Prednisone

Prednisone
Clinical data
Trade namesDeltasone, Liquid Pred, Orasone, others
AHFS/Drugs.comMonograph
MedlinePlusa601102
License data
Pregnancy
category
  • AU: A
Routes of
administration		By mouth
Drug classGlucocorticoid
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability70%
Metabolismprednisolone (liver)
Elimination half-life3 to 4 hours in adults. 1 to 2 hours in children
ExcretionKidney
Identifiers
  • 17,21-dihydroxypregna-1,4-diene-3,11,20-trione
CAS Number
PubChem CID
IUPHAR/BPS
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
CompTox Dashboard (EPA)
ECHA InfoCard100.000.147 Edit this at Wikidata
Chemical and physical data
FormulaC21H26O5
Molar mass358.43 g·mol−1
3D model (JSmol)
  • O=C(CO)[C@@]3(O)CC[C@H]2[C@@H]4CC\C1=C\C(=O)\C=C/[C@]1(C)[C@H]4C(=O)C[C@@]23C
  • InChI=1S/C21H26O5/c1-19-7-5-13(23)9-12(19)3-4-14-15-6-8-21(26,17(25)11-22)20(15,2)10-16(24)18(14)19/h5,7,9,14-15,18,22,26H,3-4,6,8,10-11H2,1-2H3/t14-,15-,18+,19-,20-,21-/m0/s1 checkY
  • Key:XOFYZVNMUHMLCC-ZPOLXVRWSA-N checkY
 ☒NcheckY (what is this?)  (verify)

Prednisone (brand name Deltasone, PredniSONE) is a steroid or corticosteroid medicine. It is a synthetic (man made) drug that is converted in the body to prednisolone in the liver. It is made in the body from cortisone. The liver processes prednisone and turns it into prednisolone. It can be taken as a tablet, liquid, or injection (in a hospital).

Uses

Prednisone is used for:

Risks

Taking prednisone increases the risk of getting chickenpox, shingles, or measles because it weakens the immune system.

Some people have a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to the drug. If this happens, an ambulance is needed immediately.

Use in pregnancy or while breastfeeding is allowed in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. It has been known to slightly increase the risk of birth defects if use is started during early pregnancy (13 weeks). It is still used if the benefits outweigh the risks. It is important for a doctor to know about a pregnancy when talking about this medicine, so they can fully understand all of the risks and complications.

Side effects

More than 1 in 100 people have adverse side effects from the drug. It may cause weight gain, sweating more than usual, indigestion, sleep problems (like insomnia), or feeling restless. It can also cause mood swings, mental changes and/or behavior changes. A doctor should be asked about side effects if they are serious. Medical attention is needed immediately if a person taking prednisone is vomiting blood, or if their vomit is black or dark brown.

Serious adverse effects

Long-term side effects

Taking prednisolone for a long time can lead to side effects such as:

References

  1. ↑ "Product monograph brand safety updates". Health Canada. 7 July 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  2. ↑ Pickup ME (1979). "Clinical pharmacokinetics of prednisone and prednisolone". Clinical Pharmacokinetics. 4 (2): 111–128. doi:10.2165/00003088-197904020-00004. PMID 378499. S2CID 12218704.
  3. ↑ "Prednisone: Package Insert / Prescribing Information". Drugs.com. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  4. ↑ Puckett, Yana; Patel, Preeti; Bokhari, Abdullah A. (2026), "Prednisone", StatPearls, Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing, PMID 30521230, retrieved 2026-03-28
  5. 1 2 "Prednisone - MeSH - NCBI". www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2026-03-28.
  6. 1 2 "Prednisolone tablets and liquid: steroid medicine". nhs.uk. 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2024-05-22.
  7. ↑ Paizis, Kathy (2019-06-03). "Immunomodulatory drugs in pregnancy and lactation". Australian Prescriber. 42 (3): 97–101. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2019.026. PMC 6594853. PMID 31363308.[permanent dead link]
  8. ↑ "Prednisone and other corticosteroids: Balance the risks and benefits". Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 2024-05-23.