Q: What Do People With Asthma Need To Know About Taking Oral Corticosteroids
Purvi Parikh, MD: Oral corticosteroids are often needed in asthma care. They are most commonly prescribed when asthma is uncontrolled or flaring up. However, some people with very severe asthma may need to take oral corticosteroids more regularly.
Oral corticosteroids do come with a lot of side effects. They can cause weight gain, diabetes, high blood pressure, bone loss, thinning of the skin, eye cataracts or bone loss, among other side effects, and its important to minimize use as much as possible.
Many people dont realize that even one or two courses of oral corticosteroids over a whole year is enough to be considered too much and also a sign that your asthma is not well controlled. If you are taking this amount or more, its a good idea to talk with your doctor and discuss other medication options.
Fortunately, there are new asthma medications that help patients move away from oral corticosteroid use altogether, or at least minimize it significantly. These medications are called biologics, and they target specific parts of the immune system that control asthma, rather than the entire immune system as oral corticosteroids do.
Each of the biologics omalizumab, reslizumab, mepolizumab, benralizumab and dupilumab target different types of asthma and their dosage frequency varies. For that reason, its important to talk with your doctor in a Shared Decision Making approach and discuss whether biologics are right for you.
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What Prednisone For Dogs Is And What It’s Used For
Prednisone is a synthetic corticosteroid similar to the hormone cortisol, produced naturally by the adrenal glands. Corticosteroids are often referred to as “steroids,” but they are different from anabolic steroids, which are often used illegally by some athletes to build muscle mass. Prednisone is approved for use in dogs to treat allergic, immune-mediated and inflammatory conditions. Prednisone is also used off-label to treat Addison’s disease, lymphoma, and immune-mediated polyarthritis in dogs. It is available in both oral and injectable forms and can be compounded into a flavoured liquid for easier administration.
What Drugs Interact With Prednisone
Prednisone may interact with diuretics , blood thinners, cyclosporine, insulin or oral diabetes medications, rifampin, azole antifungals, or seizure medications.
Prednisone may also interact with antibiotics, anticholinesterase, isoniazid, bupropion, cholestyramine, cyclosporine, digitalis glycosides, estrogens , barbiturates, ritonavir, indinavir, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , quetiapine, skin tests, thalidomide, and live or inactivated vaccines.
Following prolonged therapy, withdrawal of corticosteroids such as dexamethasone or prednisone may result in symptoms of the corticosteroid withdrawal syndrome including muscle or joint pain and feeling unwell .
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Tell Your Gp About Risks Of Infections
You are more likely to get infections when you’re taking any steroid medication, such as prednisolone.
Tell your doctor if you’re exposed to infectious illnesses like chickenpox or shingles.
Prednisolone makes you more likely to catch infections such as:
Tuberculosis may also recur.
Keep away from people with an infectious disease, especially chickenpox or shingles. If you have never had these illnesses, they could make you very ill.
What Should I Avoid
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 a steroid.
Do not receive a “live” vaccine while using this medicine. Prednisone may increase your risk of harmful effects from a live vaccine. Live vaccines include measles, mumps, rubella , rotavirus, yellow fever, varicella , one type of the typhoid vaccine and nasal flu vaccine.
Avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking prednisone.
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Dosage For Lymphoma And Leukemia
Generic: Prednisone
- Strengths: 1 mg, 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 50 mg
Brand: Rayos
- Strengths: 1 mg, 2 mg, 5 mg
Adult dosage
- Typical starting dosage: This may vary from 5 mg to 60 mg per day, depending on the condition being treated.
- For immediate-release tablets only: To reduce side effects, twice the usual dose of this drug may be taken every other morning. This is called alternate day therapy. Do not use alternate day therapy unless prescribed by your doctor.
Child dosage
Dosage for children is usually based on weight. Your doctor will determine the best dosage for your child.
Senior dosage
Older adults may process drugs more slowly. A normal adult dose may cause levels of the drug to be higher than normal. If youre a senior, you may need a lower dose or a different schedule.
When You Start Taking Prednisolone
You might feel better after a couple of days of taking prednisolone. But it depends on your illness.
For some illnesses, you may not notice any difference in how you feel after you start taking prednisolone. This does not mean the medicine is not working. Ask your GP what to expect for your illness.
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Dosage For Eye Diseases
- Strengths: 1 mg, 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 50 mg
Brand: Rayos
- Strengths: 1 mg, 2 mg, 5 mg
Adult dosage
- Typical starting dosage: This may vary from 5 mg to 60 mg per day, depending on the condition being treated.
- For immediate-release tablets only: To reduce side effects, twice the usual dose of this drug may be taken every other morning. This is called alternate day therapy. Do not use alternate day therapy unless prescribed by your doctor.
Child dosage
Dosage for children is usually based on weight. Your doctor will determine the best dosage for your child.
Senior dosage
Older adults may process drugs more slowly. A normal adult dose may cause levels of the drug to be higher than normal. If youre a senior, you may need a lower dose or a different schedule.
