The potent corticosteroids may result in serious side effects that mimic Cushing's disease, a malfunction of the adrenal gland, resulting in excessive production of cortisol. The list of potential side effects is long and includes:
Side effects can be minimized by following doctor's orders and keeping the lowest dose possible. It is also important to avoid the self-regulation of dosage, adding more or discontinue medication without an agenda.
When used as a short-term treatment, prednisone is usually prescribed to a moderate dose and reduced or "tapered" on one or two weeks. The purpose is to perform a sudden improvement in symptoms. Long-term therapy is usually reserved for severe cases of rheumatoid arthritis or related diseases. The doses are usually between 5 and 7 1/2 milligrams of prednisone one day continued over months or years.
High-dose steroids are given occasionally to the rarer cases, more serious inflammatory disease. High doses is considered daily doses of prednisone in 1 milligram per kilogram of body weight, or about 60 milligrams per day, given divided doses. In such cases the steroids are "tapered" as soon as possible.
To reduce the potential side effects, the lowest dose of corticosteroids possible, yielding a positive impact, must be given.
Corticosteroids should be gradually reduced, in order to allow the adrenal glands to resume production of cortisol naturally. Delete dose very quickly can result in adrenal crisis (a life-threatening State caused by insufficient levels of cortisol).
In cases where corticosteroids were taken in low doses over long periods of time, tapering can continue for months or years. Sometimes 1 mg doses are downloaded at a time to avoid crises. When steroids are taken for shorter periods of time, tapering is faster and decreases in dose may be increased.
Another possible complication for leaving steroids is steroid withdrawal syndrome or rebound effect, which is the body's exaggerated response to removal of the drug. Rebound effect can result in fever, muscle aches and joint pain, making it difficult for the doctor to differentiate between symptoms of abstinence and a flare of disease itself.
According to the pill book (Bantam Books), using 5 mg of prednisone as a basis for comparison, other equivalent doses are corticosteroids:
Corticosteroid Converter: calculate equivalent doses of corticosteroids. Conversion tool easy to use, GlobalRPh.comSteroid shots (injections of corticosteroids), sometimes called in-ear therapy is the injection of steroids directly into an affected joint. This method allows doctors to use high doses of corticosteroids directly on the site of inflammation. Once he is found, the rest of the body is spared the high concentration of the drug.
Infection at the injection site is a side effect possible. Frequent injections in the articulation of the same can also cause damage to cartilage. Doctors use this treatment sparingly after other options have failed and they try to limit the number of injections every few months and only some completely to a specific set.
Corticosteroids are powerful drugs that can improve the symptoms and cause incredible results. Although there are potential consequences for its use. The power of corticosteroids should not be feared, but must be respected.
Corticosteroids (steroids) Steroid shots (injections of corticosteroids) to prednisone Quiz-true or false?Sources: the book of Duke University Medical Center arthritis, David s. Pisetsky M.D.; Arthritis: what works, Sobel & Klein
