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Side Effects & Adverse Reactions
In patients on corticosteroid therapy subjected to unusual stress, increased dosage of rapidly acting corticosteroids before, during and after the stressful situation is indicated.
Average and large doses of hydrocortisone or cortisone can cause elevation of blood pressure, salt and water retention, and increased excretion of potassium. These effects are less likely to occur with the synthetic derivatives except when used in large doses. Dietary salt restriction and potassium supplementation may be necessary. All corticosteroids increase calcium excretion.
Corticosteroids can produce reversible hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis suppression with the potential for glucocorticosteroid insufficiency after withdrawal of treatment.
Metabolic clearance of corticosteroids is decreased in hypothyroid patients and increased in hyperthyroid patients. Changes in thyroid status of the patient may necessitate adjustment in dosage.
Persons who are on drugs which suppress the immune system are more susceptible to infections than healthy individuals. There may be decreased resistance and inability to localize infection when corticosteroids are used. Infection with any pathogen including viral, bacterial, fungal, protozoan or helminthic infection, in any location of the body, may be associated with the use of corticosteroids alone or in combination with other immunosuppressive agents that affect humoral or cellular immunity, or neutrophil function. These infections may be mild to severe, and, with increasing doses of corticosteroids, the rate of occurrence of infectious complications increases. Corticosteroids may also mask some signs of infection after it has already started.
Chicken pox and measles, for example, can have a more serious or even fatal course in non-immune children or adults on corticosteroids. In such children or adults who have not had these diseases, particular care should be taken to avoid exposure. How the dose, route and duration of corticosteroid administration affect the risk of developing a disseminated infection is not known. The contribution of the underlying disease and/or prior corticosteroid treatment to the risk is also not known. If exposed to chicken pox, prophylaxis with varicella zoster immune globulin (VZIG) may be indicated. If exposed to measles, prophylaxis with immunoglobulin (IG) may be indicated. (See the respective package inserts for complete VZIG and IG prescribing information). If chicken pox develops, treatment with antiviral agents should be considered.
Use of corticosteroids may produce posterior subcapsular cataracts, glaucoma with possible damage to the optic nerves, and may enhance the establishment of secondary ocular infections due to bacteria, fungi or viruses. The use of oral corticosteroids is not recommended in the treatment of optic neuritis and may lead to an increase in the risk of new episodes. Corticosteroids should not be used in active ocular herpes simplex.
Latent disease may be activated or there may be an exacerbation of intercurrent infections due to pathogens, including those caused by Candida, Mycobacterium, Ameba, Toxoplasma, Pneumocystis, Cryptococcus, Nocardia, etc.
Corticosteroids may activate latent amebiasis. Therefore, it is recommended that latent or active amebiasis be ruled out before initiating corticosteroid therapy in any patient who has spent time in the tropics or in any patient with unexplained diarrhea.
Similarly, corticosteroids should be used with great care in patients with known or suspected Strongyloides (threadworm) infestation. In such patients, corticosteroid-induced immunosuppression may lead to Strongyloides hyperinfection and dissemination with widespread larval migration, often accompanied by severe enterocolitis and potentially fatal gram-negative septicemia.
Corticosteroids should not be used in cerebral malaria.
The use of prednisolone in active tuberculosis should be restricted to those cases of fulminating or disseminated tuberculosis in which the corticosteroid is used for the management of the disease in conjunction with an appropriate antituberculous regimen.
If corticosteroids are indicated in patients with latent tuberculosis or tuberculin reactivity, close observation is necessary as reactivation of the disease may occur. During prolonged corticosteroid therapy, these patients should receive chemoprophylaxis.
Administration of live or live, attenuated vaccines is contraindicated in patients receiving immunosuppressive doses of corticosteroids. Killed or inactivated vaccines may be administered, however, the response to such vaccines cannot be predicted. Immunization procedures may be undertaken in patients who are receiving corticosteroids as replacement therapy, e.g., for Addison's disease.
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Manufacturer Warnings
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FDA Labeling Changes
There are currently no FDA labeling changes available for this drug.
Uses
Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) is indicated in the following conditions:
Control of severe or incapacitating allergic conditions intractable to adequate trials of conventional treatment in adult and pediatric populations with: seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis; asthma; contact dermatitis; atopic dermatitis; serum sickness; drug hypersensitivity reactions.
