What Is Prelone?

Prelone (prednisolone) is a prescription drug used to treat many health conditions like signs of allergic reactions, adrenal gland issues, asthma, blood problems, and more. Prelone works by repressing the immune system and decreasing inflammation (swelling).

Prelone is commonly called a steroid and is part of the drug class known as corticosteroids. It is available as an oral solution.

What Is Prelone Used For?

Prelone (prednisolone) is used to treat various health conditions, including but not limited to the following:

Drug Facts

Generic Name: Prednisolone

  • Asthma
  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • New-onset itching/hives
  • Angioedema
  • Adrenal insufficiency
  • Immune thrombocytopenia
  • Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
  • Crohn’s disease
  • Croup
  • Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD)
  • Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA)
  • Kawasaki disease (KD)
  • Nephrotic syndrome; steroid-sensitive (SSNS)
  • Ulcerative colitis

Note: This is not all that prednisolone is used to treat. Ask your healthcare provider for a more extensive list.

How to Take Prelone

The dosing of this medicine varies from person to person. The goal of treatment is to use the lowest effective dose for the shortest time possible.

Steps to take include:

  • Carefully measure the liquid dose using the measuring device provided with your medication.
  • Ask your pharmacist for one if you do not have a measuring cup.
  • Take as directed by your healthcare provider after meals or with food or milk to lower your chance of having a stomach upset.
  • If you take this medicine once daily, it is best to take it earlier or in the morning to avoid insomnia.
  • Antacids may lower how well this drug works. Hence separate antacids and Prelone doses by two hours or more, if possible.
  • Do not abruptly stop taking your medicine. Your healthcare provider may have to taper you off it as required gradually.

Storage

Keep your medications tightly closed and out of the reach of children and pets, ideally locked in a cabinet or closet.

The storage of the oral solution varies with manufacturers. Some brands require storing it at room temperature, while others require refrigeration. Check with your pharmacist about how best to store your medicine.

Avoid pouring unused and expired drugs down the drain or in the toilet. Ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider about the best ways to dispose of this medicine. Visit the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) website to know where and how to discard all unused and expired drugs. You can also find disposal boxes in your area. Ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider if you have any questions about the best ways to dispose of your medications.

If you travel with Prelone, get familiar with your final destination’s regulations. In general, be sure to make a copy of your Prelone prescription. Keep your medication in its original container from your pharmacy with your name on the label. Ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider if you have any questions about traveling with your medicine.

Off-Label Uses

Healthcare providers may prescribe medicines for conditions not approved by the FDA. This is called “off-label” use. Healthcare providers may prescribe Prelone off-label to treat:

  • Bell’s palsy
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • Duchenne muscular dystrophy (an inherited disorder with muscular weakness, usually seen in children designated male at birth)
  • Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (scar tissue in a part of the kidney)
  • Giant cell arteritis (inflammation of the artery lining)
  • Graft-versus-host disease
  • Hepatitis
  • Hives
  • Minimal change disease (a kidney disorder)
  • Multiple myeloma
  • Myasthenia gravis
  • Pericarditis
  • Pneumocystis pneumonia
  • Prostate cancer
  • Takayasu arteritis
  • Thyroiditis
  • Tuberculosis

What Are the Side Effects of Prelone?

This is not a complete list of side effects, and others may occur. A healthcare provider can advise you on side effects. If you experience other effects, contact your pharmacist or healthcare provider. You may report side effects to the FDA at fda.gov/medwatch or 800-FDA-1088.

How Long Does Prelone Take to Work?

Your body quickly and well absorbs Prelone. It takes about one to three hours to peak in your body.

Common Side Effects

Prelone may or may not cause side effects in some people. Contact your healthcare provider immediately if your side effects do not go away or become irritating. The following are common side effects of Prelone:

  • Weight gain
  • Nausea
  • Increased hunger
  • Agitation
  • Trouble sleeping
  • Dizziness
  • Headache
  • Acne

Severe Side Effects

Example text: Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you develop signs of a severe reaction. Call 911 if your symptoms feel life-threatening.

Contact your healthcare provider right away if you have any serious adverse effects. If you have a medical emergency or if your symptoms are life-threatening, dial 911. Severe side effects of Prelone include:

  • Dizziness
  • Passing out
  • Infection
  • Tremors
  • Fast heartbeat
  • Severe loss of strength and energy
  • Irritability
  • Swelling of arms or legs
  • Chest pain
  • Bruising
  • Bleeding
  • Confusion
  • Sweating a lot
  • Depression
  • Seizures
  • Menstrual changes
  • Signs of Cushing syndrome, like a moon-shaped face
  • Signs of low potassium, like muscle cramps
  • Signs of high blood sugar, like breath that smells like fruit
  • Signs of adrenal gland problems, like severe fatigue
  • Signs of pancreatitis, like severe abdominal pain
  • Skin changes like stretch marks, slow healing, or hair growth
  • Joint pain
  • Bone pain
  • Severe headache
  • Shortness of breath
  • Too much weight gain
  • Vision changes
  • Behavioral changes
  • Burning or numb feeling
  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Black, tarry, or bloody stools
  • Vomiting blood

