1. Corticosteroids Are a Powerful Class of Medications
Prednisone is a corticosteroid, a class of medications that work to reduce inflammation and affect how your immune system functions. It has been successfully used to reduce joint damage caused by rheumatoid arthritis, an inflammatory condition, especially if used in the early stages of the disease. Generally, you will use prednisone or other corticosteroids for a short time, such as when you experience a sudden flare-up of your rheumatoid arthritis.
2. Prednisone May Be Prescribed as a Complementary Drug
In order to keep the use of prednisone to a minimum, your doctor may prescribe other types of drugs to be used either as alternatives or in addition to prednisone. Among these are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents (NSAIDS) and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDS). NSAIDS are over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen and naproxen sulfate, which often are sold under the brand names Advil, Motrin and Aleve. These medications can be taken in stronger doses, but only with a doctor's prescription. All anti-inflammatory medications have dosage limits. If you exceed those limits, you may find yourself with a stomach ailment.
DMARDS directly target rheumatoid arthritis. These include methotrexate and the gold compound auranofin. DMARDS take a while to kick in, so they may be combined with prednisone, which offers more immediate relief.
3. Be Prepared for a Few Changes In Diet
Grapefruit and grapefruit juice might negatively impact one of the enzymes that break down medications in the intestines, so your doctor may suggest avoiding this fruit. Your physician may also ask you to limit your use of salt and increase your daily intake of potassium and calcium.
4. Corticosteroids Come with a Laundry List of Side Effects
The more powerful a medication, the more chance of side effects, and prednisone runs true to form. Some side effects may be mild, but if they persist, you need to tell your doctor. Among these are headache, dizziness, bulging eyes, changes in skin color or texture, difficulty healing, weakness, tiredness, irregular or absent menstruation, heartburn and sweating. Possible long-term side effects include stunted growth in children taking the medication and osteoporosis. Some side effects may be quite serious and should be reported to your physician right away. A few of these are vision problems, signs of infection, seizures, confusion or depression, twitching muscles, vomiting, hives or other rashes, unusual swelling and difficulty with breathing or swallowing.
5. The Precautionary Tale
Besides the long list of side effects associated with prednisone, you also have to dodge a slew of other possible complications, including decreased resistance to infection, conflicting medications, and complications resulting from pregnancy, surgeries or dental work and vaccines. The most important precaution, however, is that you cannot simply stop taking a corticosteroid. You absolutely must gradually taper your dosage when the time comes to discontinue its use.