Pemphigus; bullous dermatitis herpetiformis; severe erythema multiforme (Stevens-Johnson syndrome); exfoliative erythroderma; mycosis fungoides.
To induce diuresis or remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome in adults with lupus erythematosus and in adults and pediatric populations, with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, without uremia.
Primary or secondary adrenocortical insufficiency (hydrocortisone or cortisone is the first choice; synthetic analogs may be used in conjunction with mineralocorticoids where applicable; in infancy mineralocorticoid supplementation is of particular importance); congenital adrenal hyperplasia; hypercalcemia associated with cancer; nonsuppurative thyroiditis.
To tide the patient over a critical period of the disease in: ulcerative colitis; regional enteritis.
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in adults; selected cases of secondary thrombocytopenia; acquired (autoimmune) hemolytic anemia; pure red cell aplasia; Diamond-Blackfan anemia.
For the treatment of acute leukemia and aggressive lymphomas in adults and children.
Acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis.
Uveitis and ocular inflammatory conditions unresponsive to topical corticosteroids; temporal arteritis; sympathetic ophthalmia.
Symptomatic sarcoidosis; idiopathic eosinophilic pneumonias; fulminating or disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculous chemotherapy; asthma (as distinct from allergic asthma listed above under "Allergic States"), hypersensitivity pneumonitis, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) associated with hypoxemia occurring in an HIV (+) individual who is also under treatment with appropriate anti-PCP antibiotics. Studies support the efficacy of systemic corticosteroids for the treatment of these conditions: allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia.
As adjunctive therapy for short term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in: psoriatic arthritis; rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (selected cases may require low dose maintenance therapy); ankylosing spondylitis; acute and subacute bursitis; acute nonspecific tenosynovitis; acute gouty arthritis; epicondylitis. For the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus, dermatomyositis (polymyositis), polymyalgia rheumatica, Sjogren's syndrome, relapsing polychondritis, and certain cases of vasculitis.
Tuberculous meningitis with subarachnoid block or impending block, tuberculosis with enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes causing respiratory difficulty, and tuberculosis with pleural or pericardial effusion (appropriate antituberculous chemotherapy must be used concurrently when treating any tuberculosis complications); trichinosis with neurologic or myocardial involvement; acute or chronic solid organ rejection (with or without other agents).
History
There is currently no drug history available for this drug.
Other Information
Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) is a dye free, pale to light yellow solution. Each 5 mL (teaspoonful) of Millipred Oral Solution contains 13.4 mg prednisolone sodium phosphate (10 mg prednisolone base) in a palatable, aqueous vehicle.
Inactive Ingredients: Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) contains the following inactive ingredients: anti-bitter mask, corn syrup, edetate disodium, glycerin, grape flavor, hydroxyethylcellulose, methylparaben, potassium phosphate dibasic, potassium phosphate monobasic, purified water, and sodium saccharin.
Prednisolone sodium phosphate occurs as white or slightly yellow, friable granules or powder. It is freely soluble in water; soluble in methanol; slightly soluble in alcohol and in chloroform; and very slightly soluble in acetone and in dioxane.The chemical name of prednisolone sodium phosphate is pregna-1,4-diene-3,20-dione,11,17-dihydroxy-21- (phosphonooxy)- disodium salt, (11β)-. The empirical formula is C21H27Na2O8P; the molecular weight is 484.39. Its chemical structure is:
Pharmacological Category: Glucocorticoid
Sources
Millipred Manufacturers
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Laser Pharmaceuticals, Llc
Millipred | Laser Pharmaceuticals, Llc
The initial dosage of Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) may vary from 2.5 mL to 30 mL (5 to 60 mg prednisolone base) per day depending on the specific disease entity being treated. In situations of less severity, lower doses will generally suffice while in selected patients higher initial doses may be required. The initial dosage should be maintained or adjusted until a satisfactory response is noted. If after a reasonable period of time, there is a lack of satisfactory clinical response, Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) should be discontinued and the patient placed on other appropriate therapy. IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED THAT DOSAGE REQUIREMENTS ARE VARIABLE AND MUST BE INDIVIDUALIZED ON THE BASIS OF THE DISEASE UNDER TREATMENT AND THE RESPONSE OF THE PATIENT. After a favorable response is noted, the proper maintenance dosage should be determined by decreasing the initial drug dosage in small decrements at appropriate time intervals until the lowest dosage which will maintain an adequate clinical response is reached. It should be kept in mind that constant monitoring is needed in regard to drug dosage. Included in the situations which may make dosage adjustments necessary are changes in clinical status secondary to remissions or exacerbations in the disease process, the patient's individual drug responsiveness, and the effect of patient exposure to stressful situations not directly related to the disease entity under treatment; in this latter situation it may be necessary to increase the dosage of Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) for a period of time consistent with the patient's condition. If after long term therapy the drug is to be stopped, it is recommended that it be withdrawn gradually rather than abruptly.
