Drug: Prednisone

Prednisone Pills
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An Overview On Prednisone

Prednisone is a naturally produced cortisol and synthetic compound. Corticosteriod are divided into two groups. The first is glucocorticoid and the second one is mineralocorticoid. Prednisone helps the body respond to redness, itching, swelling and other allergy symptoms effectively. It is also known to fight the infection in one’s body.

In addition, this helps reduce the inflammation by ensuring white blood cells are prevented from completing the inflammatory reaction. It works by suppressing the inflammatory response, which is the way the body generally responds to infection and allergy. The main function of Prednisone is to play the role of an immuno-suppressant. This is an effective immuno-suppressant, which affects the entire immune system.

Benefits Of Using Prednisone

This medication can be used to treat inflammatory diseases like Crohin’s disease and asthma; nephrotic syndrome; various kidney disease; and autoimmune diseases. Prednisone is also used to treat a variety of medical conditions like different types of arthritis, systemic lupus, ulcerative colitis, severe psoriasis and allergic reactions. It is also used in treatments like lymphomas, leukaemia, autoimmune hemolytic anemia. What’s more is that health care providers are known to use Prednisone with other drugs to help treat certain cancer types and prevent transplanted organ rejection.

Know The Prednisone Dosage and Recommendation

Prednisone can be purchased as a solution, tablet, syrup or concentrate. Your health care provider will prescribe the required dosage which is best suited for your condition. Make certain you ask the doctor or pharmacist to go over the instructions on the label carefully in case you don’t understand. The dosage varies according to the patient’s age and medical condition being treated. The medication schedule is put in place by the doctor once the patient has taken an initial dosage and the doctor can determine how the body has responded to the medication.

First consult with your doctor in case you want to stop taking the medication. If you stop the drug abruptly - it can result in nausea, loss of appetite, drowsiness, vomiting, headache, confusion, muscle pain, weight loss and peeling skin. If Prednisone is taken for a period of one week or more, some patients can develop a condition called adrenal suppression. This means that the patient becomes dependent on the medication.

In such instances, Prednisone should be gradually reduced and not stopped abruptly. Prednisone is effective when taken with food. Otherwise if taken on an empty stomach it can irritate the lining of the stomach. Whereas, food serves as a buffer, which reduces such irritation. The best times to take Prednisone is after breakfast or before 9AM.

Common Side Effects Of Using Prednisone

Prednisone used on short term is not generally harmful. But, for individuals with diabetes, emotional disability or active ulcer disease - it can cause certain side effects. These conditions can be aggravated by the high dosage of Prednisone. Some of the short term side effects of this drug include increased blood glucose levels and mineralocorticoid effects - otherwise known as fluid retention.

While some long term negative effects of this medication are weight gain, Cushing’s syndrome, depression upon withdrawal, glaucoma and adrenal suppression. Some of the minor side effects of Prednisone can be hypertensio, nausea, euphoria and depression.

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