Triamcinolone is used to treat various medical conditions, such as eczema, alopecia areata, lichen sclerosus, psoriasis, arthritis, allergies, ulcerative colitis, lupus, sympathetic ophthalmia, temporal arteritis, uveitis, ocular inflammation, keloids, urushiol-induced contact dermatitis, aphthous ulcers (usually as triamcinolone acetonide), central retinal vein occlusion, visualization during vitrectomy and the prevention of asthma attacks.121314
The derivative triamcinolone acetonide is the active ingredient in various topical skin preparations (cream, lotion, ointment, aerosol spray) designed to treat such skin conditions as rash, inflammation, redness, or intense itching due to eczema15 and dermatitis.16
Contraindications for systemic triamcinolone are similar to those of other corticoids. They include systemic mycoses (fungal infections) and parasitic diseases, as well as eight weeks before and two weeks after application of live vaccines. For long-term treatment, the drug is also contraindicated in people with peptic ulcers, severe osteoporosis, severe myopathy, certain viral infections, glaucoma, and metastasizing tumours.17
There are no contraindications for use in emergency medicine.18
Further information: Glucocorticoid § Side effects
The side effects of triamcinolone are similar to other corticosteroids. In short-term treatment of up to ten days, it has very few adverse effects; however, sometimes gastrointestinal bleeding is seen, as well as acute infections (mainly viral) and impaired glucose tolerance.19
Side effects of triamcinolone long-term treatment may include coughing (up to bronchospasms), sinusitis, metabolic syndrome–like symptoms such as high blood sugar and cholesterol, weight gain due to water retention, and electrolyte imbalance, as well as cataract, thrush, osteoporosis, reduced muscle mass, and psychosis.202122 Triamcinolone injections can cause bruising and joint swelling.23 Symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, itch, swelling, severe dizziness, trouble breathing,24 and anaphylaxis.25
No acute overdosing of triamcinolone has been described.26
Drug interactions are mainly pharmacodynamic, that is, they result from other drugs either adding to triamcinolone's corticosteroid side effects or working against its desired effects. They include:2728
Triamcinolone and other drugs can also influence each other's concentrations in the body, amounting to pharmacokinetic interactions such as:2930
Main article: Glucocorticoid § Pharmacology
Further information: Glucocorticoid § Mechanism of action
Triamcinolone is a glucocorticoid that is about five times as potent as cortisol but has very few mineralocorticoid effects.32
When taken by mouth, the drug's bioavailability is over 90%. It reaches its highest concentrations in the blood plasma after one to two hours and is bound to plasma proteins to about 80%. The biological half-life from the plasma is 200 to 300 minutes; due to stable complexes of triamcinolone and its receptor in the intracellular fluid, the total half-life is significantly longer at about 36 hours.3334
A small fraction of the substance is metabolized to 6-hydroxy- and 20-dihydro-triamcinolone; most of it probably undergoes glucuronidation, and a smaller part sulfation. Three-quarters are excreted via the urine, and the rest via the faeces.3536
Due to corticoids' mechanism of action, the effects are delayed as compared to plasma concentrations. Depending on the route of administration and the treated condition, the onset of action can be from two hours up to one or two days after application; and the drug can act much longer than its elimination half-life would suggest.3738
Triamcinolone is a synthetic pregnane corticosteroid and derivative of cortisol (hydrocortisone) and is also known as 1-dehydro-9α-fluoro-16α-hydroxyhydrocortisone or 9α-fluoro-16α-hydroxyprednisolone as well as 9α-fluoro-11β,16α,17α,21-tetrahydroxypregna-1,4-diene-3,20-dione.3940
The substance is a light-sensitive, white to off-white, crystalline powder, or has the form of colourless, matted crystals. It has no odour or is nearly odourless. Information on the melting point varies, partly due to the substance's polymorphism: 260 to 263 °C (500 to 505 °F), 264 to 268 °C (507 to 514 °F), or 269 to 271 °C (516 to 520 °F) can be found in the literature.41
Solubility is 1:500 in water and 1:240 in ethanol; it is slightly soluble in methanol, very slightly soluble in chloroform and diethylether, and practically insoluble in dichloromethane. The specific rotation is [ α ] D 20 {\displaystyle [\alpha ]_{D}^{20}} +65° to +72° cm3/dm·g (1% in dimethylformamide).42
In 2010, Teva and Perrigo launched the first generic inhalable triamcinolone.43
According to Chang et al. (2014), "Triamcinolone acetonide (TA) is classified as an S9 glucocorticoid in the 2014 Prohibited List published by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which caused it to be prohibited in international athletic competition when administered orally, intravenously, intramuscularly or rectally".44
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Chong M, Fonacier L (December 2016). "Treatment of Eczema: Corticosteroids and Beyond". Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology. 51 (3): 249–262. doi:10.1007/s12016-015-8486-7. PMID 25869743. S2CID 44337035. /wiki/Doi_(identifier) ↩
Eichenfield LF, Tom WL, Berger TG, Krol A, Paller AS, Schwarzenberger K, et al. (July 2014). "Guidelines of care for the management of atopic dermatitis: section 2. Management and treatment of atopic dermatitis with topical therapies". Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 71 (1): 116–132. doi:10.1016/j.jaad.2014.03.023. PMC 4326095. PMID 24813302. Topical corticosteroids (TCS) are used in the management of AD in both adults and children and are the mainstay of anti-inflammatory therapy. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4326095 ↩
Haberfeld H, ed. (2020). Austria-Codex (in German). Vienna: Österreichischer Apothekerverlag. Volon 4 mg-Tabletten. ↩
Dinnendahl V, Fricke U, eds. (2004). Arzneistoff-Profile (in German). Vol. 10 (19 ed.). Eschborn, Germany: Govi Pharmazeutischer Verlag. Triamcinolon. ISBN 978-3-7741-9846-3. 978-3-7741-9846-3 ↩
Triamcinolone (systemic) Professional Drug Facts. Accessed 19 August 2020. https://www.drugs.com/ppa/triamcinolone-systemic.html ↩
"Drugs and Treatments – Nasacort AQ Nasl – Patient Handout". WebMD. Retrieved 24 March 2008. http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-16244-Nasacort+AQ.aspx?drugid=16244&drugname=Nasacort%20AQ ↩
Moore CD, Roberts JK, Orton CR, Murai T, Fidler TP, Reilly CA, et al. (February 2013). "Metabolic pathways of inhaled glucocorticoids by the CYP3A enzymes". Drug Metabolism and Disposition. 41 (2): 379–389. doi:10.1124/dmd.112.046318. PMC 3558858. PMID 23143891. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3558858 ↩
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Chang CW, Huang TY, Tseng YC, Chang-Chien GP, Lin SF, Hsu MC (November 2014). "Positive doping results caused by the single-dose local injection of triamcinolone acetonide". Forensic Science International. 244: 1–6. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.07.024. PMID 25126738. https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.forsciint.2014.07.024 ↩