Meticorten instructions
Meticorten refers to a group of drugs called corticosteroids. The active ingredient of Meticorten is Prednisolone. The drug is used to treat various diseases. Prednisolone is most often prescribed to treat allergic reactions, some skin conditions, severe asthma attacks, and arthritis. It is also used to treat corticosteroid deficiency, some hematological disorders, some forms of cancer, and ulcerative colitis.
Methicorten reduces swelling, inflammation and irritation, suppressing the body's immune response or replacing steroids when the body does not produce enough of them.
Therapeutic Indications
Meticorten 20 mg tablets are indicated for the treatment of various endocrinological, musculoskeletal, connective tissue, dermatological, allergic, ophthalmologic, respiratory, hematologic, and neoplastic diseases. Treatment with corticosteroid hormones is an adjunct to conventional therapy:
- Endocrine disorders: primary or secondary adrenal insufficiency (together with mineralocorticoids if necessary); congenital adrenal hyperplasia; non-pulmonary thyroiditis and cancer-related hypercalcemia.
- Musculoskeletal disorders: psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gouty arthritis, osteoarthritis, synovitis, rheumatism, acute and subacute bursitis, acute non-specific tenosynovitis, epicondylitis.
- Connective tissue diseases: during exacerbation or during maintenance treatment in some cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, polymyositis, dermatomyositis, and acute rheumatic heart disease.
- Dermatological diseases: dermatitis, mycosis, psoriasis, various types of seborrheic dermatitis and urticaria.
- Allergic diseases: allergic rhinitis, nasal polyps, bronchial asthma (including asthmatic status), contact dermatitis, atopic dermatitis (neurodermitis), hypersensitivity reactions to drugs and serum disease.
- Respiratory disorders: symptoms of sarcoidosis, LΓΆffler's syndrome, not treatable by other means; berylliosis; disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis in combination with appropriate antifungal therapy; pulmonary emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis.
- Hematologic disorders:
- Autoimmune hemolytic anemia; erythroblastopenia (erythrocytic anemia) and congenital hypoplastic (erythroid) anemia; transfusion reactions.
- Gastrointestinal diseases: to treat exacerbations of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
The manifestation of adverse reactions is more common in the elderly, especially in patients with osteoporosis, hypertension, hypokalemia, diabetes mellitus, susceptibility to infections and thinning of the skin. To avoid life-threatening reactions, a thorough clinical examination should be performed and all physician recommendations should be followed.
Meticorten: Side Effects
During the use of the drug, Meticorten 20mg may be noted:
- A decrease in the body's ability to defend itself against infections (which may lead to a recurrence of an existing infection or increase the risk of serious complications after vaccination);
- An increase in the number of white blood cells in the blood;
- Disruption of the acid-base balance of the blood;
- Bruises or small red spots on the skin;
- Hypertensive conditions (increased blood pressure); retention of water and salts, which can lead to heart failure;
- The inability of the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body (congestive heart failure);
- Bradycardia (slow heartbeat);
- Mood disorders (agitation, euphoria), sleep disorders (common cases);
- Severe mental status disorder, which may manifest as loss of contact with reality, disorganization of thinking, speech, and delirium (psychosis);
- Cushing's syndrome: recognized by weight gain, swelling, and redness of the face, excessive hair growth;
- Decreased glucose tolerance, which leads to the development of diabetes mellitus;
- Brittle bones (osteoporosis, fractures);
- Painful bone lesions in the hip joint area (osteonecrosis);
- Insufficient hormone production by a gland located above the kidneys (adrenal gland);
- Retarded growth in children and adolescents;
- Menstrual disorders;
- Inability to get or keep an erection (impotence) and low libido in men.
Do not stop taking Meticorten (Prednisolone) without first consulting your doctor. To end long-term treatment with Meticorten, the dose should be reduced gradually, according to the doctor's instructions. Stopping the drug suddenly after long-term treatment with Meticorten may result in corticosteroid withdrawal symptoms, including nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, muscle or joint pain, and general malaise.
Can Meticorten cause weight gain?
Continued use of Meticorten causes changes in metabolic processes, which include:
- Increased appetite.
- Increased breakdown of proteins while decreasing their synthesis.
- Breakdown of fats followed by their unequal distribution throughout the body.
- Excessive fluid and sodium retention leads to swelling of the whole body.
- Increase of glucose on the background of a decrease of its natural excretion by body tissues.
- Loss of calcium, and further destruction of bone tissue.
- Increased production of pancreatic juice.
All this contributes to the appearance of excess weight, which can subsequently lead to obesity. Deposition of fat occurs mainly in the face, neck, and abdomen.
Meticorten: Contraindications
Meticorten (Prednisolone) is prohibited for patients with the following conditions and characteristics:
- Patients with systemic mycosis (an infection that is caused by fungi);
- People with allergies to Prednisolone, Betamethasone, and other corticosteroids;
- Pregnant women and during lactation (breastfeeding);
- It is not recommended to receive live viral vaccines (refuse routine vaccination) during treatment with Meticorten, since there is a risk of infection, as a result of suppression of the immune system.
Before using any medication, be sure to tell your doctor about any diseases or allergies you may have, the medications you are using, and any other important facts about your health.