In the treatment of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis, daily doses of 200 mg of prednisolone for a week followed by 80 mg every other day or 4 to 8 mg dexamethasone every other day for one month have been shown to be effective.
In pediatric patients, the initial dose of Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) may vary depending on the specific disease entity being treated. The range of initial doses is 0.14 to 2 mg/kg/day in three or four divided doses (4 to 60 mg/m2bsa/day).
The standard regimen used to treat nephrotic syndrome in pediatric patients is 60 mg/m2/day given in three divided doses for 4 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of single dose alternate-day therapy at 40 mg/m2/day.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommended dosing for systemic prednisone, prednisolone or methylprednisolone in children whose asthma is uncontrolled by inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators is 1-2 mg/kg/day in single or divided doses. It is further recommended that short course, or "burst" therapy, be continued until a child achieves a peak expiratory flow rate of 80% of his or her personal best or symptoms resolve. This usually requires 3 to 10 days of treatment, although it can take longer. There is no evidence that tapering the dose after improvement will prevent a relapse.
For the purpose of comparison, 5 mL of Millipred Oral Solution (13.4 mg Prednisolone sodium phosphate) is equivalent to the following milligram dosage of the various glucocorticoids:
Cortisone, 50 Triamcinolone, 8 Hydrocortisone, 40 Paramethasone, 4 Prednisolone, 10 Betamethasone, 1.5 Prednisone, 10 Dexamethasone, 1.5 Methylprednisolone, 8These dose relationships apply only to oral or intravenous administration of these compounds. When these substances or their derivatives are injected intramuscularly or into joint spaces, their relative properties may be greatly altered.
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Laser Pharmaceuticals, Llc
Millipred | Laser Pharmaceuticals, Llc
THE INITIAL DOSAGE OF MILLIPRED AND MILLIPRED DP TABLETS MAY VARY FROM 5MG TO 60MG PER DAY DEPENDING ON THE SPECIFIC DISEASE ENTITY BEING TREATED. IN SITUATIONS OF LESS SEVERITY, LOWER DOSES WILL GENERALLY SUFFICE, WHILE IN SELECTED PATIENTS HIGHER INITIAL DOSES MAY BE REQUIRED. THE INITIAL DOSE SHOULD BE MAINTAINED OR ADJUSTED UNTIL A SATISFACTORY RESPONSE IS NOTED. IF AFTER A REASONABLE PERIOD OF TIME THERE IS A LACK OF SATISFACTORY CLINICAL RESPONSE, PREDNISOLONE SHOULD BE DISCONTINUED AND THE PATIENT TRANSFERRED TO OTHER APPROPRIATE THERAPY.
IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED THAT DOSAGE REQUIREMENTS ARE VARIABLE AND MUST BE INDIVIDUALIZED ON THE BASIS OF THE DISEASE UNDER TREATMENT AND THE RESPONSE OF THE PATIENT.
AFTER A FAVORABLE RESPONSE IS NOTED, THE PROPER MAINTENANCE DOSAGE SHOULD BE DETERMINED BY DECREASING THE INITIAL DRUG DOSE IN SMALL INCREMENTS AT APPROPRIATE TIME INTERVALS UNTIL THE LOWEST DOSAGE WHICH WILL MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE CLINICAL RESPONSE IS REACHED. IT SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND THAT CONSTANT MONITORING IS NEEDED IN REGARDS TO DRUG DOSAGE. INCLUDED IN THE SITUATIONS WHICH MAY MAKE DOSAGE ADJUSTMENTS NECESSARY ARE THE CHANGES IN CLINICAL STATUS SECONDARY TO REMISSIONS OR EXACERBATIONS IN THE DISEASE PROCESS, THE PATIENT'S INDIVIDUAL DRUG RESPONSIVENESS, AND THE EFFECT OF PATIENT EXPOSURE TO STRESSFUL SITUATIONS NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE DISEASE ENTITY UNDER TREATMENT; IN THIS LATER SITUATION IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO INCREASE THE DOSAGE OF PREDNISOLONE FOR A PERIOD OF TIME CONSISTENT WITH THE PATIENT'S CONDITION. IF AFTER LONG-TERM THERAPY THE DRUG IS TO BE STOPPED, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT IT BE WITHDRAWN GRADUALLY RATHER THAN ABRUPTLY.
ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY
ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY IS A CORTICOSTEROID DOSING REGIMEN IN WHICH TWICE THE USUAL DAILY DOSE OF CORTICOID IS ADMINISTERED EVERY OTHER MORNING. THE PURPOSE OF THIS MODE OF THERAPY IS TO PROVIDE THE PATIENT REQUIRING LONG-TERM PHARMACOLOGIC DOSE TREATMENT WITH THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF CORTICOIDS WHILE MINIMIZING CERTAIN UNDESIRABLE EFFECTS, INCLUDING PITUITARYADRENAL SUPPRESSION, THE CUSHINGOID STATE, CORTICOID WITHDRAWAL SYMPTOMS, AND GROWTH SUPPRESSION IN CHILDREN.
THE RATIONALE FOR THIS TREATMENT SCHEDULE IS BASED ON TWO MAJOR PREMISES; (a) THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY OR THERAPEUTIC EFFECT OF CORTICOIDS PERSISTS LONGER THAN THEIR PHYSICAL PRESENCE AND METABOLIC EFFECTS AND (b) ADMINISTRATION OF THE CORTICOSTEROID EVERY OTHER MORNING ALLOWS FOR RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF MORE NEARLY NORMAL HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUTARY-ADRENAL (HPA) ACTIVITY ON THE OFF-STEROID DAY.
A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE HPA PHYSIOLOGY MAY BE HELPFUL IN UNDERSTANDING THIS RATIONAL. ACTING PRIMARILY THROUGH THE HYPOTHALAMUS A FALL IN FREE CORTISOL STIMULATES THE PITUITARY GLAND TO PRODUCE INCREASING AMOUNTS OF CORTICOTROPIN (ACTH) WHILE A RISE IN FREE CORTISOL INHIBITS ACTH SECRETION. NORMALLY THE HPA SYSTEM IS CHARACTERIZED BY DIURNAL (CIRCADIAN) RHYTHM. SERUM LEVELS OF ACTH RISE FROM A LOW POINT ABOUT 10 p.m. TO A PEAK LEVEL ABOUT 6 a.m. INCREASING LEVELS OF ACTH STIMULATE ADRENOCORTICAL ACTIVITY RESULTING IN A RISE IN PLASMA CORTISOL WITH A MAXIMAL LEVELS OCCURING BETWEEN 2 a.m. AND 8 a.m. THIS RISE IN CORTISOL DAMPENS ACTH PRODUCTION AND IN TURN ADRENOCORTICAL ACTIVITY. THERE IA A GRADUAL FALL IN PLASMA CORTICOIDS DURING THE DAY, THE LOWEST LEVELS OCCURRING ABOUT MIDNIGHT. THE DIURNAL RHYTHM OF THE HPA AXIS IN CUSHING'S DISEASE, A SYNDROME OF ADRENOCORTICAL HYPERFUNCTION CHARACTERIZED BY OBESITY WITH CENTRIPETAL FAT DISTRIBUTION, THINNING OF THE SKIN WITH EASY BRUISABILITY, MUSCLE WASTING AND WEAKNESS, HYPERTENSION, LATENT DIABETES, OSTEOPOROSIS, ELECTROLYTE IMBALANCES, ETC. THE SAME CLINICAL FINDINGS OF HYPERADRENOCORTICISM MAY BE NOTED DURING THE LONG-TERM PHARMACOLOGIC DOSE CORTICOID THERAPY ADMINISTERED IN CONVENTIONAL DAILY DIVIDED DOSES. IT WOULD APPEAR THEN, THAT A DISTURBANCE IN THE DIURNAL CYCLE WITH MAINTENANCE OF ELEVATED CORTICOID VALUES DURING THE NIGHT MAY PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDESIRABLE CORTICOID EFFECTS. ESCAPE FROM THESE CONSTANTLY ELEVATED PLASMA LEVELS FOR EVEN SHORT PERIODS OF TIME MAY BE INSTRUMENTAL IN PROTECTING AGAINST UNDESIRABLE PHARMACOLOGIC EFFECTS.
