This medication is used for primary or secondary adrenocortical insufficiency, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, non-suppurative thyroiditis, and hypercalcemia associated with cancer. It is also used as adjunctive therapy for short-term administration in psoriatic arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis (including juvenile RA), ankylosing spondylitis, acute and subacute bursitis, acute nonspecific tenosynovitis, acute gouty arthritis, post-traumatic osteoarthritis, synovitis of osteoarthritis, and epicondylitis. It may be used during exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of systemic lupus erythematosus, systemic dermatomyositis (polymyositis), acute rheumatic carditis, polymyalgia rheumatica, and giant cell arteritis. It is indicated for pemphigus, bullous dermatitis herpetiformis, severe erythema multiforme (Stevens–Johnson syndrome), exfoliative dermatitis, mycosis fungoides, severe psoriasis, and severe seborrheic dermatitis. It is used to control severe or incapacitating allergic conditions that do not respond to conventional treatment, such as seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis, serum sickness, bronchial asthma, drug hypersensitivity reactions, and contact or atopic dermatitis. It is also indicated for severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory conditions involving the eye and its adnexa, including allergic corneal marginal ulcers, anterior segment inflammation, diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis, sympathetic ophthalmia, allergic conjunctivitis, keratitis, chorioretinitis, optic neuritis, iritis, and iridocyclitis. Additional uses include symptomatic sarcoidosis, Loeffler’s syndrome not manageable by other means, berylliosis, fulminating or disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis when used concurrently with appropriate anti-TB chemotherapy, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura and secondary thrombocytopenia in adults, acquired (autoimmune) hemolytic anemia, erythroblastopenia, and congenital (erythroid) hypoplastic anemia. It is used for palliative management of leukemias and lymphomas in adults and for acute leukemia of childhood. The medication may induce diuresis or remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome without uremia, whether idiopathic or due to lupus erythematosus. It can help carry the patient through a critical period in ulcerative colitis and regional enteritis, manage exacerbations of multiple sclerosis, and treat edema associated with brain tumors. It is used for tuberculosis meningitis with subarachnoid block or impending block when given with appropriate anti-TB therapy, as well as trichinosis with neurologic or myocardial involvement. It is also used in organ transplantation.

This is not a substitute for consulting your doctor. Seek professional advice if you are experiencing any illness or symptoms.

The usual starting dose is 4–48 mg daily, depending on the disease being treated. For cerebral edema, the dose ranges from 200–1,000 mg daily. For organ transplantation, the dose may be up to 7 mg per kilogram of body weight each day. For acute exacerbations of multiple sclerosis, the recommended dosage is 500 mg daily for 5 days or 1,000 mg daily for 3 days.

Should be taken with food: Do not break/crushed.