Prednisolone
Pronunciation: pred-NISS-oh-lone.
- Generic name
- prednisolone
- Brand names
- Deltacortril (United Kingdom), Deltastab (United Kingdom), Dilacort (United Kingdom), Pevanti (United Kingdom), SOLONE (Australia)
- Drug class
- Glucocorticoid (systemic corticosteroid)
- Form
- Tablet, soluble/dispersible tablet, or oral liquid solution depending on the exact country-specific product. Eye drops, ear drops, injectable, and gastro-resistant prednisolone products are separate products not covered by this page.
- Route
- Oral
- Legal status
- Prescription-only medicine in the country contexts verified for this page (United States, United Kingdom, Australia); legal status in any other country is not verified here.
Supply Rules Vary
Trade names by country: United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Australia
Australia: SOLONE (5) · Full directory
What prednisolone is and how it works
Prednisolone is a synthetic glucocorticoid (steroid) medicine that reduces inflammation and suppresses an overactive immune system. It is also used to replace natural corticosteroid hormones when the body does not produce enough of its own. (3) (4)
Prednisolone is prescribed across a very wide range of conditions, and the exact indication, dose, formulation, and length of treatment are individualised by the prescriber for each diagnosis. This page cannot state one dose or one treatment plan that applies to every patient.
Mechanism of action: how prednisolone works
Prednisolone is a synthetic glucocorticoid that binds intracellular glucocorticoid receptors, altering gene transcription to produce anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects, and at higher or prolonged exposure produces predictable metabolic, musculoskeletal, and endocrine effects including HPA-axis suppression. (4) (1)
What prednisolone is used for
Severe allergic and inflammatory conditions
Prednisolone may be used for severe allergic reactions and inflammatory conditions affecting the skin, eyes, lungs, or other organs when a doctor decides the benefit outweighs the risk of steroid treatment. (3) (4)
Autoimmune and rheumatic disease
It is used for rheumatic and connective-tissue diseases and other autoimmune conditions where reducing immune-driven inflammation is required, at a dose and duration set by the treating specialist. (4)
Asthma and other respiratory flares
Short courses are commonly used to control flares of asthma and other respiratory conditions. This page does not replace an individual asthma action plan. (3) (4)
Blood, bone-marrow, and certain cancer-related conditions
Prednisolone is used for some blood and bone-marrow disorders and as part of treatment for certain cancers, as decided by the treating specialist. (3) (4)
Endocrine replacement and transplant-related immunosuppression
It can replace corticosteroid hormones that the body does not produce in sufficient amounts, and it is used as part of immunosuppressive treatment to help prevent organ-transplant rejection. (4) (3)
Before taking prednisolone
Do not take / not appropriate for
- Do not take prednisolone if you have an untreated systemic fungal infection, unless the prescriber decides otherwise for a specific clinical reason. (all oral prednisolone products) (4)
- Do not take prednisolone if you have had a hypersensitivity reaction to prednisolone or an ingredient of the specific product. (all oral prednisolone products) (1) (2)
Tell your clinician about
- Any current or recent infection, including chickenpox, shingles, measles, tuberculosis, or an infection that is not fully treated.
- Diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis or bone-thinning risk, glaucoma or other eye disease, epilepsy or seizures, myasthenia gravis, stomach ulcers, or liver or kidney disease.
- Any history of mental illness, mood problems, or severe emotional reactions to steroid medicines.
- Pregnancy, plans for pregnancy, or breastfeeding.
- Any upcoming vaccination, especially a live vaccine, and every other medicine, herbal product, or supplement you take.
- Whether you have ever needed to carry a steroid treatment card and, if so, what it says.
How to take prednisolone
- Take prednisolone exactly as your prescriber has instructed for your specific condition, dose, and course length.
- It is usually taken once a day in the morning with food, which can help reduce stomach upset and avoid disturbing sleep.
