Dexamethasone and Mood Swings: What Users Say

• Jas...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 25, 2016

Dexamethasone for Inflammatory Conditions "Never take this drug. I am a healthy individual that had a bad experience with this drug. I received one shot because I had the flu. One week later, I had burning pains running all through my body. They gave me a shot in my butt, and it's still sore two weeks later. I had trouble sleeping, couldn't breathe at night, and thought I was going crazy. My resting heart rate went from 49 to 58 beats a minute. I don't know what this drug does to the body, but it's not good. You have mood swings from anger, confusion, weakness, coordination, etc. Please ask the doctor what they are giving you before they inject you. It could do more harm than good later."

• Rya...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 31, 2018

Dexamethasone for Allergic Rhinitis "This drug is terrible. I am an athlete/coach and have always been a very upbeat/motivated person. I got into a hornet's nest, and they gave me a shot of this instead of Benadryl. I experienced weeks of the worst mood swings of my life, my heart stayed racing so hard I thought I was having a heart attack at times, and I dropped from 160 lbs to 145 lbs and couldn't stop eating anything in sight. Afterwards, I experienced depression/fatigue beyond what I ever thought I could go through that took about 3 months to fully recover from. The migraines were terrible as well. I'm writing this because a friend just stopped by to ask about my experience, he had an allergic reaction and they gave him the same Decadron shot. He went through almost identical symptoms. Try your best to avoid this stuff, the side effects aren't worth the benefits."

• Old...
• February 15, 2017

For Cerebral Edema "I had a seizure, which led to them finding a brain tumor. They put me on Dexa in the ER and I was on it for 2 months after the craniotomy to prevent brain swelling. Don't quite remember the dosing, it was a 1 mg or 2 mg pill I took 2 or 3 times a day. I had insomnia (slept maybe 3 hours a night even on two Percocet every 4 hours), painful acne all over my face and back, mood swings, crazy hunger and weight gain, erectile dysfunction, headaches, and joint pain. I suppose it did what it was supposed to, but the side effects were horrible. Even if I had another tumor, I don't think I'd ever use it again."

• bbe...
• January 21, 2011

For Inflammatory Conditions "I can say it did some pretty good things for my back (bulging disc). It wasn't a cure at all by any means, but it helped a lot. Downside. Same as others: depression, huge appetite increase, but at the same time, everything tasted horrible, bad mood swings, suicidal thoughts (not normal for me), horrible insomnia, blurred vision, cold sweats, hands and feet tingling, numb. Swollen mouth, gums, lips, almost unbearable chest pain. At one point, my wife was ready to call 911. Oh, can't forget the late night extreme skeletal pain. Every bone in my body felt like it was about to snap. If you're like I was and are in so much pain you can hardly walk, try it. Be careful."

• Han...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2023

"I was given this medication when I was diagnosed with COVID. This medication should've never been prescribed to me because of my underlying hyperthyroid disease. I took this medication for 5 days in the hospital and 5 days at home. This medication gave me intense side effects such as: hoarse throat, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, insomnia, nausea, suicidal ideation, hallucinations, manic episodes, mood swings, aggression, lack of appetite, heart palpitations, and muscle spasms. After calling my doctor, he apologized and said these are rare side effects and only affect 5% of users. Clearly, these side effects affect more than 5% of users, and the FDA really should reevaluate this medication. My symptoms lasted well over 72 hours, which was what my doctor said they would last. I have no memory of everything that happened, I just know the mental trauma from thinking you’re going crazy is not worth it at all."

• Han...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 6, 2023

"I was given this medication when I was diagnosed with COVID. This medication should've never been prescribed to me because of my underlying hyperthyroid disease. I took this medication for 5 days in the hospital and 5 days at home. This medication gave me intense side effects such as: hoarse throat, anxiety, panic attacks, depression, insomnia, nausea, suicidal ideation, hallucinations, manic episodes, mood swings, aggression, lack of appetite, heart palpitations, and muscle spasms. After calling my doctor, he apologized and said these are rare side effects and only affect 5% of users. Clearly, these side effects affect more than 5% of users, and the FDA really should reevaluate this medication. My symptoms lasted well over 72 hours, which was what my doctor said they would last. I have no memory of everything that happened, I just know the mental trauma from thinking you’re going crazy is not worth it at all."

• Iri...
• August 7, 2016

"Well, can't tell if it is effective or not, unbearable to keep taking it because of the side effects. Having all that I see mentioned as well: sleeplessness, bad headaches, increased heart rate, very wired, mood swings, blurred vision goes in/out affected me while I was driving, flushed face. Stopped it after the first two days because of this, then, thinking it was a fluke, took it again and felt the symptoms instantly. Calling my doc to see if there's something else :("

• 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."

• 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."

• car...
• March 25, 2010

For Inflammatory Conditions "This medicine caused severe mood swings, anger, irritability, depression, suicidal thoughts, complete personality changes."