When oral therapy is not feasible, and the strength, dosage form, and route of administration of the drug reasonably lend the preparation to the treatment of the condition, the intravenous or intramuscular use of SOLU-MEDROL Sterile Powder is indicated as follows: Allergic states: Control of severe or incapacitating allergic conditions intractable to adequate trials of conventional treatment in asthma, atopic dermatitis, contact dermatitis, drug hypersensitivity reactions, perennial or seasonal allergic rhinitis, serum sickness, transfusion reactions. Dermatologic diseases: Bullous dermatitis herpetiformis, exfoliative erythroderma, mycosis fungoides, pemphigus, severe erythema multiforme (Stevens-Johnson syndrome). See package insert for complete information.

Use only the accompanying diluent or Bacteriostatic Water For Injection with Benzyl Alcohol when reconstituting SOLU-MEDROL (see DESCRIPTION). Use within 48 hours after mixing. Parenteral drug products should be inspected visually for particulate matter and discoloration prior to administration, whenever solution and container permit. This preparation may be administered by intravenous injection, by intravenous infusion, or by intramuscular injection, the preferred method for initial emergency use being intravenous injection. Following the initial emergency period, consideration should be given to employing a longer acting injectable preparation or an oral preparation. See package insert for complete information.

The following adverse reactions have been reported with SOLU-MEDROL or other corticosteroids: Allergic reactions: Allergic or hypersensitivity reactions, anaphylactoid reaction, anaphylaxis, angioedema. Cardiovascular: Bradycardia, cardiac arrest, cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac enlargement, circulatory collapse, congestive heart failure, fat embolism, hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in premature infants, myocardial rupture following recent myocardial infarction (see WARNINGS), pulmonary edema, syncope, tachycardia, thromboembolism, thrombophlebitis, vasculitis. See package insert for complete information.

SOLU-MEDROL Sterile Powder is contraindicated: • in systemic fungal infections and patients with known hypersensitivity to the product and its constituents. • for intrathecal administration. Reports of severe medical events have been associated with this route of administration. Intramuscular corticosteroid preparations are contraindicated for idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura. Additional contraindication for the use of SOLU-MEDROL Sterile Powder preserved with benzyl alcohol: Formulations preserved with benzyl alcohol are contraindicated for use in premature infants.

This product, like many other steroid formulations, is sensitive to heat. Therefore, it should not be autoclaved when it is desirable to sterilize the exterior of the vial. The lowest possible dose of corticosteroid should be used to control the condition under treatment. When reduction in dosage is possible, the reduction should be gradual. Since complications of treatment with glucocorticoids are dependent on the size of the dose and the duration of treatment, a risk/benefit decision must be made in each individual case as to dose and duration of treatment and as to whether daily or intermittent therapy should be used. Kaposi’s sarcoma has been reported to occur in patients receiving corticosteroid therapy, most often for chronic conditions. Discontinuation of corticosteroids may result in clinical improvement. See package insert for complete information.