- Swallow gastro-resistant or enteric-coated tablets whole; do not chew or crush them, and avoid taking indigestion remedies within about 2 hours of the dose.
- Do not stop taking prednisolone suddenly, and do not change your dose or how often you take it, without talking to your prescriber first.
- If you have been taking prednisolone for more than about 3 weeks, or at a high dose, carry your steroid treatment card and show it to any healthcare professional who treats you.
Procedures and treatment changes
Tell the treating team before surgery, procedures, or any medicine change. Do not alter treatment without the responsible clinician. (3) (4) (1) (2) (5)
Missed dose
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember that day. If you do not remember until the next day, skip the missed dose and continue with your normal schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one; contact your prescriber or pharmacist if you are unsure.
Overdose
If you or someone else may have taken more than the prescribed dose, contact your prescriber, pharmacist, or a poison-control/emergency service urgently for advice, especially if collapse, severe drowsiness, or a seizure occurs. In the United States call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 or emergency services; in other countries use the equivalent local urgent-advice or emergency number. (4) (3)
Side effects
The higher the dose and the longer prednisolone is taken, the greater the chance of side effects. Short, low-dose courses are less likely to cause problems than prolonged or high-dose treatment.
Sleep problems and restlessness
What to notice: Difficulty falling or staying asleep, particularly if the dose is taken later in the day.
What to do: Taking the dose in the morning with food can help; discuss persistent problems with your prescriber. (3)
Weight gain and increased appetite
What to notice: Increased hunger and fluid retention.
What to do: Mention marked or rapid weight gain to your prescriber; do not start your own diet or fluid-restriction plan without advice. (3)
Indigestion
What to notice: Stomach discomfort, which taking the dose with food can reduce.
What to do: Tell your prescriber if indigestion is severe or persistent. (3)
Mood changes
What to notice: Feeling more irritable, anxious, or emotionally 'up and down' than usual.
What to do: Tell your prescriber about any mood change, especially if it is severe or distressing. (3)
Signs of infection
What to notice: High temperature, sore throat, or a wound that will not heal, especially because prednisolone can mask normal infection symptoms.
What to do: Contact your prescriber promptly; do not assume you are infection-free just because you feel well. (3) (4)
High blood sugar
What to notice: Excessive thirst, needing to urinate more often, or unusually fruity-smelling breath.
What to do: Contact your prescriber; blood-glucose monitoring may be needed, especially if you have diabetes. (3)
Cushingoid and metabolic changes
What to notice: Rounder face, fat redistribution to the upper back or abdomen, thinning skin, or easy bruising.
What to do: Discuss these changes with your prescriber, particularly if treatment is long-term. (3)
Low potassium
What to notice: Muscle pain, weakness, or an irregular heartbeat.
What to do: Seek prompt medical review; this can occasionally need blood testing and treatment adjustment. (3)
Pancreas or stomach problems
What to notice: Severe abdominal or back pain, or passing black or bloody stools.
What to do: Seek prompt medical attention. (3)
Serious warnings
Adrenal insufficiency or adrenal crisis after stopping suddenly, or during illness, injury, or surgery — emergency
Symptoms: Severe tiredness, weakness, dizziness, fainting, low blood pressure, severe nausea or vomiting, or collapse.
Action: Do not stop prednisolone suddenly. Follow your prescriber's tapering plan, and seek urgent medical care and show your steroid card if you become unwell, are unable to take your dose, or face surgery, a serious infection, or another major physical stress. (3) (4) (1)
Serious or masked infection — urgent
Symptoms: New fever, sore throat, spreading redness, or a wound that is not healing; exposure to chickenpox, shingles, or measles if you have not had these illnesses or are not immune.
Action: Contact your prescriber promptly. Prednisolone can suppress the usual warning signs of infection and can make some infections, including chickenpox and measles, more serious. (3) (4)
Serious allergic reaction — emergency
Symptoms: Swelling of the face, lips, mouth, or throat, severe difficulty breathing, confusion, or fainting.
