Prednisone Uses

Prednisone is a drug that is mainly a type of corticosteroid hormone. Corticosteroids or steroids are particularly produced in the adrenal cortex of the body and are generally involved in body's response towards stress, metabolism of carbohydrates and proteins, modification of immune response to diverse the stimuli, behavior, reduction of swelling and blood electrolyte levels. There are mainly two types of the corticosteroids, namely - glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids. Prednisone which is the synthetic form of the corticosteroids is a glucocorticoid and hence has its effects, virtually on the whole immune system and the regulation of the entire body functioning. Uses of prednisone for poison ivy rash and several other allergies are vastly popular.

Prednisone Uses

Prednisone is a glucocorticoid and is actually in the less active form. When certain dosages are taken internally, it gets converted into the prednisone (active steroid) by the liver. Prednisone is a prescribed medicine that is available in the form of both tablets and solutions. Prednisone is taken orally while methylprednisolone is taken intramuscularly or intravenously - (Read Prednisone Dosage). Both methylprednisolone and prednisone are used to treat various autoimmune diseases in both humans and animals. Following are the common uses of prednisone:

Rheumatic Disorders

• Psoriatic arthritis
• Bursitis (acute and subacute)
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Acute tenosynovitis
• Acute gouty arthritis
• Osteoarthritis

Endocrine Disorders

• Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
• Adrenocortical insufficiency (primary or secondary)
• Hypercalcemia associated with cancer
• Nonsuppurative thyroiditis

Dermatologic Diseases

• Stevens-Johnson syndrome
• Mycosis fungoides
• Bullous dermatitis herpetiformis
• Exfoliative dermatitis
• Pemphigus
• Seborrheic dermatitis
• Psoriasis (severe)

Allergies

• Bronchial asthma
• Serum sickness
• Seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis
• Contact dermatitis
• Drug hypersensitivity reactions
• Atopic dermatitis

Respiratory Disorders

• Loeffler's syndrome
• Pulmonary tuberculosis
• Symptomatic sarcoidosis
• Aspiration pneumonitis

Ophthalmic Disease

• Keratitis
• Allergic pink eye (conjunctivitis)
• Herpes zoster ophthalmicus
• Allergic marginal corneal ulcers
• Chorioretinitis
• Optic neuritis
• Diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis
• Sympathetic ophthalmia
• Anterior segment syndrome

Hematologic Disorders

• Congenital (erythroid) hypoplastic anemia
• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (in adults)
• Erythroblastopenia (RBC anemia)
• Secondary thrombocytopenia
• Acquired (autoimmune) hemolytic anemia

Neoplastic Diseases

• Palliative management of Leukemia (adult)
• Palliative management of Lymphoma (adult)
• Palliative management of Acute leukemia (childhood)

Gastrointestinal Disorders

• Regional enteritis
• Ulcerative colitis

Collagen Diseases

• Acute rheumatic carditis
• Systemic lupus erythematosus

Prednisone Uses for Dogs

As stated earlier, prednisone is also used for treating several disorders and disease amongst the animals, especially the dogs, horses and cats. Situations like spinal cord trauma, canine autoimmune disease, anaphylactic reactions and shocks, inflammatory orthopedic diseases, neoplasia, hives, itching and also for treating the inflammatory bowel disease in dogs (canine IBD).

Prednisone Side Effects

Excessive prednisone dosage and a prolonged prednisone use can lead to several critical medical conditions and side effects of prednisone. Side effects of prednisone use mainly include, adrenal suppression, weight gain, euphoria, insomnia, osteoporosis, type II diabetes and glaucoma as well. This corticosteroid is used as a pure immune suppressant and it also affects proper functioning of the adrenal glands and can evoke drug dependency and depression.

Side effects of prednisone for dogs can be thinning of hair and skin, unpredictable changes in dog behavior, cataracts, food cravings at odd timings, frequent urination etc. Severe side effects of prednisone use may evoke critical medical conditions called hyperadrenocorticism or canine Cushing's disease.

Prednisone uses are many but they should be taken as a prescribed medicine by the health care provider and never as an over-the-counter drug. This way one can stay away from the prednisone side effects and make maximum of the prednisone uses to lead a healthy and trouble free life!