Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSide EffectsPreventing Side EffectsStopping PrednisoneStopping Prednisone Safely

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Side Effects

Preventing Side Effects

Stopping Prednisone

Stopping Prednisone Safely

Prednisone is typically prescribed at the lowest effective dose for the shortest amount of time. This reduces the risk of side effects and severe complications likeosteoporosis, glaucoma, and diabetes. Before you stop the medication, your healthcare provider will recommend slowly tapering the dose to safely flush it from your system and avoid withdrawal symptoms.

This article explores common side effects of prednisone and strategies to help prevent them. It also looks at how to safely discontinue prednisone when it is no longer needed.

Verywell / Britney Willson

How to reduce the side effects of prednisone.

Prednisone Side Effects

Prednisone is known to cause many side effects. The risk is largely dose-dependent, meaning that they are more likely to occur at higher doses and/or when you take the drug for a long time.

Some of the more common side effects of prednisone include:

Potentially irreversible, long-term complications can also develop if prednisone is used excessively, including:

When to Call a Healthcare ProviderIf you are experiencing side effects from prednisone, let your healthcare provider know. In some cases, the dose can be reduced or the treatment changed. However, you shouldneverstop without first talking with your healthcare provider as doing so can lead to withdrawal symptoms.

When to Call a Healthcare Provider

If you are experiencing side effects from prednisone, let your healthcare provider know. In some cases, the dose can be reduced or the treatment changed. However, you shouldneverstop without first talking with your healthcare provider as doing so can lead to withdrawal symptoms.

Preventing Prednisone Side Effects

The first and best way to avoid prednisone side effects is to take the drug as prescribed. Don’t miss or alter the dose without first speaking with your healthcare provider.

Other strategies may be used to reduce the risk or severity of some prednisone side effects.

Osteoporosis

Anyone taking prednisone for a long time can experience some level of bone density loss. However, there are certain people who are at greater risk of osteoporosis, including older adults, post-menopausal females, people withhyperthyroidism, and heavy smokers or drinkers.

If you are at risk of osteoporosis, there are things you can do to prevent or slow bone mineral loss when taking prednisone:

Everything You Need to Know About Osteoporosis Prevention

Verywell / Emily Roberts

preventing prednisone weight gain

Weight Gain

Typically, most weight gain from prednisone is related to fluid retention. Even when used for a short time, prednisone can cause swelling of the face (“facial mooning”) related to fluid retention.

Your appetite can also increase while taking prednisone, causing you to pack on body fat along with water weight.

To manage your weight while on prednisone:

These interventions may not only help prevent weight gain but possibly reduce the risk of lipodystrophy.

If you are having trouble with your weight or putting together a healthy diet plan, ask your healthcare provider for a referral to anutritionist. Apersonal trainercan also help you build an effective but appropriate workout plan.

Average Weight Gain on PrednisoneStudies suggest that one in five people on high-dose prednisone will gain 22 or more pounds after one year of treatment (although the weight tends to stabilize after the first six months). After one year, the additional average weight gain is around 4%.

Average Weight Gain on Prednisone

Studies suggest that one in five people on high-dose prednisone will gain 22 or more pounds after one year of treatment (although the weight tends to stabilize after the first six months). After one year, the additional average weight gain is around 4%.

How to Lose Weight on Prednisone

Mood Symptoms

As with the other prednisone side effects, the risk of mood symptoms increases with the dose and duration of treatment. In one observational study of 53 people withinflammatory bowel disease (IBD), almost half developedmood swingsafter taking prednisone for two weeks.

There are several ways to better cope with prednisone mood swings:

Insomnia

Prednisone mimics a stress hormone calledcortisolthat your body releases in tandem with yourcircadian rhythm(sleep-wake cycle). It is highest in the morning when you awaken and gradually tapers down during the day until you fall asleep at night.

While you are on prednisone, the body reacts to it in the same way as it would to cortisol, causing you to be wide awake if levels in the body are high.