Long-Term Side Effects

Long-term use of Prelone may lead to:

  • Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) (increased pressure inside the eye)
  • Osteoporosis
  • Growth suppression
  • Hyperlipidemia (high blood levels of lipids like cholesterol)
  • Aseptic joint necrosis (decreased blood flow to bone tissue that causes bone death)
  • Adrenal insufficiency (adrenal glands don’t make enough hormones)
  • Stomach issues
  • Live problems
  • Congenital malformations (issues that occur in the fetus in the womb)

Dosage: How Much Prelone Should I Take?

Modifications

The following modifications (changes) should be kept in mind when using Prelone:

Report Side Effects

Prelone may cause other side effects. Call your healthcare provider if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your healthcare provider may send a report to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting Program or by phone (800-332-1088).

The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor’s orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.

The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

  • For oral dosage form (solution, suspension, syrup, tablets):

  • Dose depends on medical condition:

  • Adults—At first, 5 to 60 milligrams (mg) per day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.

  • Children—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 0.14 to 2 mg per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day, divided and taken 3 or 4 times a day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.

  • Dose depends on medical condition:

  • Adults—At first, 5 to 60 milligrams (mg) per day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.

  • Children—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 0.14 to 2 mg per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day, divided and taken 3 or 4 times a day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.

  • Adults—At first, 5 to 60 milligrams (mg) per day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.

  • Children—Dose is based on body weight and must be determined by your doctor. The dose is usually 0.14 to 2 mg per kilogram (kg) of body weight per day, divided and taken 3 or 4 times a day. Your doctor may adjust your dose as needed.

Severe allergic reaction: Avoid using Prelone if you have a known allergy to it or its ingredients. Ask your pharmacist or healthcare provider for a complete list of the ingredients if you’re unsure.

Pregnancy: Prednisolone is teratogenic (negatively affects the fetus) in many species. Discuss with your healthcare provider if you plan to become pregnant or are pregnant, and weigh the benefits and risks of taking Prelone during your pregnancy.

Breastfeeding: When taken in regular doses, corticosteroids like Prelone may be safe while breastfeeding. However, Prelone does show up in breast milk and may negatively impact a child’s growth. This effect needs to be weighed against the benefit of using Prelone. Also, pay close attention to your breastfed baby for side effects. If you’re concerned about how this drug may affect your breastfed baby, wait at least four hours after taking prednisolone to breastfeed. This may reduce the amount of exposure to your baby. Do discuss any concerns with your healthcare provider and your child’s pediatrician.

Children: Studies suggest Prelone was safe and effective in infants, children, and adolescents for treating nephrotic syndrome (over 2 years old), aggressive lymphomas, and leukemias (over 1-month-old). Note that corticosteroids like Prelone can negatively impact a child’s growth. This effect needs to be weighed against the benefit of using Prelone.

Flu vaccines: Systemic corticosteroids may lower the effect of influenza virus (flu) vaccines. Get your flu shot at least two weeks before starting systemic corticosteroids. If you get vaccinated less than 14 days before starting your medicine, you must repeat the shot at least three months after taking prednisolone.

Live vaccines: Prednisolone may worsen the side effects of live vaccines and reduce how well the vaccine works. Avoid live immunizations while on this drug and for the first month afterward. If possible, get your live vaccines before starting therapy.

Missed Dose

If you accidentally forgot your Prelone dose, take it with food as soon as you remember. If it’s already close to your next scheduled dose, skip the missed dose and take the following dose at your next scheduled dosing time. Don’t try to double up to make up for the missed dose.

Try to find ways that work for you to help yourself remember to keep your appointments and take your medication routinely. If you miss too many doses, Prelone might be less effective at treating your condition.

Overdose: What Happens If I Take Too Much Prelone?

Call your healthcare provider or the Poison Control Center immediately if you think you or someone else may have swallowed or overdosed on Prelone. 

If someone collapses or isn’t breathing after taking prednisolone, call 911 immediately.

Precautions

What Are Reasons I Shouldn’t Take Prelone?

Do not take Prelone if you:

What Happens If I Overdose on Prelone?

If you think you or someone else may have overdosed on Prelone, call a healthcare provider or the Poison Control Center (800-222-1222).

If you will be taking this medicine for a long time, it is very important that your doctor check you at regular visits for any unwanted effects that may be caused by this medicine. Blood or urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant. If you think you have become pregnant while using this medicine, tell your doctor right away.

