Chemocare.com
Care During Chemotherapy and Beyond
Generic Name: Methylprednisolone
Other Trade Names: Duralone®, Medralone®, M-Prednisol®, Solu-Medrol®
Other Names: 6-Methylprednisolone, Methylprednisolone Acetate,
Methylprednisolone Sodium Succinate
Drug Type:
Medrol has many uses in the treatment of cancer. Medrol is most often as a
supportive care medication. Medrol is classified as a glucocorticosteroid.
(For more detail, see "How Medrol Works" section below).
What Medrol Is Used For:
- As an anti-inflammatory medication. Prednisolone relieves inflammation in
various parts of the body.
- To treat or prevent allergic reactions.
- As treatment of certain kinds of autoimmune diseases, skin conditions, asthma and
other lung conditions.
- As treatment for a variety of cancers, such as leukemia, lymphoma, and multiple
myeloma.
- To treat nausea and vomiting associated with some chemotherapy drugs.
- Used to stimulate appetite in cancer patients with severe appetite problems.
- Also used to replace steroids in conditions of adrenal insufficiency (low production
of needed steroids produced by the adrenal glands).
- Used as prevention and treatment of graft-versus-host disease following allogeneic
bone marrow transplantation.
Note: If a drug has been approved for one use, physicians sometimes elect
to use this same drug for other problems if they believe it might be helpful.
How Medrol Is Given:
- Medrol may be given to you in many forms. In a pill form, it is available in 2 mg,
4 mg, 8mg, 16mg, 24mg and 32 mg tablets. If you are on a daily dose of Medrol, and
you miss a dose, take the dose as soon as you remember.
- Take Medrol pills with food or after meals.
- Medrol may also be given by injection into the muscle (intramuscular, IM) or into
the vein (intravenously, IV), by a healthcare provider.
- The amount of hydrocortisone you will receive depends on many factors, including
your height and weight, your general health or other health problems, and the reason
you are receiving Medrol. Your doctor will determine your exact dosage and
schedule.
Side Effects:
Important things to remember about Medrol side effects:
- Most people do not experience all of the Medrol side effects listed.
- Medrol side effects are often predictable in terms of their onset and duration.
- Medrol side effects are almost always reversible and will go away after treatment
is complete.
- There are many options to help minimize or prevent Medrol side effects.
The following Medrol side effects are common (occurring in greater than 30%) for
patients taking Medrol:
The following are less common Medrol side effects (occurring in 10 to 29%) for patients
receiving Medrol:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Mood swings
- Cataracts and bone thinning (with long-term use)
This list includes common and less common side effects for individuals taking Medrol.
Medrol side effects that are very rare, occurring in less than 10% of patients,
are not listed here. However, you should always inform your health care provider
if you experience any unusual symptoms.
When to contact your doctor or health care provider:
Contact your health care provider immediately, day or night, if you should experience
any of the following symptoms:
- Fever of 100.4° F (38° C), chills (possible signs of infection)
- If you feel an irregular or fast heartbeat, shortness of breath, or chest or jaw
pain, seek emergency help and notify your healthcare provider.
- If you become suddenly confused.
The following symptoms require medical attention, but are not emergency situations.
Contact your health care provider within 24 hours of noticing any of the following:
- Extreme fatigue (unable to carry on self-care activities)
- Any unusual bleeding or bruising
- Black or tarry stools, or blood in your stools or urine
- Nausea (interferes with ability to eat and unrelieved with prescribed medications)
- Vomiting (vomiting more than 4-5 times in a 24-hour period)
- Dizziness or lightheadedness, feeling faint.
- Persistent headache
- Severe hot flashes or mood swings
- Inability to sleep (insomnia)
- Severe skeletal (bone) pain
- Difficult or painful urination; increased urination, or severe thirst
- Changes in vision, blurred vision, eye pain, enlarged pupils, discharge
- Any new rashes or changes in your skin
- Swelling of the feet or ankles. Sudden weight gain (greater than 3 pounds
a week)
- Swelling, redness and/or pain in one leg or arm and not the other
Always inform your health care provider if you experience any unusual symptoms.