To reduce the risk of insomnia:

Do Prednisone Side Effects Go Away?

Why the Prednisone Dose Matters

The risk and severity of prednisone side effects increase with the drug’s dosage and how long you take it. The higher the dose, the higher the risk of side effects. The longer you are treated, the greater the risk of complications.

Prednisone is generally intended for short-term use to rein in inflammation and bring a disease under control. When that is achieved, the dose is gradually reduced until the treatment is finally stopped.

With some conditions, likeautoimmune diseases, other drugs likebiologicscan then be prescribed to maintain control of the condition.

Choosing the Right Dose

Prednisone is also prescribed at the lowest possible dose to bring the disease under control. However, for some conditions, this is not possible, and higher doses are needed. If this is the case, your healthcare provider will weigh the benefits and risks of treatment.

If, for example, you are at risk of osteoporosis, your healthcare provider will need to monitor your condition and may prescribe supplements to protect the bones.

If you have certain conditions likeopen-angle glaucomaand must take prednisone, your healthcare provider may want you to see an eye healthcare provider. They can closely monitor for any increases in eye pressure or any worsening of glaucoma symptoms.

Stopping prednisone abruptly is rarely a good idea, especially if you are taking more than 10 milligrams (mg) a day or have been on it for more than three weeks. This is because your body will have become accustomed to having the cortisol substitute in your system and no longer produce cortisol on its own.

Although prednisone is eliminated from the body rather quickly—usually within several days—it can take time before the body is able to produce enough cortisol to meet the body’s needs. If you stop too quickly, the gap in available cortisol can lead to withdrawal symptoms such as:

To avoid this, healthcare providers will usually taper gradually the dose so that the body has the chance to resume making cortisol on its own. Depending on your condition, how long you’ve been on treatment, and how large your dose was, the tapering can take days, weeks, or even months.

Your healthcare provider will provide you with an exact tapering schedule that will allow you to eventually get off prednisone completely.

How Fast Is Prednisone Eliminated?Prednisone has adrug half-lifeof only around three hours, meaning that half the drug is eliminated from the body in three hours.Although a short half-life may seem like a good thing, it also means that you need to take the drug frequently for it to stay effective. Your body becomes increasingly more dependent on the drug the longer you take it.Because of this, drugs like prednisone that have short half-lives are more likely to cause withdrawal symptoms than those with a long half-life.

How Fast Is Prednisone Eliminated?

Prednisone has adrug half-lifeof only around three hours, meaning that half the drug is eliminated from the body in three hours.Although a short half-life may seem like a good thing, it also means that you need to take the drug frequently for it to stay effective. Your body becomes increasingly more dependent on the drug the longer you take it.Because of this, drugs like prednisone that have short half-lives are more likely to cause withdrawal symptoms than those with a long half-life.

Prednisone has adrug half-lifeof only around three hours, meaning that half the drug is eliminated from the body in three hours.Although a short half-life may seem like a good thing, it also means that you need to take the drug frequently for it to stay effective. Your body becomes increasingly more dependent on the drug the longer you take it.

Because of this, drugs like prednisone that have short half-lives are more likely to cause withdrawal symptoms than those with a long half-life.

Can You Take Prednisone With Advil (Ibuprofen)?

Summary

Prednisone is a corticosteroid drug used to treat many inflammatory conditions. However, it can cause side effects, especially at high doses or with long use. To reduce the risk, your healthcare provider will prescribe prednisone at the lowest dose and for the shortest period of time.

Prednisone should never be stopped suddenly as this could lead to withdrawal symptoms. If prednisone is no longer needed, your healthcare provider will give you a tapering schedule during which the dose is gradually reduced until you can stop completely.

