Methylprednisolone



Methylprednisolone





(meth ill pred niss’ oh lone)


Methylprednisolone

Oral: Medrol


Methylprednisolone Acetate

IM injection: Depo-Medrol


Methylprednisolone Sodium Succinate

IV, IM injection: A-Methapred, Solu-Medrol

PREGNANCY CATEGORY C


Drug Classes

Corticosteroid

Glucocorticoid

Hormone


Therapeutic Actions

Enters target cells and binds to intracellular corticosteroid receptors, initiating many complex reactions that are responsible for its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects.


Indications



  • Short-term management of various inflammatory and allergic disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, collagen diseases (eg, SLE), dermatologic diseases (eg, pemphigus), status asthmaticus, and autoimmune disorders (eg, MS)


  • Hematologic disorders: Thrombocytopenia purpura, erythroblastopenia


  • Ulcerative colitis, acute exacerbations of MS, and palliation in some leukemias and lymphomas


  • Trichinosis with neurologic or myocardial involvement


  • Prevention of nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy


  • Unlabeled uses: Septic shock, RDS, acute spinal cord injury, postherpetic neuralgia, nausea and vomiting of pregnancy.



Available Forms

Tablets—2, 4, 8, 16, 24, 32 mg; powder for injection—40, 125, 500 mg/vial; 1, 2 g/vial; suspension for injection—20, 40, 80 mg/mL


Dosages

Adults

Individualize dosage, depending on severity and response. Give daily dose before 9 AM to minimize adrenal suppression. For maintenance, reduce initial dose in small increments at intervals until the lowest satisfactory clinical dose is reached. If long-term
therapy is needed, consider alternate-day therapy with a short-acting corticosteroid. After long-term therapy, withdraw drug slowly to prevent adrenal insufficiency.

Oral

4–48 mg/day PO. For alternate-day therapy, give twice the usual dose every other morning.

IV, IM

10–40 mg IV administered over several min. Give subsequent doses IV or IM.



  • High-dose therapy: 30 mg/kg IV infused over 10–30 min; may repeat every 4–6 hr but not longer than 72 hr.

Warning Rapid IV administration of large doses (more than 0.5–1 g in less than 10 min) has caused serious cardiac complications.

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Jul 21, 2016 | Posted by in NURSING | Comments Off on Methylprednisolone

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