Short-term steroid treatment Great Ormond Street Hospital

The thought of side effects can be quite worrying, and coping with side effects can be challenging. About half of people who take prednisolone will get side effects, and some may be mild and will go away on their own. Some may be more serious and might need treatment, or mean that steroids aren’t right for you.

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). The vaccine against the most common cause of pneumonia and yearly flu vaccines don’t interact with steroid tablets, as they’re not live vaccines. It’s important that you have these vaccinations to reduce your chances of getting these infections.

What do I need to know before taking prednisolone for inflammatory bowel disease?

It’s important that you do not just stop taking steroids without seeking advice as this can lead to adrenal crisis. Your doctor might also give you a steroid warning card in other situations. For example, this could include if you have four or more short courses of oral steroids a year.

• If you had diabetes before you started steroid treatment, your lymphoma medical team and your diabetes medical team work together to manage your treatment and blood sugar levels.
• Tell your doctor or nurse if you have headaches, nosebleeds, blurred or double vision or shortness of breath.
• You should contact your advice line urgently if you think you have an infection.
• Steroid injections are often only given at intervals of at least 6 weeks.
• Older medicines may have been used effectively for many years in children without problems but the manufacturer has not been required to collect data and amend the licence.

You should tell your IBD team if you have a new symptom or side effect. Systemic prednisolone affects your whole body, not just the area that it is needed. Systemic prednisolone includes tablets, gastro-release tablets and liquid solutions. They can be very effective, however because they affect all of your body, they are more likely to cause unwanted side effects.

How steroid tablets work

Side effects are also much less likely with joint injections, because the prednisolone stays in the joint and is very slowly absorbed into rest of the body. It’s hard to predict how likely you are to get side effects from prednisolone. It depends on the dose you’re taking, how long you take it for and any conditions you have that might make you more susceptible to problems. The HIV medication may increase the level of corticosteroid in your body.

Steroid tablets

Steroids can be taken in a number of ways for many different types of arthritis and related conditions, as shown in the table below. Steroids are a man-made version of chemicals, known as hormones, that are made naturally in the human body. Steroids are designed to act like these hormones to reduce inflammation.

Additional important advice

Steroids are chemical messengers (hormones) that are made naturally in your body. The type of steroids most commonly used in the treatment of lymphoma are corticosteroids. This method also minimises the chance of including patients who are taking prednisolone for non-respiratory conditions, which can include Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

Liver changes

There are many types of steroids and all have different effects on the body. For most people, steroid inhalers and steroid injections shouldn’t cause any bad side effects. Steroid tablets are generally prescribed with more caution, as these may cause more problems. Corticosteroids, often known as steroids, are an anti-inflammatory medicine.

If you’ve been taking corticosteroids for a while, you may also need tests before you stop taking them. These will make sure that your adrenal glands are still working properly. If a woman needs to take steroid tablets whilst she is breastfeeding, prednisolone is usually recommended.

If you’re feeling restless when you’re trying to sleep, take prednisolone in the morning so the levels are the lowest at bedtime. If symptoms carry on, ask your doctor tabletopsport if you may benefit from taking an additional medicine to protect your stomach. Some side effects, such as stomach upset or mood changes, can happen straight away.