10 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.MedlinePlus.Prednisone.Liu D, Ahmet A, Ward L, et al.A practical guide to the monitoring and management of the complications of systemic corticosteroid therapy.Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2013;9(1):30. doi:10.1186/1710-1492-9-30Compston JE, Mcclung MR, Leslie WD.Osteoporosis.Lancet. 2019;393(10169):364-76. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32112-3Esteves GP, Mazzolani BC, Smaira FI, et al.Nutritional recommendations for patients undergoing prolonged glucocorticoid therapy.Rheumatol Adv Pract.2022;6(2):rkac029. doi:10.1093/rap/rkac029Wung PK, Anderson T, Fontaine KR, et al.Effects of glucocorticoids on weight change during the treatment of Wegener’s granulomatosis.Arthritis Rheum.2018 May 15;59(5):746–53. doi:10.1002/art.23561Ou G, Bressler B, Galorport C, Lam E.Rate of corticosteroid-induced mood changes in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective study.J Can Assoc Gastroenterol.2018 Sep;1(3):99–106. doi:10.1093/jcag/gwy023Shabbir F, Patel A, Mattison C, et al.Effect of diet on serotonergic neurotransmission in depression.Neurochem Int. 2013;62(3):324-329. doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2012.12.014Schijvens AM, ter Heine R, de Wildt SN, Schreuder MF.Pharmacology and pharmacogenetics of prednisone and prednisolone in patients with nephrotic syndrome.Pediatr Nephrol.2019;34(3):389–403. doi:10.1007/s00467-018-3929-zBashar T, Apu MNH, Mostaid MS, Islam MS, Hasnat A.Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability study of a prednisolone tablet as a single oral dose in Bangladeshi healthy volunteers.Dose Response.2018 Jul-Sep;16(3):1559325818783932. doi:10.1177/1559325818783932Lerner A, Klein M.Dependence, withdrawal and rebound of CNS drugs: an update and regulatory considerations for new drugs development.Brain Commun.2019;1(1):fcz025. doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcz025

10 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.MedlinePlus.Prednisone.Liu D, Ahmet A, Ward L, et al.A practical guide to the monitoring and management of the complications of systemic corticosteroid therapy.Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2013;9(1):30. doi:10.1186/1710-1492-9-30Compston JE, Mcclung MR, Leslie WD.Osteoporosis.Lancet. 2019;393(10169):364-76. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32112-3Esteves GP, Mazzolani BC, Smaira FI, et al.Nutritional recommendations for patients undergoing prolonged glucocorticoid therapy.Rheumatol Adv Pract.2022;6(2):rkac029. doi:10.1093/rap/rkac029Wung PK, Anderson T, Fontaine KR, et al.Effects of glucocorticoids on weight change during the treatment of Wegener’s granulomatosis.Arthritis Rheum.2018 May 15;59(5):746–53. doi:10.1002/art.23561Ou G, Bressler B, Galorport C, Lam E.Rate of corticosteroid-induced mood changes in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective study.J Can Assoc Gastroenterol.2018 Sep;1(3):99–106. doi:10.1093/jcag/gwy023Shabbir F, Patel A, Mattison C, et al.Effect of diet on serotonergic neurotransmission in depression.Neurochem Int. 2013;62(3):324-329. doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2012.12.014Schijvens AM, ter Heine R, de Wildt SN, Schreuder MF.Pharmacology and pharmacogenetics of prednisone and prednisolone in patients with nephrotic syndrome.Pediatr Nephrol.2019;34(3):389–403. doi:10.1007/s00467-018-3929-zBashar T, Apu MNH, Mostaid MS, Islam MS, Hasnat A.Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability study of a prednisolone tablet as a single oral dose in Bangladeshi healthy volunteers.Dose Response.2018 Jul-Sep;16(3):1559325818783932. doi:10.1177/1559325818783932Lerner A, Klein M.Dependence, withdrawal and rebound of CNS drugs: an update and regulatory considerations for new drugs development.Brain Commun.2019;1(1):fcz025. doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcz025

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.

