- Rheumatoid arthritis:
- Adult: PO 2-12mg attack dose; 4-8mg maintenance
- Adolescent: PO 6-10mg attack dose
- 8-20mg maintenance
- Severe seasonal asthma, severe hay fever, exfoliative dermatitis, contact dermatitis, non-treatable allergic rhinitis:
- PO 12-40mg attack dose; maintenance dose 4-16mg
- Generalized infantile eczema:
- PO 8-12mg attack dose
- Adrenogenital syndrome:
- PO 16-60mg attack dose
- Ulcerative colitis:
- PO 12-60mg attack dose
- Leukemia:
- PO 12-16mg attack dose
- Nephrosis:
- PO 20-60mg for 10-14 days or until diuresis appears attack dose
- 12-40mg 3 days per week for 6-12 months
- PO 20-60mg for 10-14 days or until diuresis appears attack dose
- Corticosteroid-responsive conditions:
- IM 40-120mg every 1-4 weeks
- Large joint (knee, ankle, shoulder): Intra-articular 20-80mg
- Medium joint (elbow, wrist): Intra-articular 10-40mg
- Small joint: (metacarpophalangeal, interphalangeal, sternoclavicular, acromioclavicular): Intra-articular 4-10mg
- Soft-tissue: 4-30mg into affected tissue *1
- Intra-lesional 20-60mg *1
Tablet: 4mg
- Oral dose best taken in the morning.
- Use lowest possible dose.
- The Achilles tendon should not be injected with methylprednisolone acetate.
- Injection into the deltoid muscle should be avoided because of a high frequency of subcutaneous atrophy
Synthetic glucocorticoid. 6-methyl-derivative of prednisolone. It forms complexes with cytoplasmic receptors which enter the cell nucleus and bind to DNA stimulating transcription of mRNA. mRNA then leads to prevention of inflammation by controlling rate of protein synthesis, suppressing migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and fibroblasts, reversing capillary permeability and stabilizing lysosomes at cellular level.
- Diarrhoea
- Dizziness
- Dyslipidaemia
- Osteoporosis, myopathy, bone fragility
- Peptic ulcers
- Skin thinning
- Fatigue
- Hiccups
- Vertigo
- Headache
- Impaired wound healing
- Muscle mass loss
- Increased appetite and weight gain
- Convulsions
- Immunosuppression
- Growth retardation in children
- Adrenal insufficiency
- Insomnia
- Hypertension
- Lipomatosis
- Malaise
- Hypersensitivity to components
- Intrathecal administration
- Premature infants
- Traumatic brain injury
- Live virus vaccination
- Anticoagulants
- IM use in idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
- Psychosis
- Osteoporosis
- Peptic ulcers
- TB
- Ocular herpes simplex
- Rifampicin
- Barbiturates
- Phenytoin
- Cyclosporine
- Neostigmine
- Pyridostigmine
- Oral contraceptives
- Macrolide antibiotics
- Ketoconazole
- Ephedrine
- Salicylates
- Digitalis
Drug Status
| Availability | Prescription or OTC by Pharmacist |
| Pregnancy | Category C; Contraindicated |
| Breastfeeding | Contraindicated |
| Schedule | Not controlled |
| BRAND NAME | STRENGTH | FORMULATION | PACK SIZE | MANUFACTURER | DISTRIBUTOR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Depo-Medrol | 40mg/mL | Injection | 1’s | Pfizer Labs | Pfizer Labs |
| Depo-Pred | 80mg/2mL | Injection | 1’s | Medisel Kenya | Medisel Kenya |
| Depo-Pred | 40mg/mL | Injection | 1’s | Medisel Kenya | Medisel Kenya |
| Medrol | 4mg | Tablet | 30’s | Pfizer Labs | Pfizer Labs |
| Metrite | 500mg | Injection | 1’s | Gufic Stridden Biopharma | Europa Healthcare |
| Solu-Medrol | 500mg | Injection | 1’s | Pfizer Labs | Pfizer Labs |
| Solu-Medrol | 125mg | Injection | 1’s | Pfizer Labs | Pfizer Labs |
| Solu-Medrol | 40mg | Injection | 1’s | Pfizer Labs | Pfizer Labs |
| Zedrol | 80mg/mL | Injection | 1’s | Zawadi Healthcare | Zawadi Healthcare |