Medrol Dose Pack Prescribing Guidelines

Indications and Dosage

For acute asthma exacerbations, a short-course burst of 40-60 mg/day as a single or 2 divided doses for 3-10 days is recommended by the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 2, 6
The American College of Rheumatology recommends polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) treatment with the minimum effective GC dose within a range of 12.5-25 mg prednisone equivalent daily 3
For acute gouty arthritis, the American College of Rheumatology suggests using Medrol dose pack when NSAIDs or colchicine are contraindicated or ineffective 4

The typical Medrol dose pack contains 21 tablets (4 mg each) taken over 6 days in a tapering schedule, as recommended by medical guidelines 5

Short-term use of Medrol dose pack may cause reversible abnormalities in glucose metabolism, increased appetite, fluid retention, weight gain, mood alteration, and hypertension, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 2, 6
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology also notes that comorbid conditions such as infections, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, peptic ulcer disease, and osteoporosis should be considered when prescribing Medrol dose pack 2, 6

The short duration of the Medrol dose pack (6 days) means that serious side effects associated with chronic steroid use are less likely, as noted by medical guidelines 5
There is no evidence that tapering the dose after improvement in symptom control prevents relapse, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology 2