Steroids dexamethasone, prednisolone, methylprednisolone and hydrocortisone Cancer information

NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) are medicines that are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation. The injection releases the hydrocortisone slowly into the part sashaconstable of your body that is painful or swollen. Like other steroids, it works by calming down your immune system. This reduces inflammation and helps to relieve the pain and swelling.

• Ask your doctor if you need to carry a steroid emergency card.
• This does not mean that it is unsafe for children and young people to be prescribed such a medicine ‘off-licence/off-label’.
• Some younger people use them to try and look more attractive, despite risking the negative effects on their looks.
• Your doctor or healthcare professional will discuss with you what to expect from having a steroid joint injection.
• Cancer drugs can interact with medicines, herbal products, and some food and drinks.

Your child’s face may appear rounder than usual, particularly after long-term steroid treatment. We’ll monitor them closely throughout treatment to reduce the chance of these happening. Your child may become irritable and have mood swings, and even revert to earlier childhood behaviour, such as temper tantrums.

Hydrocortisone injections

There are other options that can help sore or swollen joints. Hydrocortisone injections do not affect the fertility of men or women. If you need to have a live vaccine, check with the nurse or doctor that it’s safe for you.

• The hydrocortisone is injected directly into the painful joint.
• Other possible side effects include facial flushing, temporary changes in menstruation and mood.
• This temporary worsening of symptoms is known as post-injection flare, or steroid flare, and may last for a couple of days.

They can help by discussing your situation with you and answering your questions. Avoid injecting into other muscles – this increases your risk of problems like nerve damage, which can affect your training. Bear in mind that steroids work on your whole body, not just the area you’re injecting into.

Medicine safety

Below we attempt to answer some frequently asked questions and provide you with some useful information before you consider making a booking for treatment. If you have any further questions please do not hesitate to contact us. Possible side effects of steroid injections for acne include skin discolouration, infection and the thinning of skin tissue (atrophy). The risk of side effects increases significantly if steroid injections are used to treat smaller acne lesions.

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. 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.

Stopping your medication

If you have a local anaesthetic, the pain in your joint will ease within a few minutes. The effects of the local anaesthetic may last for a couple of hours or sometimes more. Steroid joint injections are injected directly into a painful or swollen joint, or into the soft tissue around it. Inside the joint, they act against substances that cause inflammation and damage your tissues.

Some steroids occur naturally in the human body and man-made steroids act like natural steroids to reduce inflammation. They are not the same as steroids used by bodybuilders to increase muscle size and strength. People are often concerned about the possibility of other steroid-related side effects such as weight gain.

How often do you have steroids?

Government guidelines recommend that men and women shouldn’t regularly drink more than 14 units of alcohol a week. It’s a good idea to space your units out over the course of a week. Having at least two alcohol-free days a week is good for your health. Keeping the card with you will help any other doctor who treats you to manage your care correctly.

You can have injections every three months if you need them. Generally, it’s best not to have more than three or four steroid joint injections per year into any one joint. This is because there’s a chance any more than that could damage your joint.

What are steroid injections and how are they used?

Speaking of it being a substance, some people can even get addicted to using as a result of body dysmorphia. Click here to read our article on getting help with addiction. If you have any prolonged or severe symptoms, go and see your GP. That’s pretty much our advice if you feel like ANYTHING is wrong with your body, just go see a doctor.

Your healthcare professional will advise you of the risks and benefits of a repeat course of steroids depending on your individual situation. Steroids are of most benefit if the last dose is given to you between 24 hours and 1 week before the birth of your baby. There may still be some benefit even if your baby is born within 24 hours of the first dose.