Betamethasone Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com. Last updated on Mar 24, 2025.

Applies to betamethasone: injection suspension.

Precautions

It is very important that your doctor check you or your child's progress at regular visits to make sure this medicine is working properly and to decide if you should continue to receive it. Blood or urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

This medicine may cause a serious allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis. This can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Tell your doctor right away if you have a rash, itching, hoarseness, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth after receiving this medicine.

Your blood pressure might get too high while you are using this medicine. This may cause headaches, dizziness, or blurred vision. You might need to measure your blood pressure at home. If you think your blood pressure is too high, call your doctor right away.

Receiving too much of this medicine or receiving it for a long time may increase your and your child's risk of having adrenal gland problems. Talk to your doctor right away if you or your child have more than one of these symptoms while receiving this medicine: blurred vision, dizziness or fainting, a fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat, increased thirst or urination, irritability, or unusual tiredness or weakness.

This medicine may cause you or your child to get more infections than usual. Avoid people who are sick or have infections and wash your hands often. If you or your child are exposed to chickenpox or measles, tell your doctor right away. If you or your child start to have a fever, chills, sore throat, or any other sign of an infection, call your doctor right away.

Tell your doctor if you or your child have recently spent time in a tropical climate or have unexplained diarrhea before receiving this medicine.

While you are being treated with betamethasone sodium phosphate and betamethasone acetate combination injection, do not have any immunizations (vaccines) without your doctor's approval. Betamethasone may lower your body's resistance and the vaccine may not work as well or you might get the infection the vaccine is meant to prevent. In addition, you should not be around other persons living in your household who receive live virus vaccines because there is a chance they could pass the virus on to you. Some examples of live vaccines include measles, mumps, influenza (nasal flu vaccine), poliovirus (oral form), rotavirus, and rubella. Do not get close to them and do not stay in the same room with them for very long. If you have questions about this, talk to your doctor.

Check with your doctor right away if blurred vision, difficulty in reading, eye pain, or any other change in vision occurs during treatment with this medicine for more than 6 weeks. Your doctor may want you to have your eyes checked by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor).

This medicine may increase your risk for cancer (eg, Kaposi's sarcoma) when used for a long time. Talk with your doctor if you have concerns.

This medicine may increase your risk for stomach or bowel perforation (tear or hole). Check with your doctor right away if you have stomach cramps or pain, black, tarry stools, diarrhea, fever, or severe vomiting, sometimes with blood.

If you receive this medicine for a long time, tell your doctor about any extra stress or anxiety in your life, including other health concerns and emotional stress. Your dose of this medicine might need to be changed for a short time while you have extra stress.

This medicine might cause thinning of the bones (osteoporosis) or slow growth in children if used for a long time. Tell your doctor if you have any bone pain or if you have an increased risk for osteoporosis. If your child is using this medicine, tell the doctor if you think your child is not growing properly.

This medicine may cause changes in mood or behavior for some patients. Tell your doctor right away if you or your child have depression, mood swings, a false or unusual sense of well-being, trouble with sleeping, or personality changes while receiving this medicine.

Make sure any doctor or dentist who treats you knows that you are receiving this medicine. This medicine may affect the results of certain skin tests.

Do not stop receiving this medicine suddenly without checking first with your doctor. Your doctor may want you or your child to gradually reduce the amount you are receiving before stopping it completely.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Serious side effects of betamethasone

Along with its needed effects, betamethasone may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking betamethasone:

Other side effects of betamethasone

Some side effects of betamethasone may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects.

Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

For healthcare professionals

Applies to betamethasone: compounding powder, injectable solution, injectable suspension, oral syrup, oral tablet.

Cardiovascular adverse events

• Frequency not reported: Bradycardia, cardiac arrest, cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac enlargement, circulatory collapse, congestive heart failure, fat embolism, hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in premature infants, myocardial rupture following recent myocardial infarction, tachycardia, thrombophlebitis, vasculitis^[Ref]

Endocrine

• Frequency not reported: Development of cushingoid state, adrenocortical and pituitary unresponsiveness (particularly during stress, e.g. trauma, surgery, illness), moon face^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

• Frequency not reported: Abdominal distension, bowel/bladder dysfunction (intrathecal administration), nausea, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer with possible perforation and hemorrhage, perforation of the small bowel and large intestine (particularly in inflammatory bowel disease patients), ulcerative esophagitis^[Ref]

Immunologic

• Frequency not reported: Decreased resistance to infection^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

• Frequency not reported: Suppression of growth in pediatric patients, Charcot-like arthropathy, loss of muscle mass, muscle weakness, osteoporosis, pathologic fracture of long bones, post-injection flare (intra-articular use), steroid myopathy, tendon rupture, vertebral compression fractures^[Ref]

Ocular

• Rare (less than 0.1%): Blindness (periocular injection)
• Frequency not reported: Exophthalmos, glaucoma, increased intraocular pressure, posterior subcapsular cataracts, vision blurred^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

• Frequency not reported: Anaphylactoid reaction, anaphylaxis^[Ref]

Metabolic

• Frequency not reported: Decreased carbohydrate and glucose tolerance, increased requirement for insulin or oral hypoglycemics, fluid retention, hypokalemic alkalosis, potassium loss, sodium retention, increased appetite, negative nitrogen balance due to protein catabolism, weight gain^[Ref]

Dermatologic

• Frequency not reported: Angioedema, acne, allergic dermatitis, cutaneous and subcutaneous atrophy, dry scaly skin, ecchymosis and petechiae, erythema, hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, increased sweating, rash, sterile abscess, striae, thin fragile skin, thinning scalp hair, urticaria^[Ref]

Nervous system

• Frequency not reported: Syncope, convulsions, headache, increased intracranial pressure with papilledema (pseudotumor cerebri) usually following treatment discontinuation, neuritis, neuropathy, paresthesia, vertigo, arachnoiditis (intrathecal), meningitis (intrathecal), paraparesis/paraplegia (intrathecal), sensory disturbances (intrathecal)^[Ref]

Psychiatric

• Frequency not reported: Depression, emotional instability, euphoria, insomnia, mood swings, personality changes, psychic disorders^[Ref]

Other

• Frequency not reported: Edema, impaired wound healing, suppressed reactions to skin tests, calcinosis (intra-articular or intralesional use), abnormal fat deposits, malaise^[Ref]

Genitourinary

• Frequency not reported: Glucosuria, increased or decreased motility and number of spermatozoa^[Ref]

Hepatic

• Frequency not reported: Elevation in serum liver enzyme, hepatomegaly^[Ref]

Serum liver enzyme elevations were usually reversible upon discontinuation.^[Ref]

Respiratory

• Frequency not reported: Pulmonary edema, hiccups^[Ref]

See also:

Frequently asked questions

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Further information

Betamethasone side effects can vary depending on the individual. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.

Note: Medication side effects may be underreported. If you are experiencing side effects that are not listed, submit a report to the FDA by following this guide.

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