Medrol vs prednisone? Indications? Contraindications?

Prednisone needs to be modified in the liver in order to be active, but methylprednisolone (Medrol) and prednisolone do not. Theoretically, some people, whether due to liver disease or a deficiency in the liver enzyme, may not convert prednisone to its active metabolite efficiently and would do better on a directly active drug. In practice, this is thought to be quite rare. A switch from prednisone to Medrol may be indicated in some patients who are expected to respond to prednisone but don’t, but only if the patient has remarkably few side effects also.

(Click the back button in your browser to go back to the FAQ page.)