Steroids dexamethasone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone and hydrocortisone Cancer information

If you have periods, these may become irregular or stop during treatment. Periods usually return to normal once treatment has finished. This also depends on what other cancer treatments you have, such as chemotherapy.

• Cortisol is released during times of stress, and causes fat to build up.
• Prednisolone works by blocking the effects of certain chemicals that cause inflammation inside your body.
• Although an underactive thyroid can occur at any age and in either sex, it is most common in older women.
• If you have high-dose steroids, or steroids and other cancer treatments at the same time, you may have an increased risk of infection.
• It’s important that you do not just stop taking steroids without seeking advice as this can lead to adrenal crisis.

Prednisolone works by blocking the effects of certain chemicals that cause inflammation inside your body. It doesn’t cure polymyalgia rheumatica, but it can help relieve the symptoms. There’s no specific test for polymyalgia rheumatica, but it’s likely that a series of blood tests will be carried out. The muscles in the neck and hips are also often affected.

Side effects while treatment is being given

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• You might have regular blood and urine tests to check this.
• This is because steroids make you feel hungry, affecting the areas in the brain that control feelings of hunger and satiety.
• Early action can help stop problems from developing into more serious difficulties.

If you are at risk of bone thinning, your doctor may prescribe drugs called bisphosphonates to protect your bones. They will also usually give you advice about taking vitamin D supplements and your diet. If you have any of these side effects, talk to your doctor. The side effects may be reduced by lowering the dose of steroids.

Safety precautions while you are taking steroids

The research compared two groups – one that was instructed to record their weight and one that was not – in a goal to not gain weight. “More severe fluid retention can also cause breathlessness,” says Collins. Most people prices for steroids put on weight because they eat and drink more calories than they burn through everyday movement and body functions. It’s important to seek medical advice before stopping or making any changes to your medication.

Let your healthcare team know if you notice any changes in your emotional or psychological wellbeing. Also let them know if you or any family members have ever had depression or manic depression (bipolar disorder). It’s important to note that losing weight is not recommended if you have an active tumour or are currently receiving treatment.

What are the possible side effects of steroid treatment?

Use BRIAN’s quality-of-life tracker to record and monitor them, then share this with your healthcare team so they can support you. With long-term use of steroids, your legs and shoulder muscles may feel weaker. Taking steroids for a long time can cause bone thinning, often known as osteoporosis.

This does not mean that it is unsafe for children and young people to be prescribed such a medicine ‘off-licence/off-label’. However, if you are concerned about any conflicts of information, please discuss with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. A child taking steroids is at an increased risk of infection.

What matters is how much of the steroid gets into the body. An asthma inhaler, for example, delivers almost all of the steroid only to where it is needed; the tubes of the lungs. In both cases very little steroid is absorbed into the rest of the body so side effects can be kept low. Steroid tablets or injections are different because the drug is absorbed and distributed throughout the body by those routes.