DURING CONVENTIONAL PHARMACOLOGIC DOSE CORTICOSTEROID THERAPY, ACTH PRODUCTION IS INHIBITED WITH SUBSEQUENT SUPPRESSION OF CORTISOL PRODUCTION BY THE ADRENAL CORTEX. RECOVERY TIME FOR NORMAL HPA ACTIVITY IS VARIABLE DEPENDING UPON THE DOSE AND DURATION OF TREATMENT.
DURING THIS TIME THE PATIENT IS VULENERABLE TO ANY STRESSFUL SITUATION.
ALTHOUGH IT HAS BEEN SHOWN THAT THERE IS CONSIDERABLY LESS ADRENAL SUPPRESSION FOLLOWING A SINGLE MORNING DOSE OF PREDNISOLONE (10 MG) AS OPPOSED TO A QUARTER OF THAT DOSE ADMINISTERED EVERY 6 HOURS, THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT SOME SUPPRESSIVE EFFECT ON ADRENAL ACTIVITY MAY BE CARRIED OVER INTO THE FOLLOWING DAY WHEN PHARMACOLOGIC DOSES ARE USED. FURTHER, IT HAS BEEN SHOWN THAT A SINGLE DOSE OF A CERTAIN CORTICOSTEROIDS WILL PRODUCE ADRENOCORTICAL SUPPRESSION FOR TWO OR MORE DAYS. OTHER CORTICOIDS, INCLUDING METHYLPREDNISOLONE, HYDROCORTISONE, PREDNISONE, AND PREDNISOLONE, ARE CONSIDERED TO BE SHORT ACTING (PRODUCING ADRENOCORTICAL SUPPRESSION FOR 1 1/4 DAYS TO 1 1/2 DAYS FOLLOWING A SINGLE DOSE) AND THUS ARE RECOMMENDED FOR ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY.
THE FOLLOWING SHOULD BE KEPT IN MIND WHEN CONSIDERING ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY:
1. BASIC PRINCIPLES AND INDICATIONS FOR CORTICOSTEROID THERAPY SHOULD APPLY. THE BENEFITS OF ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY SHOULD NOT ENCOURAGE THE INDISCRIMINATE USE OF STEROIDS.
2. ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY IS A THERAPEUTIC TECHNIQUE PRIMARILY DESIGNED FOR PATIENTS IN WHOM LONG-TERM PHARMACOLOGIC CORTICOID THERAPY IS ANTICIPATED.
3. IN LESS SEVERE DISEASE PROCESSES IN WHICH CORTICOID THERAPY IS INDICATED, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO INITIATE TREATMENT WITH ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY. MORE SEVERE DISEASE STATES USUALLY WILL REQUIRE DAILY DIVIDED HIGH DOSE THERAPY FOR INITIAL CONTROL OF THE DISEASE PROCESS. THE INITIAL SUPPRESSIVE DOSE LEVEL SHOULD BE CONTINUED UNTIL SATISFACTORY CLINICAL RESPONSE IS OBTAINED, USUALLY FOUR TO TEN DAYS IN THE CASE OF MANY ALLERGIC AND COLLAGEN DISEASES. IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP THE PERIOD OF INITIAL SUPPRESSIVE DOSE AS BRIEF AS POSSIBLE PARTICULARLY WHEN SUBSEQUENT USE OF ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY IS INTENDED.
ONCE CONTROL HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED, TWO COURSES ARE AVAILABLE: (a) CHANGE TO ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY AND THEN GRADUALLY REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CORTICOID GIVEN EVERY OTHER DAY, OR (b) FOLLOWING THE COURSE OF THE DISEASE PROCESS, REDUCE THE DAILY DOSE OF CORTICOID TO THE LOWEST EFFECTIVE LEVEL AS RAPIDLY AS POSSIBLE AND THEN CHANGE OVER TO ALTERNATE-DAY SCHEDULE. THEORETICALLY, COURSE (a) MAY BE PREFERABLE.