Using too much of this medicine or using it for a long time may increase your risk of having adrenal gland problems. Talk to your doctor right away if you have more than one of these symptoms while you are using this medicine: blurred vision; dizziness or fainting; a fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat; increased thirst or urination; irritability; or unusual tiredness or weakness.

This medicine may cause you to get more infections than usual. Avoid people who are sick or have infections and wash your hands often. If you are exposed to chickenpox or measles, tell your doctor right away. If you start to have a fever, chills, sore throat, or any other sign of an infection, call your doctor right away.

This medicine may cause changes in mood or behavior for some patients. Tell your doctor right away if you have depression; mood swings; a false or unusual sense of well-being; trouble with sleeping; or personality changes while taking this medicine.

This medicine might cause thinning of the bones (osteoporosis) or slow growth in children if used for a long time. Tell your doctor if you have any bone pain or if you have an increased risk for osteoporosis. If your child is using this medicine, tell the doctor if you think your child is not growing properly.

If you are using this medicine for a long time, tell your doctor about any extra stress or anxiety in your life, including other health concerns and emotional stress. Your dose of this medicine might need to be changed for a short time while you have extra stress.

Check with your doctor right away if blurred vision, difficulty in reading, or any other change in vision occurs during or after treatment. Your doctor may want you to have your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor).

While you are being treated with prednisolone, do not have any immunizations (vaccines) without your doctor’s approval. Prednisolone may lower your body’s resistance and the vaccine may not work as well or you might get the infection the vaccine is meant to prevent. In addition, you should not be around other persons living in your household who receive live virus vaccines because there is a chance they could pass the virus on to you. Some examples of live vaccines include measles, mumps, influenza (nasal flu vaccine), poliovirus (oral form), rotavirus, and rubella. Do not get close to them and do not stay in the same room with them for very long. If you have questions about this, talk to your doctor.

Make sure any doctor or dentist who treats you knows that you are using this medicine. This medicine may affect the results of certain skin tests.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

  • Are hypersensitive to prednisolone or any part of its formulationAre getting a live or live attenuated vaccineHave a systemic fungal infection

What Other Medications Interact With Prelone?

Certain medications may affect how well this medicine works. Sometimes, prednisolone may worsen the side effects or reduce how well some drugs work together. Avoid taking these medicines with prednisolone:

  • Avandia (rosiglitazone)
  • Proleukin (aldesleukin)
  • Mavenclad (cladribine)
  • DDAVP (desmopressin)
  • Macrilen (macimorelin)
  • Mifeprex (mifepristone)
  • Elidel (pimecrolimus)
  • Opzelura (ruxolitinib)
  • Protopic (tacrolimus)
  • BCG Products
  • Live or live attenuated vaccines

This list lists drugs also prescribed to treat many health conditions like asthma. It is NOT a list of medicines recommended to take with Prelone. Do not take these drugs together unless your healthcare provider tells you to. If you have any problems, talk to your healthcare provider.

And be sure to talk with your healthcare provider about any other medicines you take or plan to take, including over-the-counter (OTC), nonprescription products, vitamins, herbs, or plant-based medicines.

What Medications Are Similar?

Other corticosteroids similar to prednisolone include:

  • Uceris (budesonide)
  • Cortrosyn (cosyntropin)
  • Emflaza (deflazacort)
  • Decadron (dexamethasone)
  • Cortef (hydrocortisone)
  • Medrol (methylprednisolone)
  • Rayos (prednisone)
  • Triamcinolone (Systemic)

How Can I Stay Healthy While Taking Prelone?

Although Prelone is very effective in helping with your health problem, like asthma, it may lower your immune system. This means that your body may easily get infections and find it hard to fight infections. Hence, immediately let your healthcare provider know if you have any signs of infection, including a cough or wounds that will not heal. In addition, consider discussing dietary changes that support your heart and immune health with your healthcare provider or registered dietitian nutritionist (RD or RDN).

Frequently Asked Questions

  • What is Prelone used to treat?
  • Prednisolone treats various health conditions like adrenal gland issues, asthma, blood problems, etc.
  • What are common side effects of Prelone?
  • Some common side effects include:NauseaAgitationTrouble sleepingWeight gainIncreased hunger
  • What should I do if I miss a dose of Prelone?
  • Take the missed dose once you think of it. Skip the missed dose if it is too close to the next dose. Return to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take extra doses or double the amount.

Prednisolone treats various health conditions like adrenal gland issues, asthma, blood problems, etc.

Some common side effects include:

Take the missed dose once you think of it. Skip the missed dose if it is too close to the next dose. Return to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take extra doses or double the amount.

Medical Disclaimer

Verywell Health’s drug information is meant for educational purposes only and is not intended as a replacement for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment from a healthcare provider. Consult your healthcare provider before taking any new medication(s). IBM Watson Micromedex provides some of the drug content, as indicated on the page.