Deflazacort Side Effects

Medically reviewed by Philip Thornton, DipPharm. Last updated on Jan 13, 2025.

Applies to deflazacort: oral suspension, oral tablet.

Precautions

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

Using too much of this medicine or using it for a long time may increase your risk of having adrenal gland problems. Talk to your doctor right away if you have more than one of these symptoms while you are using 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 to get more infections than usual. Avoid people who are sick or have infections and wash your hands often. If you are exposed to chickenpox or measles, tell your doctor right away. If you start to have a fever, chills, sore throat, or any other sign of an infection, call your doctor right away.

While you are being treated with deflazacort, do not have any live or live-attenuated immunizations (vaccines) at least 4 to 6 weeks before starting this medicine without your doctor's approval. Deflazacort 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.

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.

Using this medicine may increase the risk of stomach or bowel perforation. It usually occurs in patients with stomach ulcers or other digestive problems. Tell your doctor right away if you have severe abdominal or stomach pain, cramping, or burning, bloody, black, or tarry stools, or vomiting of material that looks like coffee grounds, severe and continuing.

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

This medicine may cause thinning of the bones (osteoporosis), loss of blood supply, or slow growth in children if used for a long time. Tell your doctor if you have any bone or joint 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.

Check with your doctor right away if blurred vision, difficulty in reading, eye pain, or any other change in vision occurs during or after treatment. Your doctor may want your eyes to be checked by an ophthalmologist (eye doctor).

Serious skin reactions can occur with this medicine. Check with your doctor right away if you have blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin, red skin lesions, severe acne or skin rash, sores or ulcers on the skin, or fever or chills while you are using this medicine.

This medicine may increase your risk for cancer, including Kaposi's sarcoma. Tell your doctor right away if you have flat, painless spots that are red or purple on white skin and bluish, brownish, or black on dark skin.

This medicine may increase your risk of developing blood clots. Check with your doctor right away if you or your child have swelling and pain in your arms, legs, or stomach, chest pain, shortness of breath, loss of sensation, confusion, or problems with muscle control or speech.

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening and requires immediate medical attention. Call your doctor right away if you have a rash, itching, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth while you are using this medicine.

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 deflazacort

Along with its needed effects, deflazacort 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 immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking deflazacort:

Other side effects of deflazacort

Some side effects of deflazacort 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 deflazacort: oral suspension, oral tablet.

General adverse events

When used for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD): The most common adverse reactions were Cushingoid appearance, hirsutism, weight increased, central obesity, increased appetite, upper respiratory tract infection, cough, pollakiuria, and nasopharyngitis.

The adverse reactions listed under "Postmarketing reports" have been reported during post-approval use of this drug worldwide or during post-approval use of other corticosteroids.

When used for conditions needing treatment with glucocorticoids (Other Conditions): The incidence of predictable side effects (including hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] suppression) correlated with the relative potency of the drug, dosage, administration timing, and duration of therapy.^[Ref]

Cardiovascular

DMD:

• Common (1% to 10%): Irregular heart rate, hot flush
• Postmarketing reports: Heart failure, thromboembolism (particularly in patients with underlying conditions associated with increased thrombotic tendency)

Other Conditions:

• Frequency not reported: Heart failure, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (in preterm infants), thromboembolism (particularly in patients with underlying conditions associated with increased thrombotic tendency)^[Ref]

Dermatologic

DMD:

• Very common (10% or more): Hirsutism (up to 35%), erythema (up to 28%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Rash, contusion, skin striae, acne, impetigo, alopecia, dermatitis acneiform
• Postmarketing reports: Toxic epidermal necrolysis

Other Conditions:

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Hirsutism, striae, acne
• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Bruising
• Frequency not reported: Skin atrophy, telangiectasia^[Ref]

Endocrine

DMD:

• Very common (10% or more): Cushingoid appearance (up to 60%)

Other Conditions:

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Suppression of the HPA axis, Cushingoid facies
• Frequency not reported: Steroid withdrawal syndrome (includes symptoms such as anorexia, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, headache, fever, joint pain, desquamation, myalgia, weight loss)^[Ref]

Gastrointestinal

DMD:

• Very common (10% or more): Abdominal pain/upper abdominal pain (up to 18% combined)
• Common (1% to 10%): Constipation, abdominal discomfort, nausea, dyspepsia, gastrointestinal disorder, tooth abscess
• Postmarketing reports: Acute pancreatitis, hemorrhage, peptic ulceration, perforation of peptic ulcer

Other Conditions:

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Dyspepsia, peptic ulceration, hemorrhage, nausea
• Frequency not reported: Perforation of peptic ulcer, acute pancreatitis^[Ref]

Genitourinary

DMD:

• Very common (10% or more): Pollakiuria (up to 15%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Urinary tract infection, glycose urine present, chromaturia, dysuria, hypertonic bladder, testicular pain

