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Prednisone

Corticosteroidprescriptionoral · inferred

Synthetic corticosteroid prodrug converted in the liver to active prednisolone via 11-beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. Used for autoimmune diseases, allergic reactions, COPD exacerbations, and inflammatory conditions. Biological half-life (12-36h) greatly exceeds plasma half-life due to genomic mechanisms.

Projected serum levels — 10 mg, once daily

Prednisone (precursor)Prednisolone
Prednisone modeled serum levels, 10 mg once daily over 15 days Population-based pharmacokinetic estimate. Steady state reached after approximately 1 days. 0 1.3 2.5 3.8 5 Day 0 Day 4 Day 8 Day 11 Day 15 Time on a regular schedule ≈ steady state · day 1

Maintenance schedule: 10 mg once daily (oral).

Modeled steady state after ~1 days: peak ≈ 2.6 mg, trough ≈ 0.000 mg body load. Population-based estimate over 15 days for a 10 mg dose at a 70 kg reference body mass — the interactive app scales curves to your doses, timing, and body mass.

Key facts

Category
Corticosteroid
Route modeled
Oral
Model confidence
inferred
Half-life
3 h
Common dose
10 mg
Suggested maximum
60 mg/day
Reference dose range
2.5–60 mg (single dose)
Suggested cadence
once daily
Validated against
20 mg oral — Cmax 0.45 mg/L at 2 h

Documented interactions

  • contraindicated
    Efavirenz (Sustiva) + Prednisone CYP induction

    Efavirenz (Sustiva) inducer of CYP3A4 predicted to change Prednisone AUC by ~0.17x

  • contraindicated
    Rifampin + Prednisone CYP induction

    Rifampin inducer of CYP3A4 predicted to change Prednisone AUC by ~0.17x

  • danger
    Amlodipine (Norvasc) + Prednisone CYP inhibition

    Amlodipine (Norvasc) reversible_inhibitor of CYP3A4 predicted to change Prednisone AUC by ~2.00x

  • danger
    Ashwagandha (KSM-66) + Prednisone CYP inhibition

    Ashwagandha (KSM-66) reversible_inhibitor of CYP3A4 predicted to change Prednisone AUC by ~2.00x

  • danger
    Berberine + Prednisone CYP inhibition

    Berberine reversible_inhibitor of CYP3A4 predicted to change Prednisone AUC by ~2.00x

  • danger
    Black Seed Oil (Nigella sativa / Thymoquinone) + Prednisone CYP inhibition

    Black Seed Oil (Nigella sativa / Thymoquinone) reversible_inhibitor of CYP3A4 predicted to change Prednisone AUC by ~2.00x

Serum checks 277 modeled interaction pairings for prednisone across your whole stack — absorption conflicts, enzyme inhibition, and nutrient depletion included.

Research behind this entry

  1. Low-dose prednisone therapy for patients with early active rheumatoid arthritis: clinical efficacy, disease-modifying properties, and side effects van Everdingen AA et al. · Annals of Internal Medicine, 2002 DOI

    RCT demonstrating low-dose prednisone (10 mg/day) in early RA significantly improved symptoms and slowed radiographic progression over 2 years, establishing disease-modifying properties of low-dose corticosteroids.

  2. Clinical pharmacokinetics of prednisone and prednisolone Pickup ME · Clinical Pharmacokinetics, 1979 DOI

    Definitive pharmacokinetic review establishing prednisone as a prodrug with hepatic conversion to prednisolone, plasma half-lives of 2-4 hours, and the prolonged biological half-life of 12-36 hours.

  3. Reduction in the incidence of acute exacerbations of COPD using the anti-inflammatory agent prednisone Leuppi JD et al. · JAMA, 2013 DOI

    REDUCE trial demonstrated a 5-day course of prednisone 40 mg was non-inferior to a 14-day course for COPD exacerbations, establishing shorter steroid bursts as standard of care.

3 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.