Medication · corticosteroid systemic

Supplements and Prednisolone.

Every documented pair, every citation. Below: 2 documented pairs grouped by mechanism.

Prednisolone, sold under the brand names Deltacortril, Pevanti, Dilacort, is a systemic corticosteroid.

Prednisolone is a systemic corticosteroid. It is prescribed for inflammatory conditions where the local airway delivery of inhaled steroids does not reach the target. Courses over two to three weeks carry the documented side effect profile. Weight gain. Elevated glucose. Mood effects. Bone density loss. Adrenal suppression on withdrawal. Increased infection risk. The supplement surface includes additive osteoporosis risk from anything that opposes bone health (high-sodium intake, alcohol, vitamin D deficiency), additive glucose elevation in patients on diabetes management, and CYP3A4 interactions for the more 3A4-sensitive agents (methylprednisolone, dexamethasone). Vitamin D and calcium adequacy underpin bone protection during long courses, and most rheumatology and respiratory teams co-prescribe both. NSAID combination warrants care given the additive GI ulceration risk on top of gastric mucosal thinning from corticosteroids.

Below are the 2 documented pairs we have explicitly assessed against Prednisolone in the Distil database: 2 green. The pairs cluster around 1 mechanism: Beneficial combination. Every call is cited to either a clinical reference (PMID) or the British National Formulary. Anything not on this list is either still to be assessed or beyond our database scope. The checker beneath surfaces assessments by supplement, and the missing-item form at the bottom of the page routes any uncatalogued supplement into our next curation pass.

Documented interactions

Beneficial combination

Green Calcium

This is usually a helpful pairing rather than a problem. Long-term steroids like prednisolone reduce how well you absorb calcium and increase the calcium your body loses in urine, which weakens bone over time. For that reason calcium, taken together with vitamin D, is routinely recommended alongside steroids to protect your bones. Guidelines advise normalising calcium intake for anyone taking steroids for three months or more. If you are on long-term or higher-dose steroids your prescriber may also check your bone health and consider additional bone medication, since calcium and vitamin D alone may not be enough at higher fracture risk.

PMID 28585373 · PMID 39556468 · BNF: Prednisolone

Green Vitamin D3

This is usually a helpful pairing rather than a problem. Long-term steroids like prednisolone weaken bone and reduce how well you absorb calcium, so vitamin D (often with calcium) is routinely recommended alongside them to protect your bones. Guidelines advise keeping vitamin D in a healthy range for anyone taking steroids for three months or more. At very high steroid doses the bone-protecting effect of vitamin D may be partly blunted, so if you are on long-term or high-dose steroids your prescriber may also check your bone health and consider additional bone medication.

PMID 17117304 · PMID 20125175 · PMID 28585373 · PMID 39556468 · BNF: Prednisolone

What this list does not say. Pairs not flagged here are not implicitly safe. They are either not yet in our database, or fall outside our inclusion scope (food-supplement interactions only; for drug-drug interactions, the BNF is authoritative). Use the checker below to surface any supplement, and submit a missing item if you take something we have not catalogued.

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For adults over 18. This tool gives evidence-graded information, not medical advice. Always discuss changes with your GP, especially if you take any medication, are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have a serious health condition.

Your supplements

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How we decide

How we grade severity, choose what's in scope, and what we exclude.

Every call on this page is reasoned. We publish the full rubric for severity tiers, the medication inclusion logic, the evidence grades we accept, and what we deliberately leave out. About three thousand words. Worth reading once if you use this tool more than occasionally.

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Distil's interactions database is reviewed and updated every quarter. We grade evidence transparently and publish our methodology, including every database change, at /about/methodology. This tool is information, not a substitute for clinical judgement. If you take medication and supplements together, your GP or pharmacist can review your full regimen against your medical history. If you want a full personalised stack reasoned against this same database, the Distil report is the next step up.