4. BECAUSE OF THE ADVANTAGES OF ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY, IT MAY BE DESIRABLE TO TRY PATIENTS ON THIS FORM OF THERAPY WHO HAVE BEEN ON DAILY CORTICOIDS FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME (E.G. PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS). SINCE THESE PATIENTS MAY ALREADY HAVE A SUPPRESSED PA AXIS, ESTABLISHING THEM ON ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY MAY BE DIFFICULT AND NOT ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL. HOWEVER, IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT REGULAR ATTEMPTS BE MADE TO CHANGE THEM OVER. IT MAY BE HELPFUL TO TRIPLE OR EVEN QUADRUPLE THE DAILY MAINTENANCE DOSE AND ADMINISTER THIS EVERY OTHER DAY RATHER THAN JUST DOUBLING THE DAILY DOSE IF DIFFICULTY IS ENCOUNTERED. ONCE THE PATIENT IS AGAIN CONTROLLED, AN ATTEMPT SHOULD BE MADE TO REDUCE THIS DOSE TO A MINIMUM.
5. AS INDICATED ABOVE, CERTAIN CORTICOIDS, BECAUSE OF THEIR PROLONGED SUPPRESSIVE EFFECT ON ADRENAL ACTIVITY, ARE NOT RECOMMENDED FOR ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY (E.G., DEXMETHOSONE AND BETAMETHASONE).
6. THE MAXIMAL ACTIVITY OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX IS BETWEEN 2 a.m. AND 8 a.m., AND IT IS MINIMAL BETWEEN 4 p.m. AND MIDNIGHT. EXOGENOUS CORTICOSTEROIDS SUPPRESS ADRENALCORTICAL ACTIVITY THE LEAST, WHEN GIVEN AT THE TIME OF MAXIMAL ACTIVITY (a.m.).
7. IN USING ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY IT IS IMPORTANT, AS IN ALL THERAPEUTIC SITUATIONS, IN INDIVIDUALIZE AND TAILOR THE THERAPY TO EACH PATIENT. COMPLETE CONTROL OF SYMPTOMS WILL NOT BE POSSIBLE IN ALL PATIENTS. AN EXPLANATION OF THE BENEFITS OF ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY WILL HELP THE PATIENT TO UNDERSTAND AND TOLERATE THE POSSIBLE FLARE-UP IN SYMPTOMS WHICH MAY OCCUR IN THE LATER PART OF THE OFF-STEROID DAY.
OTHER SYMPTOMATIC THERAPY MAY BE ADDED OR INCREASED AT THIS TIME IF NEEDED.
8. IN THE EVENT OF AN ACUTE FLARE-UP OF THE DISEASE PROCESS, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO RETURN TO A FULL SUPPRESSIVE DAILY DIVIDED CORTICOID DOSE FOR CONTROL. ONCE CONTROL IS AGAIN ESTABLISHED, ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY MAY BE REINSTITUTED.
9. ALTHOUGH MANY OF THE UNDESIRABLE FEATURES OF CORTICOSTEROID THERAPY CAN BE MINIMIZED BY ALTERNATE-DAY THERAPY, AS IN ANY THERAPEUTIC SITUATION, THE PHYSICIAN MUST CAREFULLY WEIGH THE BENEFIT-RISK RATIO FOR EACH PATIENT WITH WHOM CORTICOID THERAPY IS BEING CONSIDERED. -
Zylera Pharmaceuticals, Llc
Millipred | Zylera Pharmaceuticals, Llc
The initial dosage of Millipred and Millipred DP Tablets may vary from 5 mg to 60 mg per day depending on the specific disease entity being treated. In situations of less severity, lower doses will generally suffice, while in selected patients higher initial doses may be required. The initial dosage should be maintained or adjusted until a satisfactory response is noted. If after a reasonable period of time there is a lack of satisfactory clinical response, prednisolone should be discontinued and the patient transferred to other appropriate therapy.
IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED THAT DOSAGE REQUIREMENTS ARE VARIABLE AND MUST BE INDIVIDUALIZED ON THE BASIS OF THE DISEASE UNDER TREATMENT AND THERESPONSE OF THE PATIENT.
