Short-term steroid treatment Great Ormond Street Hospital

It might be an option if bisphosphonates aren’t suitable for you and you live in England, Wales or Scotland. If you live in Northern Ireland, your doctor may be able to apply to your local Health and Social Care (HSC) trust for you to have denosumab womenblogs if they think it is suitable for you. Bisphosphonates are drugs that can be used to treat osteoporosis caused by hormone therapy. They can also be used to treat bone weakness caused by cancer that has spread to the bones (advanced prostate cancer).

• If this happens, you will be given a different type of topical steroid treatment.
• Make sure you discuss these with your doctor or nurse before you start treatment.
• For some people that will just be bloods tests done by their GP.

There is a lot of misinformation around steroid use, and various methods of using steroids that are supposed to help reduce the side effects. But no research supports that the way you take anabolic steroids can limit the side effects. Anabolic steroids purchased without a prescription are categorised as class C drugs and are legal if you can prove that they are for your own personal use.

The risks

Get advice on your medicines, symptoms or travelling with a lung condition, or just call us to say hello. “Most people on a short course of steroid tablets can safely stop at the end of their course, as long as they’ve recovered well,” says DrAndy Whittamore. Most people with asthma who use a preventer inhaler are not at any increased risk from COVID-19.

• “It took several weeks to realise that it was the metoclopramide that made me so fatigued after chemotherapy, not the chemotherapy itself.”
• If you’re planning a family, you should discuss this with your doctor, as it’s important that a mother stays healthy during pregnancy and that flare-ups are avoided.
• It is also possible that a topical steroid could irritate your skin or cause an allergic reaction.
• With long-term use of steroids, your legs and shoulder muscles may feel weaker.

Your immune system produces extra fluid to fight infections or bacteria, which causes swelling, redness and heat in the affected area. You might have noticed this if you have had a cut or wound on your skin. Steroids won’t cure your condition, but they’re very good at reducing inflammation and will ease symptoms such as swelling, pain and stiffness.

Serious and life-threatening side effects

This is likely to be longer (at least 24 months) if you have had a stem cell transplant. Avoid contact with people who have chicken pox or shingles, even if you have had these infections in the past – they could be serious if you have lymphoma and are on steroids. Tell your doctor straightaway if you think you could have chicken pox or shingles.

Many companies also make claims that aren’t based on proper research. There may be no real evidence that their products work, and some may even be harmful. Remember that even if a product is ‘natural’, this doesn’t mean it is safe. Some herbal remedies may also affect your PSA level, making the PSA test unreliable.

Liver changes

You may be prescribed other medicines to protect the lining of your stomach (this is often omeprazole or ranitidine). Methylprednisolone can also cause difficulties with sleeping so taking the pills in the morning will help to minimise this. The side effects of methylprednisolone are usually mild and will go away quickly when you finish the treatment course.

This page has information about some of the causes of fatigue for people with pancreatic cancer, and how to manage these.

Steroids can affect the speed at which your body breaks down food to get energy from it (your metabolism). This can increase your hunger levels, leading you to eat more and to gain weight. If your metabolism slows down, you might gain weight, even if your appetite doesn’t increase.

This can include a cough, a sore throat or a temperature above 37.5°C. But your sugar levels usually go back to normal shortly after you stop taking steroids. Testosterone is mainly a mature male hormone, but women’s bodies also produce small quantities. Testosterone is the male sex hormone that causes boys to develop male features during puberty, such as a deeper voice, body and facial hair and muscle strength.

Corticosteroids can sometimes interact with a type of medication known as protease inhibitors (like ritonavir). There is less chance of this happening with steroid injections or sprays. However, it can occasionally happen if they’re used at high doses and for a long time.

Medicines that can interact with corticosteroids

Some people taking sulphasalazine may need a folic acid supplement. Another way of getting a drug directly into the rectum and colon is to take it as an enema – in a liquid or foam form, put into the rectum through the anus using a specially designed applicator. Foam enemas are often easier to retain than liquid enemas so can be particularly useful at the beginning of a flare-up, when the gut is most sensitive.