Prednisone vs Methylprednisolone: side effects in FDA adverse event reports
At a glance
| Prednisone | Methylprednisolone | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | Corticosteroid | Corticosteroid |
| Brand names | – | – |
| FAERS reports | 499,794 | 137,404 |
| Serious | 79% | 90% |
| Death outcome | 52,153 | 23,035 |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
Signals both drugs share
| Reaction | Prednisone | Methylprednisolone | Label screen (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steroid diabetes | 492 · PRR 21.0 | 320 · PRR 42.7 | Labeled (related wording) / Labeled (related wording) |
| Secondary immunodeficiency | 420 · PRR 22.4 | 274 · PRR 45.3 | Labeled (related wording) / Labeled (related wording) |
| Rheumatic fever | 3,108 · PRR 104.3 | 965 · PRR 43.1 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Facet joint syndrome | 1,801 · PRR 55.5 | 793 · PRR 51.2 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Peripheral venous disease | 1,457 · PRR 23.7 | 726 · PRR 33.8 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Dislocation of vertebra | 1,083 · PRR 39.3 | 440 · PRR 37.5 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Adjustment disorder with depressed mood | 1,072 · PRR 47.2 | 368 · PRR 33.9 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Polyomavirus-associated nephropathy | 808 · PRR 21.9 | 490 · PRR 40.6 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Lupus vulgaris | 814 · PRR 91.1 | 331 · PRR 58.7 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Retinitis | 721 · PRR 31.4 | 375 · PRR 44.1 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
Labeled signals distinctive to Prednisone
- Duodenal ulcer perforation — n=4,860, PRR 82.3 Labeled (related wording)
- Nocardiosis — n=888, PRR 21.9 Labeled (related wording)
Labeled signals distinctive to Methylprednisolone
- Graft versus host disease in gastrointestinal tract — n=419, PRR 37.3 Labeled (related wording)
Common questions
Which has more reported side effects, Prednisone or Methylprednisolone?
Prednisone has 499,794 FAERS reports and Methylprednisolone 137,404. More reports does not mean more dangerous: volume follows how widely and how long a drug has been used, prescription vs over-the-counter status, and publicity. The seriousness share (79% vs 90%) is a better like-for-like signal of the kind of problems reported.
Which side effects do Prednisone and Methylprednisolone share?
Both drugs carry disproportionality signals for steroid diabetes, secondary immunodeficiency, rheumatic fever, facet joint syndrome, peripheral venous disease. Shared signals often reflect a shared drug class or the condition both are used for.
Is Prednisone or Methylprednisolone safer?
FAERS cannot answer that: it has no denominator and no comparator. Use this page to see which risks are already on each label and which signals are unlabeled, then check the prescribing information and your clinician for your situation.
Sources: openFDA FAERS pair statistics (OpenPV build 2026-09-14), FDA labels via openFDA, openFDA count queries for seriousness and deaths. Pair chosen because it is a commonly searched comparison. Generated 2026-10-08.