Dexamethasone User Reviews & Ratings (Page 5)

• Mac...
• November 28, 2014

For Cerebral Edema "After presenting with severe headaches and confusion, two tablets of 4 mg each (one in the morning, one later in the day). A rapid progress was achieved within a day. Operated on the next day for a brain tumor biopsy and have been on it ever since. Just completed my first cycle of chemo - one bag over 3-4 hours, then 3-4 days of a rescue medicine intravenously to strip it out of my system. I have a rare and aggressive Central Nervous System lymphoma (Non-Hodgkin's), which was caught early."

• Jas...
• July 12, 2014

For Eczema "I was suffering from disabling diarrhea and nausea from a strong chemotherapy while I was hospitalized. After taking one 4-milligram size of this pill, I felt completely better!! Night and day!! More please.. if I can ride these through what are anticipated to be the worst medical days of my life.. I'd call it a miracle pill for me.."

• Lar...
• June 19, 2017

For Plaque Psoriasis "Started to take this medicine for a tongue condition (geographical tongue). I read it lowers my immune system, and it definitely does. I only have one more day of it, thank goodness. I feel horrible. My head hurts, my eyes are watery, and I constantly feel achy. I don't really see a difference in my tongue either. Just want to be off this medicine! Let's hope the withdrawals aren't bad either."

• Jin...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 23, 2022

For Inflammatory Conditions "I have severe facet arthritis and along with it chronic piriformis syndrome. My doctor suggested a trigger point injection for the piriformis pain that was also causing sciatica. I had a series of injections over the last nine months, and the last one tanked me. I was extremely fatigued for two days, and then lab work showed my testosterone levels were almost depleted. I developed muscle weakness in my legs and arms and severe depression. I have steroid-induced myopathy and am still fatigued (despite replacement of my testosterone) and depressed. While this medication can be a godsend for some, for me it has been nothing short of a nightmare. Now seeing an endocrinologist for the myopathy and possibly adrenal insufficiency. I am a healthy, fit, and normally happy 55-year-old woman, despite my bad back. Know the risks of this medication. I did not. I felt suicidal for almost two weeks before that faded, and now I’m just flat, fatigued, and praying this resolves."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 24, 2016

"I was given a harsh regimen of this drug. I took 50 (5 mg) pills over four days leading up to my surgery. The hope was it would minimize the pressure on my spinal cord caused by a tumor and, in doing so, prevent any additional injury to the spinal cord until they came up with a game plan to remove the tumor. It worked but kept me wired the whole time... I literally did not sleep for 5 days."

• Nst...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 27, 2017

For Immune Thrombocytopenia "My platelet count went down to 15k; the doctor prescribed this med. Took 10, 4 mg pills in the morning for 4 days, then stopped. CBC platelet count went up to 90k. However, for the 5 days that followed, I was in utter pain. Extreme abdominal pain, voice was hoarse, felt like my throat was on fire, headache and sensitivity to light, and the worst was the abdominal bloat. I couldn't move with it being laborious and having shortness of breath. Not a pill I would ever take again. A week later, CBC platelets were back down to 15k. I can live with that."

• Dus...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 30, 2020

For Atopic Dermatitis "I have severe atopic dermatitis and major issues with my spine. When I initially started taking dexamethasone, it worked wonders. 10 mg for a couple of weeks, then down to 4 mg twice weekly. When I started taking it, I had no side effects. Now, approximately 4 months later, I’m getting almost all of them. Yesterday, I had so much anxiety I thought I was losing my mind. Anxious (couldn’t even answer my phone), extremely irritable, major mood swings - those are just the tip of the side-effect iceberg. It’s exactly what happened when I took prednisone. Tomorrow will be my fourth Dupixent shot, and it seems to be working (at $2400 monthly, it should work). I will be talking to my dermatologist ASAP to ask if I can stop taking dexamethasone. Good luck to everyone who is or is thinking of taking it."

• Cod...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 1, 2021

For Inflammatory Conditions "This steroid is awful. I am a healthy, athletic, 38-year-old male. I received a 4 mg injection 8 days ago for a strained ligament. I have had migraines, bone aches, muscle aches, lightheadedness, and a sore throat since. Over a week later, and I can barely leave my bed. No end in sight. I would take a limp over the side effects every time. Stay away at all costs."

• Rob...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 28, 2021

For Cerebral Edema "Been having on and off headaches since an aneurysm coiling in March. I had to go to the ER yesterday with a bad headache. They contacted my neurosurgeon, he saw some slight swelling around the coiling. Was given this horrible drug through an injection, and 10 seconds after the injection, my body heated up, I felt like I was on fire. The nurse told me that was normal only after she had given me the injection. The following morning, I had the worst depression and horrible thoughts. Never felt like this before. I will never use it again. Stay away from this."

