Prednisone vs Prednisolone: side effects in FDA adverse event reports
At a glance
| Prednisone | Prednisolone | |
|---|---|---|
| Drug class | Corticosteroid | Corticosteroid |
| Brand names | – | – |
| FAERS reports | 499,794 | 179,389 |
| Serious | 79% | 96% |
| Death outcome | 52,153 | 28,710 |
| Boxed warning | No | No |
Signals both drugs share
| Reaction | Prednisone | Prednisolone | Label screen (A / B) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nocardiosis | 888 · PRR 21.9 | 550 · PRR 31.8 | Labeled (related wording) / Labeled (related wording) |
| Steroid diabetes | 492 · PRR 21.0 | 373 · PRR 40.0 | Labeled (related wording) / Labeled (related wording) |
| Post transplant lymphoproliferative disorder | 1,691 · PRR 20.9 | 957 · PRR 27.4 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Deep vein thrombosis postoperative | 1,287 · PRR 80.1 | 542 · PRR 44.5 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Adjustment disorder with depressed mood | 1,072 · PRR 47.2 | 313 · PRR 21.3 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
| Polyomavirus-associated nephropathy | 808 · PRR 21.9 | 526 · PRR 34.0 | Likely indication confounding / Likely indication confounding |
| Lupus vulgaris | 814 · PRR 91.1 | 210 · PRR 24.9 | Not in label — unassessed / Not in label — unassessed |
Labeled signals distinctive to Prednisone
- Duodenal ulcer perforation — n=4,860, PRR 82.3 Labeled (related wording)
- Secondary immunodeficiency — n=420, PRR 22.4 Labeled (related wording)
Labeled signals distinctive to Prednisolone
- Bk virus infection — n=535, PRR 22.1 Labeled (related wording)
- Varicella zoster virus infection — n=387, PRR 26.8 Labeled (related wording)
- Hepatitis e — n=378, PRR 36.9 Labeled (related wording)
- Jc virus infection — n=284, PRR 25.1 Labeled (related wording)
- Infection reactivation — n=207, PRR 25.6 Labeled (related wording)
- Epstein-barr virus infection reactivation — n=199, PRR 21.7 Labeled (related wording)
Common questions
Which has more reported side effects, Prednisone or Prednisolone?
Prednisone has 499,794 FAERS reports and Prednisolone 179,389. 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 96%) is a better like-for-like signal of the kind of problems reported.
Which side effects do Prednisone and Prednisolone share?
Both drugs carry disproportionality signals for nocardiosis, steroid diabetes, post transplant lymphoproliferative disorder, deep vein thrombosis postoperative, adjustment disorder with depressed mood. Shared signals often reflect a shared drug class or the condition both are used for.
Is Prednisone or Prednisolone 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.