Steroid therapy

Steroids are designed to act like these hormones to reduce inflammation. You can usually drink alcohol while taking steroid tablets, but do not drink too much as this may irritate your stomach. It’s normally best to take steroid tablets with or soon after a meal – usually breakfast – because this can stop them irritating your stomach. And it wasn’t to do with pain, it was to do with the fact that I wasn’t coping.

• Steroid tablets are different from the anabolic steroids used illegally by some people to increase their muscle mass.
• Although children are usually given the chicken pox vaccine, if your child is receiving high-dose steroids we recommend siblings or other close family members have it.
• The lists of side effects is not exhaustive and patients are
  encouraged to read the information sheets supplied with prescription
  medication and to discuss any concerns with their medical team.

It is important to make sure you know how long to take them for. Take them exactly as your doctor, nurse or pharmacist explains. Your child needs to be closely monitored while on steroid treatment, which may include checking their weight, blood pressure and urine. Your GP surgery, local hospital or local community nurses will usually run these check ups.

These range from being merely somewhat troublesome, through to some which are potentially very significant. The degree of side effects tends to be related to the dose used, but some individuals are more susceptible to side effects than others. If you have troublesome side effects after taking corticosteroids, don’t stop taking your medication until your doctor says it’s safe to do so, because of the possibility of these unpleasant withdrawal effects.

Sexual health.

These include the type of steroid you are taking, the dose, and how long you’re taking it for. A number of medications contain copies of these natural steroids, including the drugs prednisolone, dexamethasone, hydrocortisone tabletopsport.com and cortisone. Steroids, including glucocorticoids, are a type of hormone produced naturally by our bodies. They also control our responses to physical stresses, such as infection, injury and inflammation.

• However, it is not only people who identify as women who may want to access this leaflet.
• Your doctor may reduce your dose or suggest taking your tablets less often (for example, every other day) if you’re having side effects.
• If you are given steroids and are more than 35 weeks pregnant there is a chance that your baby may have low blood sugar levels after they are born.

Reducing the inflammation and swelling in your airways using steroids means you’re less likely to get asthma attacks. Steroids are also useful for people with COPD who get regular flare-ups. For COPD, steroid inhalers are most useful for people whose condition has asthma-like features, like a history of allergies, or when you have both COPD and asthma together.

Prednisone (see Steroids)

In addition to being naturally produced in the body, steroids can be used as a medicine for many conditions. Not all relapses need treatment as, in most cases, the symptoms will gradually improve on their own. If the symptoms of your relapse are causing significant problems, such as affecting your eyesight or making walking difficult, your MS team or GP may suggest that you have a short course of high dose steroids. They should explain the benefits and potential side effects of taking steroids so that you can decide together on the best course of action in your particular situation.

Most medicines used by the mother will cross the placenta and reach the baby. There are, however, some medicines that can harm a baby’s normal development. How a medicine affects a baby may depend on the stage of pregnancy when the medicine is taken. If you are on regular medication you should discuss these effects with your doctor/health care team before becoming pregnant.

In children and teenagers, steroids can sometimes cause growth to slow down, so they’ll need to have their height checked regularly. If growth is slowed, they might be referred to a specialist doctor for advice. Sometimes steroids can cause another condition known as Cushing’s syndrome. This can cause thinning of the skin, stretch marks, and the face to become rounder, but it usually clears up once steroids are stopped.

Glossary of Drugs and Side Effects

It is sensible to wash your hands after handling any drugs, including steroids. However, you should avoid handling steroids if you are pregnant or suspect that you may be pregnant. Steroids have a wide range of effects, and can be used for a broad spectrum of diseases, ranging from the minor to serious life-threatening problems.

Cortisone (see Steroids)

Please ask your doctor for more information about immunisations. They can also be imported or exported as long as this is carried out in person. This means they can’t be posted or delivered by a courier or freight service. However, it’s illegal to possess, import or export anabolic steroids if it’s believed you’re supplying or selling them.

Steroid creamsSteroid creams or gels don’t usually affect the bone, as little of the active drug is absorbed into your blood. But if you use them for a long time, or at a high dose, you might absorb more of the medication and have a higher risk of side effects. A number of things can affect the extent to which your bone strength is affected.

Osteoporosis drug treatments aim to help prevent osteoporosis and reduce your risk of broken bones. Most available drug treatments for osteoporosis have been specifically tested to ensure they benefit people taking steroids. This includes risedronate, alendronic acid, zoledronic acid, denosumab and teriparatide. Most experts say they are less likely to cause bone loss than steroid tablets.