Methylprednisolone
Description
Methylprednisolone is a medicine that is used to treat symptoms like swelling, redness, heat, and pain in certain forms of arthritis. It is used in the treatment of skin, eye, blood, kidney, thyroid, and intestinal disorders. It is also used to treat certain types of cancer. It works by blocking the chemical substances that are responsible for pain and swelling and changing your body's immune response.
Methylprednisolone has some side effects like headache, stomach upset, restlessness, and sleeplessness. These side effects are mild and may subside by themselves. Consult your doctor if they bother you. Avoid activities that require high mental alertness like driving vehicles and operating machines as it may cause dizziness. Do not take this medicine if you are allergic to it.
Methylprednisolone should be taken with food to avoid stomach irritation. Your doctor will decide the dosage and duration of the treatment of this medication depending on your condition. Take it at the same time every day for better results. Avoid taking more than the prescribed dose. Do not stop taking this medicine without consulting your doctor, even if you feel better after taking few doses. Abrupt discontinuation of this medicine may worsen your health condition. Methylprednisolone injection is administered by a qualified healthcare professional in the clinical or hospital setting. Hence, do not self administer.
Methylprednisolone is not recommended for treating fungal infections. Inform your doctor if you have heart, kidney, or liver problems before starting the treatment with this medicine. Also, inform your doctor if you are pregnant or are breastfeeding before taking this medicine.
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Side effects
Major & minor side effects for Methylprednisolone
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Stomach upset
- Stomach irritation
- Restlessness
- Sleeplessnes
- High blood pressure
- Fluid and electrolyte imblance
- Blurred vision
- Stomach ulcers and bloting
- Acne
- Swelling of face, lips, eyelids, tongue, hands and feet
Uses of Methylprednisolone
What is it prescribed for?
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Asthma
- Allergic skin conditions
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Allergic eye conditions
- Leukaemia
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Concerns
Commonly asked questions
- Onset of actionOral forms of Methylprednisolone starts showing their effect within 2 hours after taking a dose. The injection form of Methylprednisolone starts its effects within 1 hour of administration.
- Duration of effectThe effect of all forms of Methylprednisolone lasts for around 12 hours.
- Safe with alcohol?Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
- Is it habit forming?No habit-forming tendency was reported for Methylprednisolone.
- Usage in pregnancy?Methylprednisolone is not recommended to be used in pregnancy as animal studies have shown harmful effects on the foetus. Hence, consult your doctor before using this medicine. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing this medicine to you.
- Usage while breast-feeding?Methylprednisolone is not recommended while breastfeeding as it may harm your infant. Consult your doctor before taking this medicine.
Allergy
Avoid taking Methylprednisolone if you are allergic to it. Seek immediate medical attention if you notice any symptoms such as skin rash, itching/swelling (especially of the face/tongue/throat), severe dizziness, breathing difficulty, etc.
Systemic fungal infections
Methylprednisolone is not recommended to use if you have any form of fungal infection. The symptoms of fungal infection are muscle pain, restlessness, weight loss, itchy skin, sweating in the night, etc. This medicine acts by reducing the immune system which may worsen your condition.
Live vaccines
It is not recommended to take Methylprednisolone when you have received live vaccines as this medicine acts by reducing the immune system which may worsen your health condition.
Warnings for special population
Pregnancy
Methylprednisolone is not recommended to be used in pregnancy as animal studies have shown harmful effects on the foetus. Hence, consult your doctor before using this medicine. Your doctor will weigh the benefits and potential risks before prescribing this medicine to you.
Breast-feeding
Methylprednisolone is not recommended while breastfeeding as it may harm your infant. Consult your doctor before taking this medicine.
General warnings
Diabetes
Diabetes is an increased sugar level in your blood. Methylprednisolone should be used with caution if you have diabetes as this medicine further increases your blood sugar level. Inform your doctor about all your pre-existing health conditions before taking this medication.
Mental health conditions
Methylprednisolone should be used with caution as it may cause disturbances to your mental health like changes in mood, depression and suicidal thoughts. These symptoms may be noticed in the first few weeks of treatment. Consult your doctor immediately if you observe any changes in your behaviour and mood.
Myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis is a condition that causes muscle weakness. Methylprednisolone may increase the risk of this condition if you used it in high doses in the first few days of treatment. Hence. caution should be maintained while taking this medicine.