After a favorable response is noted, the proper maintenance dosage should be determined by decreasing the initial drug dosage in small increments at appropriate time intervals until the lowest dosage which will maintain an adequate clinical response is reached. It should be kept in mind that constant monitoring is needed in regard to drug dosage. Included in the situations which may make dosage adjustments necessary are changes in clinical status secondary to remissions or exacerbations in the disease process, the patient’s individual drug responsiveness, and the effect of patient exposure to stressful situations not directly related to the disease entity under treatment; in this latter situation it may be necessary
to increase the dosage of prednisolone for a period of time consistent with the patient’s condition. If after long-term therapy the drug is to be stopped, it is recommended that it be withdrawn gradually rather than abruptly. Alternate-Day TherapyAlternate-Day Therapy is a corticosteroid dosing regimen in which twice the usual daily dose of corticoid is administered every other morning. The purpose of this mode of therapy is to provide the patient requiring long-term pharmacologic dose treatment with the beneficial effects of corticoids while minimizing certain undesirable effects, including pituitary-adrenal suppression, the Cushingoid state, corticoid withdrawal symptoms, and growth suppression in children.
The rationale for this treatment schedule is based on two major premises: (a)the anti-inflammatory or therapeutic effect of corticoids persists longer than their physical presence and metabolic effects and (b) administration of the corticosteroid every other morning allows for reestablishment of more nearly normal hypothalamic- pituitary-adrenal (HPA)activity on the off-steroid day.
A brief review of the HPA physiology may be helpful in understanding this rationale. Acting primarily through the hypothalamus a fall in free cortisol stimulates the pituitary gland to produce increasing amounts of corticotropin (ACTH) while a rise in free cortisol inhibits ACTH secretion. Normally the HPA system is characterized by diurnal (circadian) rhythm. Serum levels of ACTH rise from a low point about 10 p.m.to a peak level about 6 a.m.
Increasing levels of ACTH stimulate adrenocortical activity resulting in a rise in plasma cortisol with maximal levels occurring between 2 a.m. and 8 a.m. This rise in cortisol dampens ACTH production and in turn adrenocortical activity.There is a gradual fall in plasma corticoids during the day, the lowest levels occurring about midnight. The diurnal rhythm of the HPA axis is lost in Cushing’s disease, a syndrome of adrenocortical hyperfunction characterized by obesity with centripetal fat distribution, thinning of the skin with easy bruisability, muscle wasting with weakness, hypertension, latent diabetes, osteoporosis, electrolyte imbalance, etc. The same clinical findings of hyperadrenocorticism may be noted during the long-term pharmacologic dose corticoid therapy administered in conventional daily divided doses. It would appear, then, that a disturbance in the diurnal cycle with maintenance of elevated corticoid values during the night may play a significant role in the development of undesirable corticoid effects.
Escape from these constantly elevated plasma levels for even short periods of time may be instrumental in protecting against undesirable pharmacologic effects.
During conventional pharmacologic dose corticosteroid therapy, ACTH production is inhibited with subsequent suppression of cortisol production by the adrenal cortex. Recovery time for normal HPA activity is variable depending upon the dose and duration of treatment.
During this time the patient is vulnerable to any stressful situation.
Although it has been shown that there is considerably less adrenal suppression following a single morning dose of prednisolone (10 mg) as opposed to a quarter of that dose administered every 6 hours, there is evidence that some suppressive effect on adrenal activity may be carried over into the following day when pharmacologic doses are used. Further, it has been shown that a single dose of certain corticosteroids will produce adrenocortical suppression for two or more days. Other corticoids, including methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone, prednisone, and prednisolone, are considered to be short acting (producing adrenocortical suppression for 1 1/4 days to 1 1/2 days following a single dose) and thus are recommended for alternate day therapy.
The following should be kept in mind when considering alternate-day therapy:
Basic principles and indications for corticosteroid therapy should apply. The benefits of alternate-day therapy should not encourage the indiscriminate use of steroids. Alternate-day therapy is a therapeutic technique primarily designed for patients in whom long-term pharmacologic corticoid therapy is anticipated. In less severe disease processes in which corticoid therapy is indicated, it may be possible to initiate treatment with alternate-day therapy. More severe disease states usually will require daily divided high dose therapy for initial control of the disease process. The initial suppressive dose level should be continued until satisfactory clinical response is obtained, usually four to ten days in the case of many allergic and collagen diseases. It is important to keep the period of initial suppressive dose as brief as possible particularly when subsequent use of alternate-day therapy is intended.