MedlinePlus.Prednisone.Liu D, Ahmet A, Ward L, et al.A practical guide to the monitoring and management of the complications of systemic corticosteroid therapy.Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2013;9(1):30. doi:10.1186/1710-1492-9-30Compston JE, Mcclung MR, Leslie WD.Osteoporosis.Lancet. 2019;393(10169):364-76. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32112-3Esteves GP, Mazzolani BC, Smaira FI, et al.Nutritional recommendations for patients undergoing prolonged glucocorticoid therapy.Rheumatol Adv Pract.2022;6(2):rkac029. doi:10.1093/rap/rkac029Wung PK, Anderson T, Fontaine KR, et al.Effects of glucocorticoids on weight change during the treatment of Wegener’s granulomatosis.Arthritis Rheum.2018 May 15;59(5):746–53. doi:10.1002/art.23561Ou G, Bressler B, Galorport C, Lam E.Rate of corticosteroid-induced mood changes in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective study.J Can Assoc Gastroenterol.2018 Sep;1(3):99–106. doi:10.1093/jcag/gwy023Shabbir F, Patel A, Mattison C, et al.Effect of diet on serotonergic neurotransmission in depression.Neurochem Int. 2013;62(3):324-329. doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2012.12.014Schijvens AM, ter Heine R, de Wildt SN, Schreuder MF.Pharmacology and pharmacogenetics of prednisone and prednisolone in patients with nephrotic syndrome.Pediatr Nephrol.2019;34(3):389–403. doi:10.1007/s00467-018-3929-zBashar T, Apu MNH, Mostaid MS, Islam MS, Hasnat A.Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability study of a prednisolone tablet as a single oral dose in Bangladeshi healthy volunteers.Dose Response.2018 Jul-Sep;16(3):1559325818783932. doi:10.1177/1559325818783932Lerner A, Klein M.Dependence, withdrawal and rebound of CNS drugs: an update and regulatory considerations for new drugs development.Brain Commun.2019;1(1):fcz025. doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcz025

MedlinePlus.Prednisone.

Liu D, Ahmet A, Ward L, et al.A practical guide to the monitoring and management of the complications of systemic corticosteroid therapy.Allergy Asthma Clin Immunol. 2013;9(1):30. doi:10.1186/1710-1492-9-30

Compston JE, Mcclung MR, Leslie WD.Osteoporosis.Lancet. 2019;393(10169):364-76. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(18)32112-3

Esteves GP, Mazzolani BC, Smaira FI, et al.Nutritional recommendations for patients undergoing prolonged glucocorticoid therapy.Rheumatol Adv Pract.2022;6(2):rkac029. doi:10.1093/rap/rkac029

Wung PK, Anderson T, Fontaine KR, et al.Effects of glucocorticoids on weight change during the treatment of Wegener’s granulomatosis.Arthritis Rheum.2018 May 15;59(5):746–53. doi:10.1002/art.23561

Ou G, Bressler B, Galorport C, Lam E.Rate of corticosteroid-induced mood changes in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a prospective study.J Can Assoc Gastroenterol.2018 Sep;1(3):99–106. doi:10.1093/jcag/gwy023

Shabbir F, Patel A, Mattison C, et al.Effect of diet on serotonergic neurotransmission in depression.Neurochem Int. 2013;62(3):324-329. doi:10.1016/j.neuint.2012.12.014

Schijvens AM, ter Heine R, de Wildt SN, Schreuder MF.Pharmacology and pharmacogenetics of prednisone and prednisolone in patients with nephrotic syndrome.Pediatr Nephrol.2019;34(3):389–403. doi:10.1007/s00467-018-3929-z

Bashar T, Apu MNH, Mostaid MS, Islam MS, Hasnat A.Pharmacokinetics and bioavailability study of a prednisolone tablet as a single oral dose in Bangladeshi healthy volunteers.Dose Response.2018 Jul-Sep;16(3):1559325818783932. doi:10.1177/1559325818783932

Lerner A, Klein M.Dependence, withdrawal and rebound of CNS drugs: an update and regulatory considerations for new drugs development.Brain Commun.2019;1(1):fcz025. doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcz025

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?