Methylprednisolon-Tabletten

About methylprednisolone

Methylprednisolone tablets belong to a group of medicines called corticosteroids. It is sometimes referred to simply as an oral steroid. Orale Steroide are used to treat a wide variety of conditions. Some examples include inflammatory bowel diseases (for example, Morbus Crohn, Colitis ulcerosa), autoimmune diseases (for example, systemischer Lupus erythematodes (SLE), Sarkoidose), joint and muscle diseases (for example, rheumatoide Arthritis), and Allergien. They are also used to treat some cancers.

Methylprednisolone works in part by interfering with the release of certain chemicals in your body which cause inflammation.

Methylprednisolone is also available in the form of an injection. Some types of injection are used when treatment is needed quickly, or a person is unable to swallow tablets. Other types of injection are given to relieve inflammation in a specific area, such as a painful or swollen joint. This leaflet gives advice for people taking methylprednisolone tablets.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine can only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking methylprednisolone it is important that your doctor knows:

• Wenn Sie hohen Blutdruck (Hypertonie) haben.

• Wenn Sie einen Herzinfarkt erlitten haben oder andere Herzprobleme haben.

• Wenn Sie Probleme mit der Funktion Ihrer Leber haben oder wenn Sie Probleme mit der Funktion Ihrer Nieren haben.

• Wenn Sie (oder ein naher Familienangehöriger) Diabetes oder eine Augenerkrankung namens Glaukom haben.

• If you have any of the following conditions: an underactive thyroid, 'thinning' of the bones (osteoporosis), epilepsy, a condition causing muscle weakness (called myasthenia gravis), a stomach ulcer, or a bowel disorder.

• Wenn Sie jemals ein psychisches Gesundheitsproblem hatten.

• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding. (Oral steroids like methylprednisolone can be taken while you are expecting or breastfeeding; however, it is important that your doctor knows about the baby.)

• Wenn Sie derzeit eine Infektion haben oder in der Vergangenheit Tuberkulose (TB) hatten.

• Wenn Sie jemals einen unerwünschten Blutgerinnsel in einer Arterie oder Vene hatten.

• Wenn Sie kürzlich eine Impfung erhalten haben oder bald eine erhalten werden.

• If you are taking other medicines. This includes any medicines which are available to buy without a prescription, as well as herbal and complementary medicines.

• Wenn Sie jemals eine allergische Reaktion auf ein Medikament hatten oder wenn Sie jemals Muskelschmerzen nach der Einnahme eines Steroidmedikaments entwickelt haben.

• Before starting the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack and any additional information you are given by your doctor. These will give you more information about methylprednisolone and will also provide you with a full list of side-effects which you could experience from taking it.

• Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how many tablets to take for each dose. It is usual to take methylprednisolone once daily at breakfast-time. If you have been told otherwise, you must take the tablets exactly as you have been told by your doctor.

• Take methylprednisolone with food. Swallow the tablet with a drink of water.

• Wenn Sie eine Dosis zu Ihrer gewohnten Zeit vergessen haben, nehmen Sie sie so bald wie möglich ein (mit etwas zu essen). Wenn Sie sich erst am nächsten Tag daran erinnern, lassen Sie die vergessene Dosis weg. Nehmen Sie nicht zwei Dosen auf einmal ein, um eine vergessene Dosis auszugleichen.

• Continue to take methylprednisolone until your doctor tells you to stop. Stopping taking the tablets suddenly can cause problems so your doctor will want you to reduce your dose gradually over a period of time if/when this becomes necessary.

• If your course of treatment is due to last more than three weeks, you will be given a 'Steroid Treatment Card' which says that you are on steroids and contains some important advice for you. It is important that you read this card and carry it with you at all times. It also contains details about your dose, how long you have been taking methylprednisolone for, and who prescribed it for you. Please make sure that this information is kept up to date. If you are having an operation or dental treatment or any treatment for an injury, tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking methylprednisolone and show them your treatment card. This is because your dose may need adjusting.

• Versuchen Sie, Ihre regelmäßigen Termine bei Ihrem Arzt einzuhalten. Damit kann Ihr Arzt Ihren Fortschritt überwachen. Ihr Arzt wird möchten, dass Sie von Zeit zu Zeit Tests durchführen lassen, um sicherzustellen, dass Sie frei von einigen unerwünschten Nebenwirkungen der Behandlung bleiben.

• There are several strengths of methylprednisolone tablets available: 2 mg, 4 mg, 16 mg, and 100 mg. Each time you collect a new supply of tablets from your pharmacy, check to see if the tablets are the same as before. If they are different, speak with your pharmacist who will check it out for you.

• Methylprednisolone can suppress your immune system, so it is important if you become ill that you make an appointment to see your doctor straightaway. Also, if you come into contact with anyone who has measles, shingles or chickenpox (or anyone who suspects they might have them), you müssen see your doctor as soon as possible.

• Some vaccines are not suitable for you while you are being treated with methylprednisolone. If you need any immunisations, make sure you mention that you are taking an oral steroid.

• It is best not to drink grapefruit juice while you are on methylprednisolone. This is because a chemical in grapefruit juice is thought to increase the amount of methylprednisolone in your bloodstream, and could make side-effects more likely.

• If you buy any medicines, check with your pharmacist that they are suitable to take with methylprednisolone.

Along with its useful effects, methylprednisolone can cause unwanted side-effects which your doctor will discuss with you. The benefits of taking an oral steroid usually outweigh the side-effects; however, they can sometimes be troublesome. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with methylprednisolone. The best place to find a full list of the side-effects which can be associated with your medicine, is from the manufacturer's printed information leaflet supplied with the medicine. Alternatively, you can find an example of a manufacturer's information leaflet in the reference section below.

Obwohl nicht jeder Nebenwirkungen erlebt und sich einige mit der Zeit bessern, wenn sich Ihr Körper an das neue Medikament gewöhnt, sprechen Sie mit Ihrem Arzt oder Apotheker, wenn Sie sich über eines der folgenden Dinge Sorgen machen:

Wichtig: you should let your doctor know if you start to experience blurred vision or other vision problems whilst taking methylprednisolone.

For more information about side-effects which are possible when methylprednisolone is taken long-term, see the separate leaflet called Orale Steroide.

• Bewahren Sie alle Medikamente außerhalb der Reichweite und Sicht von Kindern auf.

• An einem kühlen, trockenen Ort aufbewahren, fern von direkter Hitze und Licht.