Taking Cold Medicine With Methylprednisolone

Answer

It's tough to give a specific recommendation since I don't know the exact autoimmune disorder you suffer from, which cold medications you are thinking of taking, or what dose of methylprednisolone you are on.

Having said that, I'm sure we can help out with some information for you as there is really only one class of drug available over-the-counter that you should not take with methylprednisolone (or prednisone) without first talking to your doctor, the NSAIDs.

Drugs in this class include:

• Advil; Motrin (ibuprofen)
• Aleve (Naproxen)

What Is Methylprednisolone?

Methylprednisolone is known as a glucocorticoid (or simply a corticosteroid) and is used for its anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects. It can be used either short-term or long-term for various autoimmune disorders.

It is also commonly prescribed to treat mild inflammatory conditions that occur due to a bacterial or viral infection.  A 'Medrol Dose Pack' consists of a 6-day course of a tapering dose of methylprednisolone and is what is usually used in an outpatient setting.

Cold Medication Choice With Methylprednisolone

Whenever I discuss OTC medication, I always make sure that I emphasize the importance of looking at the 'Drug Facts' label of the product you are thinking of taking.

There are loads of brand names out there, and many of them contain multiple ingredients. You don't want to accidentally take too much of any one drug.

Now, there are A LOT of cold medications out there. I'll touch on most of them here and discuss their safety with methylprednisolone. Let's look at them all and categorize them by what symptom they are used for.

Pain Relief

• Acetaminophen
• Ibuprofen
• Naproxen

All of these are over-the-counter pain medications. Ibuprofen and naproxen are also anti-inflammatory agents.

Depending on the type of autoimmune disorder you have, over-the-counter antiinflammatory medications typically aren't recommended.

They can cause bleeding issues and taking them with methylprednisolone can cause some concerning gastrointestinal side effects. Unless otherwise directed by your doctor, do not take ibuprofen or naproxen with methylprednisolone.

Acetaminophen is OK to take in most cases so that is what I would recommend. It is by far the most common ingredient in multi-symptom cold medications.

Nasal Decongestant/Sinus Pressure

• Pseudoephedrine
• Phenylephrine

These are two different nasal decongestants taken by mouth. Pseudoephedrine tends to be much more effective. There is no interaction with either and methylprednisolone.

Cough

• Dextromethorphan

This is the only over-the-counter cough medication not including various types of cough drops. This is OK to take with methylprednisolone as there is no interaction.

Mucus

• Guaifenesin

This is known as an expectorant and helps break up mucus. It is OK to take with methylprednisolone.

Antihistamines

• Doxylamine
• Diphenhydramine
• Chlorpheniramine
• Cetirizine
• Loratadine

These are all antihistamines and again, are OK to take with methylprednisolone.

Final Words

So, the only drug class that is NOT recommended for you would be the anti-inflammatory pain medications naproxen and ibuprofen. You should be OK in terms of interactions with everything else listed.

Without knowing your autoimmune disorder I can't give a definitive recommendation but hopefully, this information helps you.