Action: Call emergency services (999 in the UK, 911 in the US, or the local equivalent) immediately. (3)
Gastrointestinal bleeding or pancreatitis — urgent
Symptoms: Vomiting blood or dark ('coffee-ground') material, black or bloody stools, or severe abdominal or back pain.
Action: Seek emergency care immediately. (3)
Serious mental-health changes — urgent
Symptoms: Severe depression, confusion, or thoughts of suicide or self-harm.
Action: Seek urgent medical help or contact emergency services if there is any risk of self-harm; do not manage this alone. (3)
Interactions
| Medicine or test | Effect | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or aspirin | Combined use can increase the risk of stomach or intestinal ulcers and bleeding. | Tell your prescriber and pharmacist about any NSAID use, including over-the-counter products, before combining with prednisolone. (3) |
| Live vaccines | Immunosuppressive doses of prednisolone can reduce vaccine effectiveness or increase infection risk from a live vaccine. | Tell any vaccinating clinician that you take prednisolone before any vaccination is given. (3) (1) |
| Diabetes medicines, including insulin | Prednisolone can raise blood glucose and change how well diabetes medicines control blood sugar. | Blood-glucose monitoring and dose adjustment may be needed; do not change your diabetes medicine dose yourself. (3) |
| Warfarin and other anticoagulants | Prednisolone can alter anticoagulant effect, changing bleeding or clotting risk. | Closer monitoring may be needed if you take an anticoagulant. (1) |
| Diuretics ('water tablets') | Combined use can lower blood potassium levels. | Your prescriber may check your blood potassium if you take both medicines. (3) |
| Strong CYP3A4 inhibitors or inducers (for example, some antifungal or anti-seizure medicines) | These can change how quickly the body clears corticosteroids, altering the effect of prednisolone. | Tell your prescriber and pharmacist about all other medicines before starting or stopping any of them. (1) |
Pregnancy, breastfeeding, kidney/liver function, age
Children and adolescents
Prednisolone can slow a child's growth, especially with prolonged use, and requires paediatric-specialist dosing and growth monitoring. Adult information on this page must not be applied to a child. (4) (3)
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Discuss the balance of benefits and risks with your prescriber before starting, stopping, or continuing prednisolone in pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Do not stop treatment for a condition that needs ongoing control without medical advice, because uncontrolled disease can also carry risk. (1) (3)
Older adults
Older adults may have a higher risk of osteoporosis, skin thinning, and other steroid-related effects and may need bone-health and blood-pressure monitoring. (1)
People with diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, glaucoma, epilepsy, myasthenia gravis, or a history of tuberculosis or stomach ulcers
These conditions may need closer monitoring or dose adjustment during prednisolone treatment. Tell your prescriber about all of them before starting. (3) (4)
Monitoring
Before starting
- Confirm the exact diagnosis, product, dose, and expected course length.
- Screen for active or latent infection (including tuberculosis), diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis risk, glaucoma, peptic ulcer disease, and psychiatric history.
- Review vaccination history and any planned live vaccines.
- Establish a plan for tapering if the course will exceed about 3 weeks or use a high dose.
During treatment
- Watch for infection, mood or behavioural change, blood-glucose change, blood-pressure change, and bone-health or eye symptoms depending on treatment length and dose.
- In children, monitor growth.
- Reassess the ongoing need for treatment and whether the dose can be reduced, following the prescriber's tapering plan rather than a fixed public schedule.
- Ensure the steroid card stays current if treatment continues beyond about 3 weeks or at a high dose.
Storage
Keep prednisolone in its original container, tightly closed, at room temperature, away from excess heat and moisture, and out of the sight and reach of children.
Professional information
Clinician-facing context only. Use the current local indication, dosing table, formulation-specific instructions, and tapering/monitoring guideline for the exact diagnosis.
