Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow It Raises BPPreventing High BP on PrednisoneAlternative Treatments
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How It Raises BP
Preventing High BP on Prednisone
Alternative Treatments
Prednisone is commonly used to help reduce inflammation, relieve pain, and reduce discomfort. It is part of a group of medications calledcorticosteroidsor just “steroids.” Prednisone is a human-made (synthetic) version of steroids that are naturally made in the body.
This article will discuss how prednisone increases blood pressure and ways to manage and prevent high blood pressure while taking the drug.
How Prednisone Raises Blood Pressure
A reported side effect of prednisone is increased blood pressure.There are two reasons prednisone can increase blood pressure: the drug’s effect on fluid balance and weight gain.
When you’re taking prednisone, your body holds on to sodium and loses potassium. This change in electrolyte balance causes:
Another way that prednisone can increase blood pressure is weight gain. Studies have shown that people on prednisone may consume more food due to how the drug affects areas of the brain that determine satiety, or a sense of fullness.Thus, prolonged use of corticosteroids may cause weight gain over time.
Research has shown that people with obesity have a five timeshigher risk of high blood pressure. Studies have also shown that a weight loss of just 10%, significantly lowered their risk of developing high blood pressure.
Any person taking steroids can have high blood pressure as a side effect, but if you are taking a high dose or have been on them for a long time, you might be more likely to have side effects.
Having high blood pressure while taking steroids can also be more likely if you have risk factors for high blood pressure (like a family history, obesity, smoking) or already had borderline high blood pressure before you started taking it (also called “prehypertension”).
Warning Signs of High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure often has no symptoms. Thus, it has a reputation for being the “silent killer.” However, if your blood pressure reaches very high levels—180/120 or higher—you may experience the following:
What Is a Hypertensive Crisis?
The Importance of Monitoring Blood PressureIf you take prednisone or have other risk factors for hypertension, you should regularly have your blood pressure checked so you can get it under control if it increases. Remember, living with uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage your health over time.Ask your provider how often you should be checking your blood pressure.
The Importance of Monitoring Blood Pressure
If you take prednisone or have other risk factors for hypertension, you should regularly have your blood pressure checked so you can get it under control if it increases. Remember, living with uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage your health over time.Ask your provider how often you should be checking your blood pressure.
If you take prednisone or have other risk factors for hypertension, you should regularly have your blood pressure checked so you can get it under control if it increases. Remember, living with uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage your health over time.
Ask your provider how often you should be checking your blood pressure.
Preventing High Blood Pressure While Taking Prednisone
If you are already taking blood pressure medications when you begin taking prednisone, your provider might adjust these medications. They also might want you to monitor your blood pressure to see how your body is responding to prednisone.
If you develop high blood pressure while you are taking prednisone, your provider may recommend starting blood pressure medication to help.
Lifestyle changes can be made to help prevent high blood pressure. For example, eating a nutritious diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and healthy fats can help you maintain a weight that supports your health.
Limiting the salt in your diet can help with high blood pressure. You should limit your salt intake to 2 grams (or 2000 milligrams) of sodium per day.
This goal includes all the sodium that naturally occurs in food, the salt that gets added during processing and cooking, and any salt that you add to your food.
Lower Your Salt Intake, Lower Your Blood Pressure
Here are some tips for lowering your salt intake to help with your blood pressure:
Prednisone Withdrawal and Low Blood PressureTalk to your provider if you plan on stopping prednisone. Stopping abruptly or too quickly can lead to a sudden drop in blood pressure as well as chemical disruptions in the body.
Prednisone Withdrawal and Low Blood Pressure
Talk to your provider if you plan on stopping prednisone. Stopping abruptly or too quickly can lead to a sudden drop in blood pressure as well as chemical disruptions in the body.
Are There Alternative Drugs to Prednisone That Don’t Cause High Blood Pressure?
Steroids other than prednisone such asmethylprednisoloneanddexamethasonecan also cause hypertension.
Steroids are commonly used to treat conditions like:
However, if you are worried about hypertension or are at risk, your healthcare provider can work with you to find other treatment options. For example, arthritis may be treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). If you have lupus, you might be able to take antimalarials or immunosuppressives. In the case of COPD, your provider may prescribe bronchodilators.
The right treatment will depend on your specific condition and overall health needs.
Summary
Prednisone can cause high blood pressure because of how it changes the fluid balance in your body, as well as how it can affect your weight.
If you need to take steroids like prednisone to manage a chronic health condition and it’s raising your blood pressure, you can work with your provider on making lifestyle changes and possibly taking medication to help control your blood pressure.
Depending on why you need to take prednisone, you might have other treatment options. If high blood pressure is a concern for you, talk to your provider to see if you have to stay on prednisone or if you could try a treatment besides steroids to manage your condition.
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.DailyMed.Prednisone Tablet.Serfling G, et al.The corticosteroid prednisolone increases amygdala and insula reactivity to food approach signals in healthy young men.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;99:154-165. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.007Aronow WS.Association of obesity with hypertension.Ann Transl Med. 2017;5(17):350-350. doi:10.21037/atm.2017.06.69World Health Organization.Hypertension.Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).Steroid Side Effects: How to Reduce Drug Side Effects of Corticosteroids.American Heart Association.Five Simple Steps to Control Your Blood Pressure.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.DailyMed.Prednisone Tablet.Serfling G, et al.The corticosteroid prednisolone increases amygdala and insula reactivity to food approach signals in healthy young men.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;99:154-165. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.007Aronow WS.Association of obesity with hypertension.Ann Transl Med. 2017;5(17):350-350. doi:10.21037/atm.2017.06.69World Health Organization.Hypertension.Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).Steroid Side Effects: How to Reduce Drug Side Effects of Corticosteroids.American Heart Association.Five Simple Steps to Control Your Blood Pressure.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
DailyMed.Prednisone Tablet.Serfling G, et al.The corticosteroid prednisolone increases amygdala and insula reactivity to food approach signals in healthy young men.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;99:154-165. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.007Aronow WS.Association of obesity with hypertension.Ann Transl Med. 2017;5(17):350-350. doi:10.21037/atm.2017.06.69World Health Organization.Hypertension.Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).Steroid Side Effects: How to Reduce Drug Side Effects of Corticosteroids.American Heart Association.Five Simple Steps to Control Your Blood Pressure.
DailyMed.Prednisone Tablet.
Serfling G, et al.The corticosteroid prednisolone increases amygdala and insula reactivity to food approach signals in healthy young men.Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2019;99:154-165. doi:10.1016/j.psyneuen.2018.09.007
Aronow WS.Association of obesity with hypertension.Ann Transl Med. 2017;5(17):350-350. doi:10.21037/atm.2017.06.69
World Health Organization.Hypertension.
Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS).Steroid Side Effects: How to Reduce Drug Side Effects of Corticosteroids.
American Heart Association.Five Simple Steps to Control Your Blood Pressure.
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