Dexamethasone how long can you take

Do not store the mixture for future use. If you use this medicine for a long time, do not suddenly stop using it without checking first with your doctor. You may need to slowly decrease your dose before stopping it completely. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients.

Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine.

Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine.

If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule.

If you take it 2 or 3 times a day, take the missed dose as soon as you remember, unless it's less than 2 hours until your next dose. In this case, skip the missed dose and take the next one as normal. If you forget doses often, it may help to set an alarm to remind you.

You could also ask your pharmacist for advice on other ways to help you remember to take your medicine. Taking 1 or 2 extra dexamethasone tablets as a one-off is unlikely to harm you.

If you're worried, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. If you take too much dexamethasone for more than a few days , it could harm your health. Talk to your doctor as soon as possible. Like all medicines, dexamethasone can cause side effects, although not everyone gets them. Side effects are less likely if you are on a lower dose less than 6mg a day. Keep taking the medicine, but tell your doctor if these side effects bother you or do not go away:. Serious side effects are more likely with higher doses more than 6mg a day or if you take dexamethasone for more than a few weeks or months.

Taking dexamethasone at higher doses for a long time can slow down the normal growth of children and teenagers. Your child's doctor will monitor their height and weight carefully for as long as they're taking this medicine. This will help them spot any slowing down of your child's growth and change their treatment if needed. Even if your child's growth slows down, it does not seem to have much effect on their eventual adult height.

Talk to your doctor if you're worried. They'll be able to explain the benefits and risks of giving your child dexamethasone. In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction anaphylaxis to dexamethasone. You could be having a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital. These are not all the side effects of dexamethasone.

For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet. Visit Yellow Card for further information. Steroids have sometimes been linked to problems in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Taking them for a long time, or at a high dose, can also affect your baby's growth during pregnancy. Your doctor may prescribe dexamethasone for you, if they think the benefits outweigh the risks. If you need to take dexamethasone while pregnant, you will have more frequent checks to see how your baby is growing.

However, dexamethasone can get into breast milk. Ask your doctor or health visitor for advice about breastfeeding while taking this medicine. For this reason, wait at least 3 hours after you take your medicine before breastfeeding your baby or expressing milk.

If you're taking a high dose your baby may need monitoring. This is to make sure they do not have side effects from the medicine. If you notice your baby is not feeding as well as usual or seems unusually sleepy, or if you have any other concerns about your baby, talk to your health visitor or doctor.

For more information about how this medicine can affect you and your baby during pregnancy, read the leaflet on dexamethasone on the Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy BUMPS website. Some medicines can affect how dexamethasone works.

This can increase your chance of side effects. Check with a pharmacist or your doctor before starting on dexamethasone if:. There is very little information about taking dexamethasone with herbal remedies and vitamin or mineral supplements.

For safety, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you take any other medicines, including herbal remedies, vitamins or supplements. Dexamethasone is a steroid corticosteroid medicine. Steroids closely copy the effects of natural hormones produced in your adrenal glands. The adrenal glands sit above your kidneys.

When prescribed in doses higher than your body's usual levels, steroids like dexamethasone reduce inflammation. Steroids also help calm your immune system.

When taken for nausea and vomiting dexamethasone is thought to work on chemical messengers in the brain to reduce feelings of sickness. Dexamethasone is being used to treat severe cases of coronavirus in hospitals.

For patients on a ventilator or who need oxygen to help them breathe, dexamethasone can improve their chances of recovery.

No one knows whether dexamethasone will not help in less serious cases of coronavirus. This includes people who do not need hospital treatment, or a ventilator or oxygen to help them breathe. It does not stop you getting coronavirus and it may not stop mild symptoms getting worse.

For other conditions, you may not feel any better even though the medicine is helping you. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location — one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach. Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them.

However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program.

In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your response to dexamethasone. Checkups are especially important for children because dexamethasone can slow bone growth.

Carry an identification card that indicates that you may need to take supplementary doses write down the full dose you took before gradually decreasing it of dexamethasone during periods of stress injuries, infections, and severe asthma attacks. Ask your pharmacist or doctor how to obtain this card. List your name, medical problems, drugs and dosages, and doctor's name and telephone number on the card. This drug makes you more susceptible to illnesses.

If you are exposed to chicken pox, measles, or tuberculosis TB while taking dexamethasone, call your doctor.

Do not have a vaccination, other immunization, or any skin test while you are taking dexamethasone unless your doctor tells you that you may. Report any injuries or signs of infection fever, sore throat, pain during urination, and muscle aches that occur during treatment.

If your sputum the matter you cough up during an asthma attack thickens or changes color from clear white to yellow, green, or gray, call your doctor; these changes may be signs of an infection.

If you have diabetes, dexamethasone may increase your blood sugar level. Note: If a drug has been approved for one use, physicians sometimes elect to use this same drug for other problems if they believe it might be helpful. This list includes common and less common side effects for individuals taking dexamethasone. However, you should always inform your health care provider if you experience any unusual symptoms. Contact your health care provider immediately , day or night, if you should experience any of the following symptoms:.

The following symptoms require medical attention, but are not emergency situations. Contact your health care provider within 24 hours of noticing any of the following:. You will be checked regularly by your health care professional while you are taking dexamethasone, to monitor side effects and check your response to therapy.

Periodic blood work to monitor your complete blood count CBC as well as the function of other organs such as your kidneys and liver will also be ordered by your doctor. Corticosteroids are naturally produced by the adrenal gland in the body.