Other Conditions:

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Amenorrhea
• Frequency not reported: Menstrual irregularity^[Ref]

Hematologic

DMD:

• Postmarketing reports: Leukocytosis

Other Conditions:

• Frequency not reported: Leukocytosis^[Ref]

Hypersensitivity

DMD:

• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Anaphylaxis
• Postmarketing reports: Hypersensitivity (including anaphylaxis)

Other Conditions:

• Frequency not reported: Hypersensitivity (including anaphylaxis)^[Ref]

Metabolic

DMD:

• Very common (10% or more): Central obesity (up to 25%), increased appetite (up to 14%)
• Postmarketing reports: Negative protein and calcium balance, potassium loss and hypokalemic alkalosis (with concomitant beta 2-agonist and xanthines), impaired carbohydrate tolerance with increased requirement for antidiabetic therapy

Other Conditions:

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Sodium and water retention (with hypertension), impaired carbohydrate tolerance with increased requirement for antidiabetic therapy, potassium loss and hypokalemic alkalosis (with concomitant beta 2-agonist and xanthines)
• Frequency not reported: Negative protein and calcium balance, increased appetite, tumor lysis syndrome (in patients with hematological malignancies)^[Ref]

Musculoskeletal

DMD:

• Common (1% to 10%): Back pain, fibula fracture, greenstick fracture, muscle spasms, myalgia, neck mass, neck pain, extremity pain
• Frequency not reported: Muscle weakness, tendon disorder, osteopenia
• Postmarketing reports: Avascular osteonecrosis, muscle wasting, negative nitrogen balance, tendonitis/tendon rupture (with concomitant quinolones), vertebral/long bone fractures

Other Conditions:

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Osteoporosis, vertebral/long bone fractures
• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Muscle wasting
• Frequency not reported: Growth suppression in pediatric patients, avascular osteonecrosis, tendonitis/tendon rupture (with concomitant quinolones), myopathy, negative nitrogen balance^[Ref]

Nervous system

DMD:

• Common (1% to 10%): Psychomotor hyperactivity, dizziness
• Frequency not reported: Headache
• Postmarketing reports: Aggravation of epilepsy, increased intracranial pressure with papilledema in children (pseudotumor cerebri; usually after treatment withdrawal), cognitive dysfunction (including confusion, amnesia), benign intracranial hypertension, vertigo

Other Conditions:

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Headache, vertigo
• Rare (0.01% to 0.1%): Benign intracranial hypertension
• Frequency not reported: Increased intracranial pressure with papilledema in children (pseudotumor cerebri; usually after treatment withdrawal), aggravation of epilepsy, cognitive dysfunction (including confusion, amnesia)^[Ref]

Ocular

DMD:

• Common (1% to 10%): Lacrimation increased, hordeolum
• Postmarketing reports: Chorioretinopathy, corneal/scleral thinning

Other Conditions:

• Frequency not reported: Vision blurred, increased intraocular pressure, glaucoma, papilledema, posterior subcapsular cataracts, chorioretinopathy, corneal/scleral thinning, exacerbation of ophthalmic viral/fungal diseases^[Ref]

Oncologic

Other Systemic Corticosteroids:

• Frequency not reported: Kaposi's sarcoma, pheochromocytoma crisis^[Ref]

Other

DMD:

• Very common (10% or more): Increased weight (up to 28%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Pyrexia, thirst, otitis externa, viral infection, back injury, face injury, heat exhaustion
• Postmarketing reports: Impaired healing, edema

Other Conditions:

• Common (1% to 10%): Weight gain
• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Increased susceptibility and severity of infections with suppression of clinical symptoms/signs, opportunistic infections, recurrence of dormant tuberculosis, edema
• Frequency not reported: Candidiasis, impaired healing^[Ref]

Psychiatric

DMD:

• Common (1% to 10%): Irritability, abnormal behavior, affect lability, aggression, depression, emotional disorder, middle insomnia, mood altered, mood swings, sleep disorder
• Postmarketing reports: Anxiety, delusions, hallucinations, mania, suicidal thoughts

Other Conditions:

• Uncommon (0.1% to 1%): Depressed and labile mood, behavioral disturbances
• Frequency not reported: Restlessness, irritable, euphoric, suicidal thoughts, psychotic reactions (including mania, delusions, hallucinations, aggravation of schizophrenia), anxiety, sleep disturbances, psychological effects (upon corticosteroid withdrawal)^[Ref]

Respiratory

DMD:

• Very common (10% or more): Upper respiratory tract infection (up to 12%), cough (up to 12%)
• Common (1% to 10%): Nasopharyngitis, rhinorrhea, epistaxis, influenza, pharyngitis, hypoventilation^[Ref]

See also:

Further information

Deflazacort 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.

Medical Disclaimer