Dexamethason

About dexamethasone

Dexamethasone belongs to a group of medicines called corticosteroids. It is sometimes referred to simply as an orales Steroid. 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, Morbus Crohn, Colitis ulcerosa), autoimmune diseases (for example, systemischer Lupus erythematodes (SLE), Sarkoidose), joint and muscle diseases (for example, rheumatoide Arthritis), 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 Cushing's disease (an adrenal gland disorder), and is prescribed as a treatment for people who have a disorder called kongenitale adrenale Hyperplasie (CAH).

Dexamethasone is also used to treat inflammation in the eyes. More information about this can be found in our leaflet Dexamethason-Augentropfen gegen Entzündungen.

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:

• Wenn Sie hohen Blutdruck (Hypertonie) haben.

• Wenn Sie einen Herzinfarkt erlitten haben oder andere Herzprobleme haben.

• Wenn Sie Probleme mit der Funktion Ihrer Leber haben oder wenn Sie Probleme mit der Funktion Ihrer Nieren haben.

• Wenn Sie (oder ein naher Familienangehöriger) Diabetes oder eine Augenerkrankung namens Glaukom haben.

• Wenn Sie eine der folgenden Erkrankungen haben: eine Unterfunktion der Schilddrüse, Knochenschwund (Osteoporose), Epilepsie, eine Erkrankung, die Muskelschwäche verursacht (Myasthenia gravis genannt), ein Magengeschwür oder eine Darmstörung.

• Wenn Sie jemals ein psychisches Gesundheitsproblem hatten.

• 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.)

• Wenn Sie derzeit eine Infektion haben oder in der Vergangenheit Tuberkulose (TB) hatten.

• Wenn Sie jemals einen unerwünschten Blutgerinnsel in einer Arterie oder Vene hatten.

• Wenn Sie kürzlich eine Impfung erhalten haben oder bald eine erhalten werden.

• Wenn Sie andere Medikamente einnehmen oder verwenden. Dazu gehören alle Medikamente, die ohne Rezept erhältlich sind, sowie Kräuter- und Ergänzungsmittel.

• Wenn Sie jemals eine allergische Reaktion auf ein Medikament hatten oder wenn Sie jemals Muskelschmerzen nach der Einnahme eines Steroidmedikaments entwickelt haben.

• 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.

• Wenn Sie eine Dosis zu Ihrer gewohnten Zeit vergessen haben, nehmen Sie sie so bald wie möglich ein (mit etwas zu essen). Wenn Sie sich erst am nächsten Tag daran erinnern, lassen Sie die vergessene Dosis weg. Nehmen Sie nicht zwei Dosen auf einmal ein, um eine vergessene Dosis auszugleichen.

• 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.

• Versuchen Sie, Ihre regelmäßigen Termine bei Ihrem Arzt einzuhalten. Damit kann Ihr Arzt Ihren Fortschritt überwachen. Ihr Arzt wird möchten, dass Sie von Zeit zu Zeit Tests durchführen lassen, um sicherzustellen, dass Sie frei von einigen unerwünschten Nebenwirkungen der Behandlung bleiben.

• 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 müssen 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.

Obwohl nicht jeder Nebenwirkungen erlebt und sich einige mit der Zeit bessern, wenn sich Ihr Körper an das neue Medikament gewöhnt, sprechen Sie mit Ihrem Arzt oder Apotheker, wenn Sie sich über eines der folgenden Dinge Sorgen machen:

Wichtig: 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 Orale Steroide.

• Bewahren Sie alle Medikamente außerhalb der Reichweite und Sicht von Kindern auf.

• An einem kühlen, trockenen Ort aufbewahren, fern von direkter Hitze und Licht.