What Are The Downsides
The injection was historically available on the NHS, explains Gilani, but it is no longer offered due to a lack of robust evidence supporting its efficacy.
Plus, the treatment can cause a potentially long list of side effects including raised blood pressure, water retention, skin rashes and muscle weakness. Other unwanted secondary effects include swelling, breathing difficulties, abdominal pain, insomnia and taste disturbance.
Once the steroid has been injected, nothing can be done to prevent it from spreading through the body over the following weeks, even if side effects are experienced, states Gilani. In addition, it is contra-indicated in some patients, such as those who have stomach ulcers, diabetes or an active infection.
For these reasons, charity Allergy UK does not endorse the injection. The steroid injection is not recommended as it is a high-dose steroid given by an intramuscular injection and once injected, the amount of steroid cannot be removed and it comes with a high side-effect profile.
Many patients like it as it does help with their hay fever symptoms and that is why you can get it privately, but it is not given on the NHS in allergy services as the recommendations are to give immunotherapy for severe hay fever, their spokesperson continues.
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What Is Hayfever Or Seasonal Rhinitis
Allergic rhinitis is an allergic disease which affects many people worldwide. Rhinitis means inflammation of the nose, whilst the term allergic describes a normal but exaggerated response to a substance. It may be , which means symptoms are present throughout the year, or seasonal, with symptoms peaking during the months of spring and summer when pollen levels are at their highest.
Seasonal rhinitis, also known as hayfever, is characterised by irritation and congestion or watering of the nose, itchy eyes, ears and throat, and sneezing. It occurs due to an exaggerated response to an environmental trigger which results in inflammation of the lining of the nose .In the case of seasonal rhinitis, pollen is the most common trigger, hence symptoms are usually experienced during the spring and summer months when the pollen season is at its peak.
Why Prednisone Might Not Work For Your Cat Or Dogs Problem
There are two potential pitfalls of this kind of prescription. One, if you give too little prednisone and there are still a bunch of allergens around, your pet will still be itchy. So its important to NOT decrease the dose per bottle instructions, but rather to use common sense and these instructions as a guideline for how you might decrease the dose, depending on how your particular pet responds.
Lets run through an example. Say youre giving half of a 20mg prednisone tablet every 12 hours, and your dog feels great, no itching. Then you drop to half of a tablet every 24 hours, and your dog still feels great, and is showing fewer side effects from the prednisone. Woohoo!
Then you drop even further, now only giving half of a tablet every 48 hours, and you start to notice your dog itching again. This means your particular pet wants you to go back up to the once a day dosing for a while longer! Listen to the pet, go back up to once a day, and simply call me and let me know that youve adjusted the dosing schedule so I can keep track in my records.
The second potential pitfall of a prescription of prednisone is that some clients stop the pills too early. We frequently hear back from clients who say Fido felt great on prednisone, but as soon as I stopped giving him the pills, he started getting itchy again!
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Prednisone For Food Allergies
OverviewPrednisone is a prescription drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat inflammation. Prednisone is sometimes prescribed to treat allergy symptoms in people with food allergies. Since the FDA has not approved Prednisone specifically for this usage, it may be considered off-label.
Prednisone is a corticosteroid. It is believed that Prednisone works by suppressing immune system activity.
How do I take it?Take Prednisone exactly as prescribed by the physician.
Prednisone may be administered orally, topically as creams or ointments for rashes, or by injection into veins, joints, skin or muscles.
Side effectsThe FDA-approved label for Prednisone lists common side effects including high blood sugar, fluid retention, rounding of the face known as moon face, insomnia, euphoria, depression, anxiety, and mania.
Rare but serious side effects listed for Prednisone include increased susceptibility to infection, weight gain, mood or vision changes, trouble sleeping, and, in children, slowed growth.
For more details about this treatment, visit:
Veterinary Treatment Of Itchy Skin Caused By Seasonal Allergies Or Dust Mites
Primary therapy for dust mite allergies in pets is similar to that of inhalant allergies.
Here is how allergy testing and desensitization works:
Allergy testing and desensitation appears to be helpful in about 80% of patients receiving the treatments, at reducing the length and severity of allergy attacks throughout the pets lifetime.
Allergies are never cured, only managed.
If you loved this post, please share it with your friends on Facebook and Twitter, or if youre not in the Indianapolis and Carmel Indiana area, print out a copy and take it in to your local veterinarian to discuss your options.
If you do live in the Indianapolis / Carmel area, please schedule your first appointment today by calling Leos Pet Care today at 721-7387
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Mechanisms And Actions Of Gcs
Corticosteroids, which are produced by the adrenal glands, can be classified as glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. Cortisol is the endogenous glucocorticoid in humans, naturally derived from cholesterol metabolism upon stimulation by the hypothalamicpituitaryadrenal axis , which is regulated initially by the circadian rhythm, but also by negative feedback by glucocorticoids and glucocorticoid increment induced by stressors such as pain, inflammation or infections .