Once control has been established, two courses are available:(a) change to alternate-day therapy and then gradually reduce the amount of corticoid given every other day, or (b) following control of the disease process, reduce the daily dose of corticoid to the lowest effective level as rapidly as possible and then change over to an alternate-day schedule. Theoretically, course (a) may be preferable. Because of the advantages of alternate-day therapy, it may be desirable to try patients on this form of therapy who have been on daily corticoids for long periods of time (e.g., patients with rheumatoid arthritis). Since these patients may already have a suppressed HPA axis, establishing them on alternate-day therapy may be difficult and not always successful. However, it is recommended that regular attempts be made to change them over. It may be helpful to triple or even quadruple the daily maintenance dose and administer this every other day rather than just doubling the daily dose if difficulty is encountered. Once the patient is again controlled, an attempt should be made to reduce this dose to a minimum. As indicated above, certain corticosteroids, because of their prolonged suppressive effect on adrenal activity, are not recommended for Although many of the undesirable features of corticosteroid therapy can be minimized by alternate-day therapy, as in any therapeutic situation, the physician must carefully weigh the benefit-risk ratio for each patient with whom corticoid therapy is being considered. -
Zylera Pharmaceuticals, Llc
Millipred | Zylera Pharmaceuticals, Llc
The initial dosage of Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) may vary from 2.5 mL to 30 mL (5 to 60 mg prednisolone base) per day depending on the specific disease entity being treated. In situations of less severity, lower doses will generally suffice while in selected patients higher initial doses may be required. The initial dosage should be maintained or adjusted until a satisfactory response is noted. If after a reasonable period of time, there is a lack of satisfactory clinical response, Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) should be discontinued and the patient placed on other appropriate therapy. IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED THAT DOSAGE REQUIREMENTS ARE VARIABLE AND MUST BE INDIVIDUALIZED ON THE BASIS OF THE DISEASE UNDER TREATMENT AND THE RESPONSE OF THE PATIENT. After a favorable response is noted, the proper maintenance dosage should be determined by decreasing the initial drug dosage in small decrements at appropriate time intervals until the lowest dosage which will maintain an adequate clinical response is reached. It should be kept in mind that constant monitoring is needed in regard to drug dosage. Included in the situations which may make dosage adjustments necessary are changes in clinical status secondary to remissions or exacerbations in the disease process, the patient's individual drug responsiveness, and the effect of patient exposure to stressful situations not directly related to the disease entity under treatment;in this latter situation it may be necessary to increase the dosage of Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) for a period of time consistent with the patient's condition. If after long term therapy the drug is to be stopped, it is recommended that it be withdrawn gradually rather than abruptly.
In the treatment of acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis, daily doses of 200 mg of prednisolone for a week followed by 80 mg every other day or 4 to 8 mg dexamethasone every other day for one month have been shown to be effective.
In pediatric patients, the initial dose of Millipred Oral Solution (10 mg Prednisolone per 5 mL) may vary depending on the specific disease entity being treated. The range of initial doses is 0.14 to 2 mg/kg/day in three or four divided doses (4 to 60 mg/m2bsa/day).
The standard regimen used to treat nephrotic syndrome in pediatric patients is 60 mg/m2/day given in three divided doses for 4 weeks, followed by 4 weeks of single dose alternate-day therapy at 40 mg/m2/day.
The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) recommended dosing for systemic prednisone, prednisolone or methylprednisolone in children whose asthma is uncontrolled by inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting bronchodilators is 1-2 mg/kg/day in single or divided doses. It is further recommended that short course, or "burst" therapy, be continued until a child achieves a peak expiratory flow rate of 80% of his or her personal best or symptoms resolve. This usually requires 3 to 10 days of treatment, although it can take longer. There is no evidence that tapering the dose after improvement will prevent a relapse.
For the purpose of comparison, 5 mL of Millipred Oral Solution (13.4 mg Prednisolone sodium phosphate) is equivalent to the following milligram dosage of the various glucocorticoids:
Cortisone, 50 Triamcinolone, 8 Hydrocortisone, 40 Paramethasone, 4 Prednisolone, 10 Betamethasone, 1.5 Prednisone, 10 Dexamethasone, 1.5 Methylprednisolone, 8These dose relationships apply only to oral or intravenous administration of these compounds. When these substances or their derivatives are injected intramuscularly or into joint spaces, their relative properties may be greatly altered.
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