Precautions:
- Before starting Medrol treatment, make sure you tell your doctor about any other
medications you are taking (including prescription, over-the-counter, vitamins,
herbal remedies, etc.). Do not take aspirin, or products containing aspirin
unless your doctor specifically permits this.
- Do not receive any kind of immunization or vaccination without your doctor's approval
while taking Medrol.
- If you have been on Medrol pills daily, for a long period of time, serious side
effects may occur if you discontinue the medication abruptly. Do not stop taking
Medrol unless directed by your healthcare provider. Do not change the dose of Medrol
on your own.
- Inform your health care professional if you are pregnant or may be pregnant prior
to starting this treatment. Pregnancy category C (use in pregnancy only when
benefit to the mother outweighs risk to the fetus).
- For both men and women: Do not conceive a child (get pregnant) while taking Medrol.
Barrier methods of contraception, such as condoms, are recommended. Discuss with
your doctor when you may safely become pregnant or conceive a child after therapy.
- Do not breast feed while taking Medrol.
Self-Care Tips:
- If you are on Medrol for a long period of time, you may be more susceptible to infection.
Wash your hands well, and report any symptoms of infection to your healthcare provider
if noted.
- In a pill form: Take Medrol with food to lessen an upset stomach. Also take Medrol
early on in the day (before 12:00 noon, if possible), so you will be able
to sleep better at night.
- If you have diabetes, Medrol may increase your blood sugar levels. Notify your healthcare
provider that you are diabetic. You may need close monitoring.
- Drink 2 to 3 quarts of fluid every 24 hours, unless you were told to restrict your
fluid intake, and maintain good nutrition.
- To reduce nausea, take anti-nausea medications as prescribed by your doctor, and
eat small, frequent meals.
- In general, drinking alcoholic beverages should be avoided. You should also
limit caffeine intake (colas, tea, coffee and chocolate, especially). These beverages
may irritate your stomach.
- If you experience symptoms or side effects, especially if severe, be sure to discuss
them with your health care team. They can prescribe medications and/or offer
other suggestions that are effective in managing such problems.
Monitoring and Testing:
You will be checked regularly by your health care professional while you are taking
Medrol, to monitor side effects and check your response to therapy. Periodic
blood work to monitor your complete blood count (CBC) as well as the function of
other organs (such as your kidneys and liver) will also be ordered by your doctor.
How Medrol Works:
Corticosteroids are naturally produced by the adrenal gland in the body. Corticosteroids
influence the functioning of most of the body's systems (heart, immune, muscles
and bones, endocrine and nervous system). They exert a wide array of effects
including effects on the metabolism of carbohydrates, protein and fats. They
help to maintain balance of fluids and electrolytes.
Medrol is classified as a corticosteroid (more precisely a glucocorticosteroid),
and has many uses in the treatment of cancer.
One way that it works is to decrease inflammation (swelling). It does this
by preventing infection- fighting white blood cells (polymorphonuclear leukocytes)
from traveling to the area of swelling in your body. (This is why you are more prone
to infection while taking steroids). Taking advantage of the anti-inflammatory
properties of the medication, corticosteroids are used to decrease the swelling
around tumors. For example, by decreasing swelling around tumors in the spine,
brain, or bone, it can decrease the pressure of the tumor on nerve endings and relieve
pain or other symptoms caused by the pressing tumor.
Another way Medrol works is by altering the body's normal immune system responses.
Corticosteroids are used to treat certain conditions that effect the immune system
such as aplastic anemia (AA), Immune Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP), Thrombotic
Thrombocytopenia Purpura (TTP), or hemolytic anemia.
In addition, it is thought that corticosteroids may help in the treatment of patients
with blood disorders, such as multiple myeloma. Corticosteroids may work by
causing programmed cell death (apoptosis) of certain cells, which may help to fight
your disease.
Corticosteroids are also used in the short-term treatment of nausea caused by chemotherapy.
How it does this is not fully understood. They also have been used to stimulate
appetite for patients with severe appetite problems.
Corticosteroids are used to replace steroids in conditions of adrenal insufficiency
(low production of needed steroids produced by the adrenal glands).
Note: We strongly encourage you to talk with your health care professional
about your specific medical condition and treatments. The information contained
in this website is meant to be helpful and educational, but is not a substitute
for medical advice.
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