methylprednisolone at a glance
Medicine class
Systemic glucocorticoid corticosteroid
Main role
Controls inflammation and excessive immune activity; it can also replace deficient corticosteroid hormones.
Form covered
Prescription-only oral tablet
Important safety point
Do not stop methylprednisolone suddenly unless a clinician confirms this is safe.
What is methylprednisolone used for?
Licensed uses for the selected oral product include conditions requiring systemic glucocorticoid activity.
Adrenal insufficiency and congenital adrenal hyperplasia
Inflammatory rheumatic and autoimmune disorders
Severe allergic conditions and bronchial asthma
Inflammatory eye disease
Pulmonary sarcoidosis and, with appropriate antimicrobial treatment, selected forms of tuberculosis
Autoimmune blood disorders, leukaemia and lymphoma
Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
Pemphigus vulgaris
Immunosuppression associated with transplantation
How does methylprednisolone work?
Methylprednisolone enters cells and activates glucocorticoid receptors. This changes gene activity, reducing inflammatory signalling and immune responses; clinical effects may therefore take several hours to become apparent.
methylprednisolone preparations and strengths
Tablet
Route: Oral
Strengths: 2 mg, 4 mg, 16 mg, 100 mg
How to take methylprednisolone
Take methylprednisolone exactly as directed on the prescription label. Do not change or stop treatment without advice, and tell clinicians, dentists and pharmacists that you take a systemic steroid.
The selected product is an oral tablet.
Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice because they can increase methylprednisolone exposure.
Carry any steroid card issued to you and show it when receiving medical or dental care.
methylprednisolone side effects
Common or expected effects
- Increased susceptibility to infection
- Mood changes, including low or unusually elevated mood
- Fluid retention, raised blood pressure or reduced blood potassium
- Stomach ulceration
- Acne, thinning skin and slower wound healing
- Muscle weakness
- Cataract or Cushingoid appearance
Get urgent medical advice
- Severe infection, which may occur without typical warning signs
- Serious allergic reaction with swelling, wheeze or breathing difficulty
- Gastrointestinal bleeding, perforation or pancreatitis
- Blood clot symptoms such as sudden breathlessness, chest pain or a painful swollen leg
- Severe mood or behavioural change, psychosis or suicidal thoughts
- New blurred or distorted vision
- Severe weakness, faintness or vomiting associated with adrenal insufficiency
- Severe muscle pain or weakness with red-brown urine
methylprednisolone in pregnancy
Systemic corticosteroids, including methylprednisolone, can be used during pregnancy when recommended by a doctor. Treatment requires an individual benefit–risk review because uncontrolled inflammatory disease can also harm pregnancy; do not stop treatment independently, and arrange review if planning pregnancy or already pregnant.
methylprednisolone while breastfeeding
Methylprednisolone is considered a preferred systemic corticosteroid during breastfeeding because milk transfer is negligible to very small. Specialist advice and infant monitoring may be appropriate with prolonged high exposure, a premature or unwell infant, poor feeding or inadequate weight gain.
methylprednisolone interactions
Check prescribed, over-the-counter and herbal products with a pharmacist or prescriber. Important interactions include:
Ritonavir, cobicistat and other strong CYP3A inhibitors
May increase methylprednisolone exposure and systemic corticosteroid adverse effects.
Clarithromycin, erythromycin, itraconazole or ketoconazole
May slow methylprednisolone metabolism and increase toxicity risk.
Rifampicin, rifabutin, carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital or primidone
May increase methylprednisolone clearance and reduce its clinical effect.
Common questions about methylprednisolone
Answers are fully visible for fast scanning and source review.
Why should methylprednisolone not be stopped suddenly?
Systemic corticosteroids can suppress natural cortisol production. Abrupt withdrawal may cause adrenal insufficiency or allow the treated condition to flare, so a prescriber should decide how treatment ends.
What should I do if I miss methylprednisolone?
Do not double the next dose. Check the pack instructions or ask a pharmacist or prescriber for advice.
Sources
These sources were used to prepare and review this medicine page.
Prepared and reviewed by the iatroX editorial team.