• Ann...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 9, 2023

"I had 2 root canals, and the pain afterward was severe, so my dentist prescribed dexamethasone to relieve swelling, pain, and inflammation. I’ve had a headache, upset stomach, and the worst case of the jitters. Food doesn’t taste right, and I’m nauseated. I wish I’d been warned of the side effects. I will never agree to take this medication again."

• Jef...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 16, 2023

For Cerebral Edema "2.5 cm tumor was found in MRI. Had been having seizures. Was prescribed dexamethasone. I chose a different hospital for surgery. No one followed up from the original one, so I was on this medication for months. It wasted my leg muscles, I could barely get up a flight of stairs. Use as little of this medication as possible, it will tear you down. Strictly for short duration to reduce edema before surgery, IMO."

• Sma...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 7, 2024

For Nausea/Vomiting, Chemotherapy Induced "It seems to help with nausea, but it worsens my prediabetic glucose levels. It also causes fluid retention and decreases urine. It can also cause mild edema in my feet and lower legs. It makes me feel giddy and affects my sleep, reducing the amount I can achieve. I take a higher dose for the three days including chemotherapy day and the two following days of 4 mg. I also take a 1 mg dose daily to give me more energy, and it does seem effective for that. Since I hate vomiting and nausea, I will overlook the effects on my blood sugar and fluid retention since it is only for three days out of 21, as the lower daily dose does not seem to have the same side effects."

• arc...
• February 13, 2011

"I was prescribed dexamethasone 4 mg twice daily for altitude illness as I was working above 12,500 feet above sea level. Within 2 hours of taking 4 mg, I was no longer short of breath. I will gradually reduce the amount over seven days as I return to a lower altitude, 10,000 feet above sea level. This program has kept me alerted as to possible side effects, which I will watch for. It has made this trip a blessing."

• Drk...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 5, 2022

For Inflammatory Conditions "I don't know if it's my personal doctor's fault, or mine, or of the med, but I'm in my late teenage years, and I was prescribed to take dexamethasone (VARCODES) 8 mg per tablet, 2 times a day for 10 days and 1 time a day for the following next 10 days. I wasn't self-aware and didn't do enough research to acquire enough knowledge about this med before taking it. Even though I got well around the 15th to 18th day, I continued for the last 2 days, and around a week after finishing this med, I started having only a few whiteheads here and there, which was common for me because it happened once every month and heals if I don't touch it. But after 3 days, I woke up with a face, scalp, body, shoulder, and chest (all of upper body and head) full of small red bumps. From then on, it started to get worse, and I had to see a dermatologist. He said it's 'Acne Cortisonica' and taking this med caused it. So to all the people out there who might be prescribed this med, be careful about the 'overdose.' Do some research before taking it."

• Esm...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 22, 2022

For Inflammatory Conditions "Tooth extraction - 3 days left felt so unwell, high temp, vomiting, racing pulse. Went to A&E, suspected sepsis, further tests revealed, day after, infected swollen airway, couldn’t swallow, morphine wasn’t touching throat pain. Started this steroid by IV as soon as found. Instant results, swelling went down, I could swallow, and 28 hours later, I was discharged with oral antibiotics. I can’t sleep yet, my face is bright red, which I was warned about, and I feel a bit low, but the benefits have far outweighed these side effects. As the doctor said, it’s instantly impacted your airway and stopped the swelling in its tracks."

• NoP...
• June 27, 2022

"I went from five pain prescriptions a day to almost ZERO pain prescriptions a year! All it took is one or half a pill of Dexamethasone 1.5 mg to give five minutes before the extraction or dental implant, and the patients NEVER call me after hours for pain pills, nor do they take any pain pills at home. I have been using this protocol since January 2019. I actually have enough cases to do a retrospective study. Still waiting to find an IRB other than the commercial ones; those are expensive and I am not paid to do my research. I am even scientifically and financially sponsoring a future triple-controlled blind study at a respectable university overseas. It will take some time to get that study done. Meanwhile, I am enjoying being the dentist who does not prescribe any pain pills. What a blast: no more pain or opioid dramas... and I am an Orofacial Pain specialist, so I know what I am talking about!!!"

• Har...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 5, 2018

For Inflammatory Conditions "There was consistent fever, weakness, and lack of appetite after the liver HCC post-TACE procedure. This drug helped in overcoming all these problems and increased the diet intake, which also helped in increasing weight. Initial dosage was 2 mg, gradually reducing to 1 mg. After a month, when I reduced the dosage to 0.5 mg, fever and weakness returned, and appetite also reduced slightly, therefore, I was again forced to go back to a 1 mg daily dosage, which brought back some normality."

