Steroids for brain tumours

This information is about steroids that you take by mouth or as an injection. Steroids also come in other forms, such as inhalers, canadapharmjinn eye drops or creams. If you are having steroids in these ways, your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can give you more information.

• Anticonvulsants are medicines used to prevent seizures (fits).
• Some younger people are advised to take an osteoporosis treatment.
• Sometimes, when your disease is severe, you might be given by injection for a few days.
• 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.

Your doctor may check your general condition such as height, weight, blood pressure and sugar levels. You should let your dentist know you are on steroids if you are having dental treatment. Dexamethasone or prednisolone may be prescribed along with other drugs in treating your condition.

Is It Possible to Take Steroids Safely?

Steroids obtained from a gym or dealer may be produced for use on animals, could be fake or may have been labelled incorrectly. If you take anabolic steroids, try to ensure you know exactly what you’re taking and that any drugs you’re using haven’t been tampered with. When abused, anabolic steroids can cause baldness, erectile dysfunction, infertility, reduced sperm count, severe acne, shrunken testicles and excruciating stomach pain in men.

• These include the type of steroid you are taking, the dose, and how long you’re taking it for.
• Some MS services produce a card with details of the recommended treatment for a relapse that you can show other health professionals.
• You might also be interested in our information about communicating with the people around you, which includes tips to help you let others know how you’re feeling.

If you need someone to talk to or advice on where to get help, our Support and Information team is available by phone, email or live-chat. “I put on seven stone, became depressed and didn’t want to go out. Then I was diagnosed with diabetes insipidus and a fatty liver and told to lose weight.

Tablets or liquids

Get advice on your medicines, symptoms or travelling with a lung condition, or just call us to say hello. Taking high doses of steroid tablets can make your immune system weaker, so you may catch colds and viruses more often. You’re less likely to get side effects from a short course of steroid tablets (less than three weeks).

Get support

Steroids are hormones which are naturally found in the body and which are produced by small organs in the tummy (abdomen) called the adrenal glands. Steroids, such as cortisone, have a huge number of functions in all the cells of the body – they are required for life. In addition to being naturally produced in the body, steroids can be used as a medicine for many conditions. Before starting steroids, it is important that your MS team or GP check for signs of an infection, which should include a test for a urinary tract infection.

A blood clot can be very serious if it travels to your lungs (pulmonary embolism), although this isn’t common. You might have a burning or tingling sensation around your bottom during a steroid injection into a vein (intravenous). Your nurse will give the injection slowly to try and prevent this. Talk to your nurse or your dietitian about how to safely control your weight.

Steroids are also known as anabolic steroids, ‘roids, gear, sauce or juice (e.g. ‘on the juice’). They’re made from the male hormone testosterone and help men build muscle – but only if they work out too. If you think you need dental treatment, talk to your cancer doctor or nurse. If you need medical treatment for any reason other than cancer, always tell the doctors and nurses you are having cancer treatment.

Don’t have immunisations with live vaccines while you’re having treatment and for up to 12 months afterwards. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how long you should avoid live vaccinations. There’s some evidence that steroid inhalers used by people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can increase the risk of chest infections like pneumonia.