Fig. 1
The hypothalamicpituitaryadrenal axis. Stress stimuli induce the production of CRH by the hypothalamus. CRH induces the production of ACTH by the pituitary gland which stimulates the production of glucocorticoids in the adrenal gland cortex. Cortisol acts on many cells, tissues, and organs including the immune system. The excessive release of cortisol as well as proinflammatory cytokines have a negative feedback on the central nervous system by inhibiting this circadian cycle. CRH corticotrophin releasing hormone, ACTH adrenocorticotrophin hormone
Does Prednisone Help Dogs With Pain
Yes, Prednisone helps dogs with pain. Many oral and injectable corticosteroids like Prednisolone, Prednisone, Triamcinolone, Dexamethasone are used for pain management, especially in dogs with bone and joint issues.
However, Prednisone and other steroids are not suitable for long-term pain management as they affect every cell in the body and, when used long-term, can have specific side effects. If your dog is suffering from a painful condition, talk with a veterinarian to craft an appropriate pain management strategy.
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Dosage For Lupus And Nephrotic Syndrome
Generic: Prednisone
- Strengths: 1 mg, 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 50 mg
Brand: Rayos
- Strengths: 1 mg, 2 mg, 5 mg
Adult dosage
- Typical starting dosage: This may vary from 5 mg to 60 mg per day, depending on the specific disease and person taking the drug.
- For immediate-release tablets only: To reduce side effects, twice the usual dose of this drug may be taken every other morning. This is called alternate day therapy. Do not use alternate day therapy unless prescribed by your doctor.
Child dosage
Dosage for children is usually based on weight. Your doctor will determine the best dosage for your child.
Senior dosage
Older adults may process drugs more slowly. A normal adult dose may cause levels of the drug to be higher than normal. If youre a senior, you may need a lower dose or a different schedule.
Treating Itchy Skin In Dogs And Cats Step 4 Antihistamines And Prednisone
is currently our drug of choice to reduce your dogs itch while were treating the bacteria, yeast, and parasites that may be complicating her itchy skin, and while were running the 8 week elimination diet trial test.
Our intention is not for you to keep your dog on prednisone for the rest of her life, but rather to keep her from getting miserable while were getting to the bottom of whats causing her allergies.
Your veterinarian may also recommend human antihistamines to be given at the same time as prednisone to reduce itching.
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What Are The Side Effects Of A Dog Taking Prednisone
The common side effects of Prednisone for dogs are increased thirst , increased urination , and increased appetite . Usually, these short-term side effects subside once the dog gets used to the new medication.
Long-term use of Prednisone for dogs and administration in high doses may trigger additional adverse reactions, such as:
- Behavioral changes .
Some extra sensitive dogs may develop more serious side effects like GI tract ulcerations such as bloody stool and vomit, fever, loss of appetite, weight gain, abdominal distension, muscle weakness, heart problems, diabetes, Addisons disease, dry hair, and hair loss.
Prednisone should be used with extra caution in:
- Dogs with heart disease and high blood pressure
- Dogs with diabetes
- Dogs with cataracts and osteoporosis
- Dogs with kidney disease and liver disease
Due to the high risk of adverse reactions, Prednisone must not be used in pets that are allergic to the active ingredient and in dogs receiving drugs with known drug interactions and drugs that can cause stomach ulcers and ulcers in the intestines.
Because of potential interactions, Prednisone is unadvisable for dogs that need to be subdued to laboratory tests for allergies, urine glucose levels, cholesterol levels, potassium levels, and thyroid levels.
Finally, Prednisone must not be used at all in:
- Dogs with tuberculosis
- Dogs with Cushings disease
- Dogs with systemic viral infections
- Dogs with systemic fungal infections.
Why Is My Dog Itching
Most dogs and cats itch for one of these six reasons:
An effective diagnostic and treatment plan for itchy skin, therefore, should ideally account for all six of these causes of itch at the same time.
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Naturopathic Approach To Allergies
The naturopathic approach to allergies is to identify why the individual has the allergy, and then treat the root cause of the problem.
If you are suffering from allergies that were present since birth or came back all of a sudden, or suspect that you may be suffering from allergies to the environment or certain foods, we can help you identify what caused the allergy to come about in the first place and help you treat the cause, we can also help you to decrease allergenic reactions to the environment and foods using natural supplements, along with other naturopathic modalities.
Alternative therapies help to reduce inflammation, minimize hypersensitivity reactions, modulate the immune system and heal the digestive tract.
Dosage For Multiple Sclerosis Exacerbations
Generic: Prednisone
- Strengths: 1 mg, 2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, 50 mg
Adult dosage
For immediate-release tablets only: If you have a sudden return or worsening of your MS symptoms, you may need to take 200 mg once per day for one week. This dosage may then be reduced to 80 mg once per day every other day for one month.
Child dosage
Dosage for children is usually based on weight. Your doctor will determine the best dosage for your child.
Senior dosage
Older adults may process drugs more slowly. A normal adult dose may cause levels of the drug to be higher than normal. If youre a senior, you may need a lower dose or a different schedule.
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