Methylprednisolone

Generic Name: methylprednisolone (METH il pred NIS oh lone)
Brand names: Medrol

What is methylprednisolone?

Methylprednisolone is a steroid that prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation.

Methylprednisolone is used to treat many different conditions such as allergic disorders, skin conditions, ulcerative colitis, arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, or breathing disorders.

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

Important information about methylprednisolone

You should not use this medication if you are allergic to methylprednisolone, or if you have a fungal infection anywhere in your body.

Before taking methylprednisolone, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions, and about all other medicines you are using. There are many other diseases that can be affected by steroid use, and many other medicines that can interact with steroids.

Video: Asthma

Steroid medication, such as methylprednisolone, can weaken your immune system, making it easier for you to get an infection or worsening an infection you already have or have recently had. Tell your doctor about any illness or infection you have had within the past several weeks.

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. Do not receive a "live" vaccine while using methylprednisolone. The vaccine may not work as well during this time, and may not fully protect you from disease.

Do not stop using methylprednisolone suddenly, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Talk to your doctor about how to avoid withdrawal symptoms when stopping the medication. Wear a medical alert tag or carry an ID card stating that you take methylprednisolone. Any doctor, dentist, or emergency medical professional who treats you should know that you take steroid medication.

Before taking methylprednisolone

You should not use this medication if you are allergic to methylprednisolone, or if you have a fungal infection anywhere in your body.

Steroid medication can weaken your immune system, making it easier for you to get an infection. Steroids can also worsen an infection you already have, or reactivate an infection you recently had. Before taking methylprednisolone, tell your doctor about any illness or infection you have had within the past several weeks.

To make sure you can safely take methylprednisolone, tell your doctor if you have any of these other conditions:

• liver disease (such as cirrhosis);

• kidney disease;

• a thyroid disorder;

• diabetes;

• a history of malaria;

• tuberculosis;

• osteoporosis;

• a muscle disorder such as myasthenia gravis;

• glaucoma or cataracts;

• herpes infection of the eyes;

• stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis, or diverticulitis;

• depression or mental illness;

• congestive heart failure; or

• high blood pressure

FDA pregnancy category C. It is not known whether methylprednisolone will harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant while using this medication. Methylprednisolone 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.

See also: Methylprednisolone pregnancy and breastfeeding warnings (in more detail)

Steroids can affect growth in children. Talk with your doctor if you think your child is not growing at a normal rate while using this medication.

How should I take methylprednisolone?

Take methylprednisolone exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

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

Your steroid medication needs may change if you have unusual stress such as a serious illness, fever or infection, or if you have surgery or a medical emergency. Tell your doctor about any such situation that affects you.

Methylprednisolonecan cause unusual results with certain medical tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are using methylprednisolone.

Do not stop using methylprednisolone suddenly, or you could have unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. Ask your doctor how to avoid withdrawal symptoms when you stop using methylprednisolone. Wear a medical alert tag or carry an ID card stating that you take methylprednisolone. doctor, dentist, or emergency medical professional who treats you should know that you take steroid medication.

Store methylprednisolone at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

See also: Methylprednisolone dosage (in more detail)

What happens if I miss a dose?

Call your doctor for instructions if you miss a dose of methylprednisolone.

What happens if I overdose?

Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222.

An overdose of methylprednisolone 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, 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 methylprednisolone?

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 steroid medication.

Do not receive a "live" vaccine while using methylprednisolone. The vaccine may not work as well during this time, and may not fully protect you from disease. Live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG), oral polio, rotavirus, smallpox, typhoid, yellow fever, varicella (chickenpox), H1N1 influenza, and nasal flu vaccine.

Avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking methylprednisolone.

Methylprednisolone side effects

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

Call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

• problems with your vision;

• swelling, rapid weight gain, feeling short of breath;

• severe depression, unusual thoughts or behavior, seizure (convulsions);

• bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood;

• pancreatitis (severe pain in your upper stomach spreading to your back, nausea and vomiting, fast heart rate);

• low potassium (confusion, uneven heart rate, extreme thirst, increased urination, leg discomfort, muscle weakness or limp feeling); or

• dangerously high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in your ears, anxiety, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats, seizure).

Less serious methylprednisolone side effects may include:

• sleep problems (insomnia), mood changes;

• acne, dry skin, thinning skin, bruising or discoloration;

• slow wound healing;

• increased sweating;

• headache, dizziness, spinning sensation;

• nausea, stomach pain, bloating; or

• changes in the shape or location of body fat (especially in your arms, legs, face, neck, breasts, and waist).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

See also: Methylprednisolone side effects (in more detail)

Methylprednisolone Dosing Information

Usual Adult Dose of Methylprednisolone for Allergic Rhinitis:

acetate: 80 to 120 mg intramuscular only.

Usual Adult Dose of Methylprednisolone for Dermatologic Lesion:

acetate: 40 to 120 mg intramuscular weekly for 1 to 4 weeks.

