpes simplex of the eye because this medication can worsen your condition. Contact your HCP if you experience blurry vision, eye pain, or any vision changes. If you need to take prednisone for a long time, you might need to get regular eye exams.
More on Prednisone warnings
Prednisone dosage
Typical dosage for Prednisone
This medication is available as immediate-release tablets, delayed-release tablets (Rayos brand), and an oral liquid (Prednisone Intensol). General dosing is the same among the different formulations of prednisone.
The typical starting dose of prednisone can range from 5 mg to 60 mg by mouth daily. Your healthcare team will determine your dose and how many times a day you take it based on factors, like what medical condition you have and how serious it is. They'll also make adjustments to your dose based on how well this medication is working for you and if you experience any side effects.
More on Prednisone dosage
Interactions between Prednisone and other drugs
More on Prednisone interactions
Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is not recommended. Your doctor may decide not to treat you with this medication or change some of the other medicines you take.
- Desmopressin
- Rotavirus Vaccine, Live
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Aceclofenac
- Acemetacin
- Aldesleukin
- Alfentanil
- Amiodarone
- Amtolmetin Guacil
- Asparaginase
- Balofloxacin
- Bemiparin
- Benzhydrocodone
- Besifloxacin
- Bromfenac
- Bufexamac
- Buprenorphine
- Bupropion
- Celecoxib
- Ceritinib
- Choline Salicylate
- Ciprofloxacin
- Clonixin
- Codeine
- Daclatasvir
- Darunavir
- Desogestrel
- Dexibuprofen
- Dexketoprofen
- Diclofenac
- Dienogest
- Diflunisal
- Dihydrocodeine
- Dipyrone
- Dronedarone
- Drospirenone
- Droxicam
- Elvitegravir
- Enoxacin
- Estradiol
- Ethinyl Estradiol
- Ethynodiol
- Etodolac
- Etofenamate
- Etonogestrel
- Etoricoxib
- Felbinac
- Fenoprofen
- Fentanyl
- Fepradinol
- Feprazone
- Fleroxacin
- Floctafenine
- Flufenamic Acid
- Flumequine
- Flurbiprofen
- Gatifloxacin
- Gemifloxacin
- Gestodene
- Hemin
- Hydrocodone
- Ibuprofen
- Indomethacin
- Ketoprofen
- Ketorolac
- Levofloxacin
- Levonorgestrel
- Lomefloxacin
- Lopinavir
- Lornoxicam
- Loxoprofen
- Lumateperone
- Lumiracoxib
- Lutetium Lu 177 Dotatate
- Macimorelin
- Meclofenamate
- Medroxyprogesterone
- Mefenamic Acid
- Meloxicam
- Meperidine
- Mestranol
- Methadone
- Morniflumate
- Moxifloxacin
- Nabumetone
- Nadifloxacin
- Nadroparin
- Naproxen
- Nepafenac
- Nifedipine
- Niflumic Acid
- Nimesulide
- Nimesulide Beta Cyclodextrin
- Nomegestrol
- Norelgestromin
- Norethindrone
- Norfloxacin
- Norgestimate
- Norgestrel
- Ofloxacin
- Oxaprozin
- Oxycodone
- Oxyphenbutazone
- Parecoxib
- Pazufloxacin
- Pefloxacin
- Pentazocine
- Phenylbutazone
- Piketoprofen
- Piperaquine
- Piroxicam
- Pranoprofen
- Proglumetacin
- Propyphenazone
- Proquazone
- Prulifloxacin
- Ritonavir
- Rofecoxib
- Rufloxacin
- Salicylic Acid
- Salsalate
- Sargramostim
- Segesterone
- Sodium Salicylate
- Sparfloxacin
- Sufentanil
- Sulindac
- Tacrolimus
- Telaprevir
- Tenoxicam
- Tiaprofenic Acid
- Tolfenamic Acid
- Tolmetin
- Tosufloxacin
- Tramadol
- Ubrogepant
- Ulipristal
- Valdecoxib
- Velpatasvir
- Voxilaprevir
Using this medicine with any of the following medicines may cause an increased risk of certain side effects, but using both drugs may be the best treatment for you. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.
- Alcuronium
- Alfalfa
- Amobarbital
- Aprobarbital
- Aspirin
- Atracurium
- Auranofin
- Butabarbital
- Butalbital
- Clarithromycin
- Fluconazole
- Fosphenytoin
- Gallamine
- Hexafluorenium
- Ketoconazole
- Licorice
- Mephobarbital
- Metocurine
- Montelukast
- Ospemifene
- Pancuronium
- Phenobarbital
- Phenytoin
- Primidone
- Rifampin
- Rifapentine
- Saiboku-To
- Secobarbital
- Vecuronium
- Warfarin
How much does Prednisone cost?
$3.99
Prednisone contraindications
Contraindications are specific health conditions or situations in which a person should not take a medication due to safety concerns. If you have any of the following conditions or if any of the following apply to you, let your healthcare provider know because Prednisone will not be safe for you to take.
- Current fungal infection that has spread throughout the body
What are alternatives to Prednisone?
This medication is used for many different conditions. Generally, it's used for autoimmune problems, conditions related to swelling, or cancer. Some examples include:
Methylprednisolone (Medrol) is used for many different medical conditions, including:
Hydrocortisone (Cortef) is used for many different conditions. Generally, it's used for autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. Some examples include:
News about Prednisone
Prednisone images