Heart diseases
Use Methylprednisolone with caution if you have heart problems as it may cause high blood pressure and other undesired effects.
Gastrointestinal ulcer
Use Methylprednisolone with caution if you have ulcers in your stomach or intestine as this medicine may worsen your health condition.
Liver/ kidney diseases
Use Methylprednisolone with caution if you have liver or kidney problems. This medicine is broken down in the liver and excreted through your kidneys. Impaired organs may lead to the accumulation of this medicine and cause serious side effects. Your doctor may suggest tests for monitoring your liver/kidney functioning while on treatment with this medicine.
Eye disorder
Use Methylprednisolone with caution if you have eye problems and fungal/viral eye infections. This medicine may cause blurred vision and loss of vision in case if you have a pre-existing family history of glaucoma (a condition where the pressure in the eyeballs is abnormally high that can damage the optic nerve and lead to eventual loss of vision). Consult your doctor immediately if you observe any problem with your eyes.
Driving or operating machines
Methylprednisolone causes dizziness in some people. If you feel dizzy or drowsy while taking this medicine, avoid driving vehicles or operating heavy machines.
Use in children
Avoid prolonged use of Methylprednisolone in infants and children less than 12 years as it may lead to increased fluid pressure inside the skull and on the brain. This may cause blurred vision, headache, confusion, etc. A higher dose may lead to pancreatitis (swelling and pain of organ in the lower part of the stomach called pancreas) in your child.
Use in elderly
Avoid using Methylprednisolone in old people as it may cause diabetes, low potassium levels in the blood, high blood pressure and weak and brittle bones.
Missed Dose
Oral forms: Take the missed dose of Methylprednisolone as soon as you remember. If it is time for your next dose, skip the missed dose. Do not double your dose to make up for the missed dose.
Injection: Since Methylprednisolone is usually administered by a qualified healthcare professional in the hospital setting, the likelihood of missing a dose is very low.
Overdose
Oral forms: Never take more than the prescribed dose of Methylprednisolone. In case of an overdose, seek immediate medical attention.
Injection: Since Methylprednisolone is administered in the hospital setting by a qualified healthcare professional, the likelihood of an overdose is very low. However, your doctor will take measures if an overdose is suspected.
All drugs interact differently for person to person. You should check all the possible interactions with your doctor before starting any medicine.
Interaction with Alcohol
Description
Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
Instructions
Interaction with alcohol is unknown. It is advisable to consult your doctor before consumption.
Interaction with Medicine
Antidiabetic medicines
Phenytoin
Rifampicin
Aspirin
Disease interactions
Chickenpox
Chickenpox is a highly contagious viral infection that causes an itchy, blister-like rash on the skin. Avoid using Methylprednisolone in this condition as it may cause serious side effects.
Food interactions
Avoid consuming grapefruit juice along with Methylprednisolone as it may increase the absorption of this medicine and lead to serious side effects.
Lab interactions
Information not available.
Oral form: You should take Methylprednisolone with food to avoid stomach irritation or as directed by your doctor.
Avoid taking more or fewer doses than prescribed. Ensure that you take this medicine for the recommended duration.
Consult your doctor if you experience any undesirable effects while taking this medicine.
Do not stop taking this medicine suddenly without consulting your doctor as it may worsen your condition.
Avoid taking grapefruit juice along with this medicine as it leads to serious side effects.
It is not recommended to take this medicine with other painkillers like Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Paracetamol, etc.
Keep away from the reach of your children and pets. Ensure that the unused medicine is disposed of properly.
Injection: Methylprednisolone is administered by a qualified healthcare professional in the clinical or hospital setting. Hence, do not self administer.
Consult your doctor if you experience any undesirable effects after taking this injection.
Miscelleneous
How it works
Methylprednisolone works by decreasing redness and swelling by blocking the chemical substances that are responsible for pain, swelling and changing your body's immune response.
Legal Status
Classification
Category
Glucocorticoids, Anti-inflammatory agents
Schedule
Schedule H
Medicines.org.uk. 2021. Medrone 4 mg Tablets - Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) - (emc). [online] Available at: < [Accessed 9 September 2021].
Drugs, H., 2021. Methylprednisolone: MedlinePlus Drug Information. [online] Medlineplus.gov. Available at: < [Accessed 9 September 2021].
Pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. 2021. Methylprednisolone. [online] Available at: < [Accessed 9 September 2021].
Information on this page was last updated on 13 Oct 2021
Disclaimer
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