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What Factors Affect Prednisolone Dosage?

By Lee Johnson
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 4,742
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Prednisolone dosage is affected by factors such as the condition it is being used to treat and the age of the patient being treated. The dosage can also be increased if the condition being treated isn’t responding as expected to the current dosage. For example, prednisolone dosage for severe asthma attacks is 120 to 180 milligrams (mg) per day when in an emergency situation, but for exacerbated Crohn’s disease, the recommended prednisolone dosage is 40 to 60 mg per day. The ranges depend on the patient’s response or assumed response to the treatment.

Prednisolone is a synthetic corticosteroid that can be used to treat many different conditions. It is generally found in the form of tablets, but a syrup formulation of the treatment is also available. Generally, prednisolone is used for its anti-inflammatory properties, and is often prescribed for conditions relating to the immune system. Some of the more common conditions that prednisolone treats include arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, Crohn’s disease and allergic reactions. There are also many other conditions the drug is prescribed for, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

Corticosteroids such as prednisolone are commonly used for the treatment of moderate to severe asthma, and the recommended prednisolone dosage for the condition depends on the age of the patient and the cause for treatment. For example, when the drug is used for asthma attacks within a hospital or medical facility for an adult, the dosage is between 120 and 180 mg per day, split into three or four doses. This is administered for the first 48 hours, and then the dosage drops to between 60 and 80 mg per day.

In the same situation, but for a child, the dosage is dependent upon the weight of the child. The patient should be given 1 mg of prednisolone for every kilogram in weight every six hours. This is also reduced after the initial 48 hours. If the drug is being used for long-term treatment, the dosage drops to between 7.5 and 60 mg per day.

The recommended prednisolone dosage for Crohn’s disease is less than for acute onset of asthma, but the drug should still be used only over the short term, and the dosage should be kept as low as possible. Generally, the recommended prednisolone dosage is between 40 and 60 mg per day when being used to treat Crohn’s disease. This may be altered based on the patient’s response to the treatment, but no more than 1 mg per kg in weight should be administered.

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Discussion Comments
By anon357089 — On Dec 01, 2013

Three years ago, I completely lost my senses of taste and smell. During an unrelated treatment for some pulmonary problems, I was prescribed a Medrol dose pack (prednisolone) which was effective for the pulmonary problem and after the first day's six pills, my taste and smell senses came back completely. Within four or five days after the last pill, I again completely lost the senses. Subsequently, various doctors have prescribed the dose pack for me at about one pack every two months and every time I take the recommended dosage, the senses come back fully but disappear after the last pill. Life is bleak without those senses.

I seem to be able to maintain those senses with a dosage in the range of 5 to 10 mg per day. I am 77 years old and generally in good health. At that dosage would there be any long term effects I should be concerned about given my age and health condition?

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