prednisone v prednisolone

[sing_a_long]

Hey,

I'm having a flair up, and my neuro is overseas.

Neuro usually prescribes me a dose of prednisone but my GP has prescribed me exactly the same dose for prednisolone.

Just wondering whether these 2 drugs are the same, and whether its okay to take the same dosage?

Has anyone ever been prescribed prednisolone for MS?

Thanks

[Kimba22]

Hi sing_a_long,

Sorry to hear you are having a flare. I've never been prescribed prednisolone, but here is some information for you:

Although prednisone is among the most commonly used corticosteroids in MS, it is only one of several different possibilities. Other commonly used corticosteroids include dexamethasone, betamethasone and prednisolone. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Tre...ions/Deltasone

Prednisone is inactive in the body and, in order to be effective, first must be converted to prednisolone by enzymes in the liver. Therefore, prednisone may not work as effectively in people with liver disease whose ability to convert prednisone to prednisolone is impaired.
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/ma...articlekey=809

The difference between prednisone and prednisolone is that one is the precursor to the other. Prednisone is activated by enzymes in the liver to turn into prednisolone. They do have similar uses but prednisolone is more readily absorbed by the body. Prednisolone is usually used when there is liver toxicity or liver failure involved.

Although they have many similarities, there are some differences between these two substances. For one, they do have a different chemical structure and molecular weight. Also, prednisone is administered only orally, whereas prednisolone can be given orally or topically or even injected if necessary. Lastly, prednisolone has a greater anti-inflammatory effect, albeit not a particularly significant one. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-...ednisolone.htm

The dosing between the two is equivalent. Just enter the two different medications here: http://www.medcalc.com/steroid.html

I hope this helps! Feel better soon.

[AnneLouise]

I was given prednisolone once, before I was dx'd with ms.. It didn't do anything for me (very long story) but a month after finishing it, I became sick to my stomach whenever I ate. Thought I just had a stomach bug. I mentioned this to the chiro I was seeing. Said she was 99% sure it was the prednisolone.

She told to eat straight-up, unprocessed foods. Canned soups were the worst. It took a couple of months to feel better.

I won't take it again. That's what happened to me. Just don't be surprised.

[palmtree]

Prednisolone is a commonly used steroid for MS flares. We are more familiar with it under the name Solumedrol. The drugs are similar but the dosages are not equivalent. 60mg of prednisolone is not as strong as 60mg of prednisone.

When I was treated with Solumedrol for flares, I was given a gram IV. That is like 1000mg, which would be an insanely high dose for prednisone.

[Kimba22]

Prednisolone is a commonly used steroid for MS flares. We are more familiar with it under the name Solumedrol. The drugs are similar but the dosages are not equivalent. 60mg of prednisolone is not as strong as 60mg of prednisone.

When I was treated with Solumedrol for flares, I was given a gram IV. That is like 1000mg, which would be an insanely high dose for prednisone.

I think you are referring to Methylprednisolone, not prednisolone, which is AKA Solomedrol. But you are correct in saying the dose of IV medications (grams) is not the same as oral medications (milligrams). The equilvalent dosing and comparison potency of corticosteroids can be found here: http://www.medcalc.com/steroid.html. 1000 mg (equivalent to 1 gram) of Methylpredisolone is equivalent to 1250 mg of Prednisolone (and Prednisone). Even at that dose, they are both still not considered as potent as Methylprednisone.

I've never taken an oral dose of Prednisolone or Prednisone as high as the equivalent of the IV dose, and it does sound like an insane amount of pills! But, I have read here about members who have taken the equivalent oral dose. (I've never read this, but would think that would be even harder on someone's stomach!)

[palmtree]

Oops, my cog fog confused the two. When I tried to research it, there doesn't seem to be a huge difference in the efficacy of the different steroids. Only the dosages vary. This pharmacological stuff is complicated.

I've never been on prednisolone. I can only speak from Google information which we all have access too. Hope it's a good experience for you.