About dexamethasone

Dexamethasone belongs to a group of medicines called corticosteroids. It is sometimes referred to simply as an stéroïde oral. Corticosteroids are produced naturally in your body. They help to keep you healthy. By boosting your body with extra corticosteroid, it can help treat conditions involving inflammation.

Oral steroids are used to treat a wide variety of conditions. Some examples include inflammatory bowel diseases (for example, maladie de Crohn, la colite ulcéreuse), autoimmune diseases (for example, lupus érythémateux systémique (LES), sarcïdose), joint and muscle diseases (for example, polyarthrite rhumatoïde), and allergies. Dexamethasone is also used in the treatment of some cancers and in people receiving palliative care. In children, it is prescribed to treat a breathing condition called croup.

Dexamethasone is also used to diagnose Maladie de Cushing (an adrenal gland disorder), and is prescribed as a treatment for people who have a disorder called hyperplasie congénitale des surrénales (HCS).

Dexamethasone is also used to treat inflammation in the eyes. More information about this can be found in our leaflet Gouttes ophtalmiques de dexaméthasone pour l'inflammation.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine can only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking dexamethasone it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si vous avez une hypertension artérielle (hypertension).

• Si vous avez eu une crise cardiaque, ou si vous avez d'autres problèmes cardiaques.

• Si vous avez des problèmes avec le fonctionnement de votre foie, ou si vous avez des problèmes avec le fonctionnement de vos reins.

• Si vous (ou un membre proche de votre famille) avez soit le diabète, soit une affection oculaire appelée glaucome.

• Si vous avez l'une des conditions suivantes : une glande thyroïde sous-active, un 'amincissement' des os (ostéoporose), l'épilepsie, une condition causant une faiblesse musculaire (appelée myasthénie grave), un ulcère de l'estomac ou un trouble intestinal.

• Si vous avez déjà eu un problème de santé mentale.

• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding. (Oral steroids like dexamethasone can be taken while you are expecting or breastfeeding; however, it is important that your doctor knows about the baby.)

• Si vous avez actuellement une quelconque infection, ou si vous avez déjà eu la tuberculose (TB).

• Si vous avez déjà eu un caillot sanguin indésirable dans une artère ou une veine.

• Si vous avez récemment reçu, ou êtes sur le point de recevoir, des vaccinations.

• Si vous prenez ou utilisez d'autres médicaments. Cela inclut tous les médicaments disponibles à l'achat sans ordonnance, ainsi que les médicaments à base de plantes et les médecines complémentaires.

• Si vous avez déjà eu une réaction allergique à un médicament, ou si vous avez déjà ressenti des douleurs musculaires après avoir pris un médicament stéroïdien.

• Before starting the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack and any additional information you are given by your doctor. These will give you more information about dexamethasone and will also provide you with a full list of side-effects which you could experience from taking it.

• Your doctor or pharmacist will tell you how much to take, and when to take your doses. Depending upon the reason why you are taking dexamethasone, you will be prescribed either a single dose, or a course of treatment. If you are prescribed a single dose, your doctor will tell you at what time to take the medicine. If you are prescribed a course of treatment, it is usual to take the doses once a day, straight after breakfast. However, if you are taking dexamethasone for CAH or as a test for Cushing's syndrome, you will be advised to take your doses at bedtime.

• Take dexamethasone with something to eat. Swallow the tablet with a drink of water.

• Si vous oubliez de prendre une dose à l'heure habituelle, prenez-la dès que vous vous en souvenez (avec quelque chose à manger). Si vous ne vous en souvenez que le lendemain, laissez tomber la dose oubliée. Ne prenez pas deux doses ensemble pour compenser une dose oubliée.

• Continue to take dexamethasone until your doctor tells you to stop. Once you have been taking dexamethasone for more than three weeks, stopping taking it suddenly can cause problems, so your doctor will want to reduce your dose gradually over a period of time if/when this becomes necessary.

• If your course of treatment is due to last more than three weeks, you will be given a 'Steroid Treatment Card' which says that you are on steroids and contains some important advice for you. It is important that you read this card and carry it with you at all times. It also contains details about your dose, how long you have been taking dexamethasone for, and who prescribed it for you. Please make sure that this information is kept up to date. If you are having an operation or dental treatment or any treatment for an injury, tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking dexamethasone and show them your treatment card. This is because your dose may need adjusting.

• Essayez de respecter vos rendez-vous réguliers avec votre médecin. Cela permet à votre médecin de suivre vos progrès. Votre médecin souhaitera que vous passiez des tests de temps en temps pour s'assurer que vous restez à l'abri de certains effets secondaires indésirables du traitement.

• Dexamethasone can suppress your immune system, so it is important if you become ill that you make an appointment to see your doctor straightaway. Also, if you come into contact with anyone who has measles, shingles or chickenpox (or anyone who suspects they might have them), you doivent see your doctor as soon as possible.

• Some vaccines are not suitable for you while you are being treated with dexamethasone. If you need any immunisations, make sure you mention that you are taking an oral steroid.

• If you buy any medicines, check with your pharmacist that they are suitable to take with dexamethasone.

Along with its useful effects, dexamethasone can cause unwanted side-effects which your doctor will discuss with you. The benefits of taking an oral steroid usually outweigh the side-effects; however, they can sometimes be troublesome. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with dexamethasone. The best place to find a full list of the side-effects which can be associated with your medicine, is from the manufacturer's printed information leaflet supplied with the medicine. Alternatively, you can find an example of a manufacturer's information leaflet in the reference section below.

Bien que tout le monde ne ressente pas d'effets secondaires, et que certains s'améliorent à mesure que votre corps s'adapte au nouveau médicament, parlez à votre médecin ou à votre pharmacien si vous êtes préoccupé par l'un des éléments suivants :

Important: you should let your doctor know if you start to experience blurred vision or other vision problems whilst taking dexamethasone.

For more information about side-effects which are possible when dexamethasone is taken long-term, see the separate leaflet called Oral Steroids.

• Gardez tous les médicaments hors de la portée et de la vue des enfants.

• Conserver dans un endroit frais et sec, à l'abri de la chaleur et de la lumière directes.