Rayos® (prednisone)

●      Brandname: Rayos®

●      Generic: prednisone

●      Uses: Certain inflammatory diseases, including arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and psoriatic conditions

●      How it works: Prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation.

●      Common side effects: Water retention, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, unusual behavior and mood changes, increased appetite, weight gain, acne, dry skin, thinning skin, bruising or discoloration.

●      Serious side effects: Eye pain or seeing halos around light, swelling, rapid weight gain, feeling short of breath, severe depression, unusual thoughts or behavior, seizure (convulsions), bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood, low potassium, dangerously high blood pressure. 

 ●      Who cannot use this medication: Hypersensitivity to any component of the formulation; systemic fungal infections; administration of live or live attenuated vaccines with high doses of this medication

●      Dose: Available as 1,2, or 5 mg delayed release tablets

○    5-60 mg/day

●      Package Insert: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2012/202020s000lbl.pdf

●      Reference:

○    Clinical pharmacology website. http://clinicalpharmacology-ip.com/Forms/drugoptions.aspx?cpnum=3771&n=Belviq. Accessed Sep 28, 2012.

○    Lexi comp website http://online.lexi.com/lco/action/doc/retrieve /docid/patch_f/3808862. Accessed Sep 28, 2012.

○    Drug Information Online. http://www.drugs.com/belviq.html. Accessed Sep 28, 2012.