Usual Adult Dose of Methylprednisolone for Rheumatoid Arthritis:

Acetate: 40 to 120 mg intramuscular weekly
Large joints: 20 to 80 mg intraarticular
Medium joints: 10 to 40 mg intraarticular
Small joints: 4 to 10 mg intraarticular

Usual Adult Dose for Adrenogenital Syndrome:

Acetate: 40 mg intramuscular every 2 weeks.

Usual Adult Dose for Anti-inflammatory:

4 to 48 mg/day orally.

Sodium succinate: 10 to 40 mg Intravenous over 1 to several minutes. Give subsequent doses IV or IM.

Usual Adult Dose of Methylprednisolone for Shock:

30 mg/kg IV repeated every 4 to 6 hours or 100 to 250 mg IV repeated every 2 to 6 hours.

Usual Adult Dose for Immunosuppression:

4 to 48 mg orally per day.
2 to 2.5 mg/kg per day IV or IM, tapered slowly over 2 to 3 weeks or 250 to 1,000 mg IV once daily or on alternate days for 3 to 5 doses.

Usual Adult Dose for Asthma -- Acute:

Asthma exacerbations (emergency medical care or hospital doses):
Oral or IV: 40 to 80 mg/day in divided doses 1 to 2 times/day until peak expiratory flow is 70% of predicted or personal best

Short-course "burst" (acute asthma):
Oral: 40 to 60 mg/day in divided doses 1 to 2 times/day for 3 to 10 days; Note: Burst should be continued until symptoms resolve and peak expiratory flow is at least 80% of personal best; usually requires 3 to 10 days of treatment (approximately 5 days on average); longer treatment may be required
IM (acetate): 240 mg as a one-time dose (Note: This may be given in place of short-course "burst" of oral steroids in patients who are vomiting or if compliance is a problem)

Usual Adult Dose of Methylprednisolone for Asthma -- Maintenance:

Oral: 7.5 to 60 mg daily given as a single dose in the morning or every other day as needed for asthma control

Usual Pediatric Dose for Anti-inflammatory:

Sodium succinate: not less than 0.5 mg/kg/24 hours intravenous or intramuscular.

High dose therapy: 30 mg/kg intravenous over 10 to 20 minutes. May repeat every 4 to 6 hours, but not beyond 48 to 72 hours.

Usual Pediatric Dose of Methylprednisolone for Asthma -- Acute:

Up to 11 years:
Asthma exacerbations (emergency medical care or hospital doses):
Oral or IV: 1 to 2 mg/kg/day in 2 divided doses (maximum: 60 mg/day) until peak expiratory flow is 70% of predicted or personal best.

Short-course "burst" (acute asthma):
Oral: 1 to 2 mg/kg/day in divided doses 1 to 2 times/day for 3 to 10 days; maximum dose: 60 mg/day; Note: Burst should be continued until symptoms resolve or patient achieves peak expiratory flow 80% of personal best; usually requires 3 to 10 days of treatment (approximately 5 days on average); longer treatment may be required
IM (acetate) : Note: This may be given in place of short-course "burst" of oral steroids in patients who are vomiting or if compliance is a problem:
Children up to 4 years: 7.5 mg/kg as a one-time dose; maximum dose: 240 mg
Children 5 to 11 years: 240 mg as a one-time dose.

11 years or older:
Asthma exacerbations (emergency medical care or hospital doses):
Oral or IV: 40 to 80 mg/day in divided doses 1 to 2 times/day until peak expiratory flow is 70% of predicted or personal best
Short-course "burst" (acute asthma):
Oral: 40 to 60 mg/day in divided doses 1 to 2 times/day for 3 to 10 days; Note: Burst should be continued until symptoms resolve and peak expiratory flow is at least 80% of personal best; usually requires 3 to 10 days of treatment (approximately 5 days on average); longer treatment may be required
IM (acetate): 240 mg as a one-time dose (Note: This may be given in place of short-course "burst" of oral steroids in patients who are vomiting or if compliance is a problem)

Usual Pediatric Dose of Methylprednisolone for Asthma -- Maintenance:

Up to 11 years:
0.25 to 2 mg/kg/day given as a single dose in the morning or every other day as needed for asthma control; maximum dose: 60 mg/day.

11 years or older:
Oral: 7.5 to 60 mg orally daily given as a single dose in the morning or every other day as needed for asthma control

What other drugs will affect methylprednisolone?

There are many other medicines that can interact with steroids. Below is only a partial list of these medicines:

• aspirin (taken on a daily basis or at high doses);

• a diuretic (water pill);

• a blood thinner such as warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven);

• cyclosporine (Gengraf, Neoral, Sandimmune);

• insulin or oral diabetes medication;

• ketoconazole (Nizoral);

• rifampin (Rifadin, Rifater, Rifamate, Rimactane); or

• seizure medications such as phenytoin (Dilantin) or phenobarbital (Solfoton).

This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with methylprednisolone. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

Where can I get more information?

• Your pharmacist can provide more information about methylprednisolone.