All regions
Indication: Any prednisolone use
Dose summary: No universal dose is displayed. Adult initial dosage has been described in a US label as ranging from about 5 mg to 60 mg per day depending on the disease entity being treated, with the specific dose, frequency, and course length individualised by indication severity and response.
Renal context: Renal or hepatic impairment, frailty, comorbidity, infection risk, and concomitant therapy require individual specialist assessment; do not infer a web-based adjustment. (4)
Hepatic guidance
Use local product information and specialist judgement; this page does not provide impairment-specific dosing.
Overdose note
Acute overdose is rarely immediately life-threatening but merits assessment; the more clinically significant risk is HPA-axis suppression from prolonged or repeated supratherapeutic dosing, which needs gradual, monitored withdrawal. (4) (1)
Frequently asked questions
Can I stop taking prednisolone as soon as I feel better?
No. Stopping suddenly, especially after more than about 3 weeks of treatment or at a high dose, can cause serious withdrawal effects because your body's own steroid production may be suppressed. Always follow your prescriber's tapering plan. (3)
Why do I need a steroid treatment card?
A steroid card alerts any healthcare professional that you are taking a corticosteroid, which matters during infections, injuries, surgery, or emergencies, because your dose may need to be adjusted or you may need urgent extra steroid cover. (3)
Is it safe to take prednisolone during pregnancy?
This depends on your individual condition and dose. Discuss the balance of benefits and risks with your prescriber rather than stopping or starting treatment on your own. (1)
What is the mechanism of action of prednisolone?
Prednisolone is a synthetic glucocorticoid that binds intracellular glucocorticoid receptors, altering gene transcription to produce anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects, and at higher or prolonged exposure produces predictable metabolic, musculoskeletal, and endocrine effects including HPA-axis suppression. (4) (1)
References
- Prednisolone 5 mg soluble tablets - Summary of Product Characteristicselectronic Medicines Compendium (UK) · United Kingdom · dated 2026-06-01 · accessed 2026-07-23 · source 1
- Prednisolone 5 mg tablets - Summary of Product Characteristicselectronic Medicines Compendium (UK) · United Kingdom · dated 2021-05-25 · accessed 2026-07-23 · source 2
- Prednisolone tablets and liquid: a steroid medicineNHS (National Health Service, UK) · United Kingdom · accessed 2026-07-23 · source 3
- PREDNISOLONE tablet, 5 mg - prescribing information (Hisun Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc.)DailyMed, U.S. National Library of Medicine · United States · accessed 2026-07-23 · source 4
- SOLONE prednisolone 25 mg tablet bottle - ARTG 13468Therapeutic Goods Administration (Australia) · Australia · dated 1991-08-30 · accessed 2026-07-23 · source 5
- Australian Product Information - SOLONE (prednisolone) tabletMedicines Australia PI/CMI repository (apps.medicines.org.au), sourced from the sponsor-submitted Australian Product Information · Australia · accessed 2026-07-23 · source 6
Brand names by country
Single-ingredient prednisolone names are shown separately by country. Product availability, strengths, and supply rules can change; combination products are not included here.
Priority countries
United States
- Orapred ODT30 mg, 15 mg, 10 mg · advanz pharma (us) corp.
- PRED MILD1.2 mg/mL · allergan, inc.
- PRED FORTE10 mg/mL · allergan, inc.
United Kingdom
- Deltacortril (3)current nhs listed brand · product-dependent · See current UK product information
- Deltastab (3)current nhs listed brand · product-dependent · See current UK product information
- Dilacort (3)current nhs listed brand · product-dependent · See current UK product information
- Pevanti (3)current nhs listed brand · product-dependent · See current UK product information
Canada
- DIOPRED
- MINIMS PREDNISOLONE SODIUM PHOSPHATE
- PRED MILD
- PRED
- PEDIAPRED
- PMS-PREDNISOLONE SOD PHOS OPH SOL
Australia
- SOLONE (5)current active artg entry · 25 mg · iNova Pharmaceuticals (Australia) Pty Ltd