• Anonymous
• January 7, 2022

"I was on this for a Dexa suppression test. Horrible experience. My heart beats, especially when I try to sleep (which I haven't been), are so rapid/irregular, and if I just for a fraction of a second feel like I'm asleep, I wake up with a hypnic jerk, feeling I'd die/go to some other world or pass out."

• Sai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 4, 2022

For Nausea/Vomiting, Chemotherapy Induced "I'm given 8 mg IV dexamethasone prior to chemo. You are then prescribed dexamethasone 4 mg orally at breakfast and lunchtime post-chemo for 3 days. The first time I took it, I thought I was losing my head - the headache was mind-blowing, unrelieved by paracetamol. Never again, I’ll put up with the nausea. My weight also ballooned, and I couldn’t stop eating. Dreadful stuff!!"

• kdn...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 12, 2021

Dexamethasone for Asthma, acute "Given this medication following COVID-19. Appears to aid in breathing but immediately gave me bradycardia. My heart rate is now resting in the 50s and going into low 40s while trying to rest. This results in me being jerked awake, gasping for air when I can actually sleep. The medication caused me to be awake for 46 hours straight. 6 mg dosage, no step down."

• Ang...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 18, 2023

Dexamethasone "I was given a Decadron injection along with Benadryl and Epipen. Immediately after receiving all three injections, I started shaking uncontrollably. I had to lie in the office for about 45 minutes to somewhat recover before I could drive. Additionally, about two days later, I noticed a small lump appearing in one of my breasts. I thought it must be from that injection, so I didn't think much about it at the time. However, about three months later, the lump in my breast started to grow larger, despite my attempts to detoxify my body through various methods. Nothing seemed to make it smaller. I had taken Benadryl and Epipen before, but this was my first time receiving Decadron. I had previously received Prednisone for severe cases of poison ivy. Fast forward to now, approximately 10 months after the injection, the lump in my breast is about the size of a small orange, and I have developed a knot under my armpit as well. I returned to the doctor who administered the injection, and they diagnosed me with breast cancer. When I mentioned that I didn't have this issue until I received that shot, they didn't believe me. It feels like they are dismissing my concerns. The way they practice medicine feels like a violation of humanity. This situation is deeply troubling and unjust."

• stl...
• April 4, 2010

For Aphthous Ulcer "Really did a great job in reducing inflammation caused by mouth sores, but had significant difficulties sleeping. Was given 10 mg IV weekly during chemo session, and took 4 mg twice daily afterward, for about one month. Stopped taking on a Wednesday (cold turkey), and by Saturday was experiencing edginess, some depression. Took until Sunday evening to really get back into a positive attitude. Probably should have told the doctor that I wanted to phase out. It really works, but be watchful of mood swings."

• Wan...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 7, 2023

For Sarcoidosis "Seems to have been very effective in reducing inflammation rapidly. Able to take a lesser dose than prednisone was to be prescribed. Less side effects on the brain than Pred, but quite hard on stomach, however, prescribed meds helped to relieve this. Overall, a great improvement in conditions."

• uwj...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 11, 2023

For Asthma "I was recovering from a nasty lung infection, and I was coughing up a lot. Two weeks later, the cough improved a lot, but my lungs were still wheezy, and breathing deeply caused rumbling in my lungs. The doctor gave me a two-day course of 12 mg of these tablets to help cut down the inflammation of the lungs. I was scared to take these as I'm prone to having anxiety/mood issues, and I saw some of the other comments here. Luckily, the dose did have some side effects, but nothing I wasn't able to handle. I took them at 8 a.m. each day, and the peak side effects were around noon. Mainly feeling a bit jumpy, having a headache, and feeling sort of floaty. In the evening, I did have a harder time falling asleep, but I still was able to sleep through the night. My lungs feel a ton better, and my appetite improved, which was a huge relief. I also noticed a significant decrease in chest pain. I think for such a short 2-day dose, even though high, it was helpful."

• Kin...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 14, 2023

For Nausea/Vomiting, Chemotherapy Induced "I have stage 2 gastric cancer and receive FLOT chemotherapy. I receive dexamethasone IV on the day of chemo and take 4 mg orally the following morning. I also take ondansetron 8 mg three times a day as needed. I have not had any issues with vomiting, and my nausea is well controlled. The only side effect I have is insomnia on those days I receive dexamethasone. I am not diabetic, so I have no issues with blood glucose."