How Should Prednisone be Used ?

Prednisone comes as a tablet, a solution (liquid), and a concentrated solution to take by mouth. Prednisone is usually taken with food one to four times a day or once every other day. Your doctor will probably tell you to take your dose(s) of prednisone at certain time(s) of day every day. Your personal dosing schedule will depend on your condition and on how you respond to treatment.

Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully, and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do not understand. Take prednisone exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often or for a longer period of time than prescribed by your doctor.
If you are taking the concentrated solution, use the specially marked dropper that comes with the medication to measure your dose. You may mix the concentrated solution with juice, other flavored liquids, or soft foods such as applesauce.
Your doctor may change your dose of prednisone often during your treatment to be sure that you are always taking the lowest dose that works for you. Your doctor may also need to change your dose if you experience unusual stress on your body such as surgery, illness, infection, or a severe asthma attack. Tell your doctor if your symptoms improve or get worse or if you get sick or have any changes in your health during your treatment.
If you are taking prednisone to treat a long-lasting disease, the medication may help control your condition but will not cure it. Continue to take prednisone even if you feel well. Do not stop taking prednisone without talking to your doctor. If you suddenly stop taking prednisone, your body may not have enough natural steroids to function normally. This may cause symptoms such as extreme tiredness, weakness, slowed movements, upset stomach, weight loss, changes in skin color, sores in the mouth, and craving for salt. Call your doctor if you experience these or other unusual symptoms while you are taking decreasing doses of prednisone or after you stop taking the medication.

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Treat Nephrotic Syndrome with Hormones

Hormone is commonly used in treating nephrotic syndrome(NS) in western medicines and is often chosen by patients at the early stage of treatment.The curative effect of hormones in treatment process should be analyzd from the following aspects.

Primary treatment stage.
The curative effect of hormones has something to do with the dose. At the first,the dose should be large enough to alleviate the condition quickly. The dose of prednisone(pred) for the adults is 1mg/kg,as for the individual patients,the dosage can be increased to 1.5mg/kg. It is reported that the dose of prdnisone for children aging from 2 to 6 years old should be 2～2.5mg/kg.The younger the children are ,the greater the pred will be. It is worthwhile to note that the daily consumption of hormone less than 80mg is better. It is better to take the hormone in the morning.
The stage of reduction treatment
After about 8 weeks of using large dose of hormones,the dose should be reduced to 10% of the previous amount,that is 5mg for the adults. There are three points should be noted. First,if patient’s condition is not improving or even becomes worse after 8 weeks,excluding the factors such as infections which may affect the curative effect,continuous medication may be of no avail(hormone-ineffective type),the patients should reduce the consumption of hormone quickly in order to stop taking bills temporarily. If it is allowed,renal biopsy should be taken for a further and detailed check.
Second,if the symptoms such as urine protein reduced more than a half and swelling is alleviating,then amount of hormones can be reduced to 0.5mg/kg for the adults and 1 mg/kg for the children. The hormones can be taken every two daysin the morning.
Third,if the patients recover quickly because of the large dose of hormones,or the curative effect is seen within 6 weeks,the hormones can be used for another two weeks to consolidate the condition and then reduce the dosage. Generally speaking,the course of hormones is less than 3 months ,the increase of dosage and prolonged treatment should be operated carefully.
Persistent treatment period.For the primary large dose of hormones,some patients may become better and the dose can be reduced to small amount(adults:1mg/kg，children:2～2.5mg/kg) for sis months or longer. During the persistent period treatment,if the patients is in remission,the patients should take the medicines for another four weeks and then reduce the dose gradually till stop taking them.
For the hormone sensitive patients who achieve complete remission,they usually can reduce the dose to the maintenance level,that is,pred 0.4mg/kg,which is the necessary amount for the patients. There is a condition that the patients achieve in complete remission when they use hormones at first ,but the disease relapse in a short period or relapse because of reduction of dose. Under this circumstances,hormones can be used again according to the previous prescription for 12 to 18 months.

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