Prednisone Dosage

Prednisone, which is a type of corticosteroid, is used for treating inflammatory kinds of arthritis, like rheumatoid arthritis, because of its ability to reduce inflammation comparatively fast. Recent research, in fact, has proven that apart from its ability to reduce fatigue, pain and swelling in the joints, it also slows down damage in the affected joints.

In fact, in the past, cortecosteroids, usually just referred to a ‘steroids,’ were considered to be miracle drugs. This was because when a group of patients suffering from arthritis were given corticosteroid injections daily, in a study conducted in 1948, the improvement in their condition was so spectacular that people thought that an arthritis cure had been found. However, as cortecosteroid usage became widespread over the years, and its side effects began emerging, it became clear that high doses of cortecosteroids taken over prolonged periods of time had many disadvantages. As a result, physicians began prescribing the drug more conservatively, and many people with arthritis were so scared that they often refused to be treated with it.

Corticosteroids and Cortisol
Corticosteroids are actually drugs that are related to cortisol, which is a hormone that occurs naturally in the body, secreted by the adrenal cortex. Cortisol helps to control the balance of salt and water in the body, and regulates the metabolism of protein, fat, and carbohydrate.

Cortisol is also produced by the body to deal with stress. When a stressful condition occurs, the pituitary gland, which is located at the brain’s base, releases adrenocorticotropic hormone, or ACTH, which in turn stimulates the adrenal glands to secrete cortisol. This extra dose of cortisol helps the body to cope with stressful conditions like emotional problems, the daily stresses of life, surgery, trauma, or infection. When there is an end to the stressful condition, the secretion of the hormone gets back to normal.

The adrenal glands normally secrete about 20 milligrams of cortisol in a day, usually during the morning hours, but they can secrete five times more if required.

How Do Cortecosteroids Work
Cortecosteroids affect the immune system by interfering with the production of prostaglandins, which are substances that induce inflammation and allergy. However, cortecosteroids also hamper the functioning of white blood cells, which are an important part of the body’s defense system of fighting infection, and thus helping in keeping the immune system functioning properly. Since corticosteroids adversely affect the functioning of white blood cells, patients on this drug are highly susceptible to infection.

Prednisone Dosage
Prednisone, the brand names of which include, Deltasone, Cortan, Meticorten, Liquid Pred, Panasol-S, Orasone, Sterapred, and Prednicen-M, is the corticosteroid that is most commonly prescribed for treating arthritis. Prednisone is 4-5 times more potent than cortisol. Hence, 5 milligrams of prednisone is equivalent to how much cortisol the body produces in a day.

Generally, physicians have a tendency of using corticosteroids like prednisone as early as possible in the onset of arthritis, especially rheumatoid arthritis, so that the inflammation can be controlled quickly, until other drugs to treat the disease can take effect.

While it is not clear if prednisone given in 3 milligram dosages, or less, have clinically significant toxic effects, it is known that if the drug is given in dosages of 5 milligrams per day it can increase the risk of: cataracts, osteoporosis, and affects the body’s lipids. Higher doses can lead to decrease in wounds healing, increasing the chances of infection, and masking the effects of infection.

While there are many rheumatoid arthritis patients who do remain on the drug for a long term, in these cases, the patient and his/her doctor must weigh the beneficial effects of the drug along with its side effects, and compare the alternative treatment options, in order to make the best choices of treatment.