What steroid medications are commonly prescribed for lupus?
Prednisone is the steroid most commonly prescribed for lupus. It is usually given as tablets that come in 1, 5, 10, or 20 milligram (mg) doses. Pills may be taken as often as 4 times a day or as infrequently as once every other day. Usually, a low dose of prednisone is about 7.5 mg per day or less, a medium dose is between 7.5 and 30 mg per day, and a dose of more than 30 mg qualifies as a high dose. Your doctor may also prescribe a similar drug called prednisolone, especially if you have had any liver problems. Prednisolone and prednisone are very similar. In fact, the liver must convert prednisone to prednisolone before the body can use it. Sometimes lupus flares can be treated with an intra-muscular (IM) injection of a drug called Triamcinolone. These injections are usually given at your doctor’s office, and they often reduce flares without some of the side-effects that would accompany an increase in the dosage of an oral steroid like prednisone. Usually, the only noticeable side ef
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