DECADRON Reviews (DEXAMETHASONE)Average Rating: 2.2 (197 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare DECADRON with similar:
Type: Brand name discontinued; available as generic
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Results are sorted by Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on DECADRON: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR DECADRON | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 2 | Inflammatory Skin Condition | I took a short burst, of .25 pills. 5 pills the first day, 4 the second, down to 1 on the 5th day. Despite the lower dose-I had significant side effects that did more harm than good. Extreme feelings of stress, anger, irritability, etc. Feeling like I was fed up with everything and had no tolerance. Some agitation, anxiety, revved up feeling. Ravenous--eating everything in sight at night. Increased metabolism, feeling like I was on speed. Also-more flaring/inflammation in some areas. Constant dull headache-back of head. Some more acute pain at base of skull when moved head. Started having what felt like deep-rooted bone or muscular pain in legs and lower part of body. I did have some enhanced cognition-as if I could suddenly understand things more clearly, more efficient, think smarter, etc. but I was too hyper. I also noticed a dramatic increase in Obsessive Compulsive thoughts and behaviors. This was not a good drug for me, and I don't intend to take it again. The side | Although some skin areas seemed less inflammed at first, and were drying up- they were outweighed by increased inflammation and flaring. The drug not only seemed to cause some inflammation; but it increased my stress level, anxiety, and OCD to the point where it was much harder not to react to the skin. I felt on a very acute edge of stress, aggravation, etc. Not good to help the skin! The secondary effects on emotion and behavior did more harm to my skin than any small benefits originally. By increasing my stress/anxiety level, it probably increased skin flares. I could not handle how I felt on this drug, even at a short burst on a lower dose. Felt like it was making me crazy, with some confusion. | F | 48 | 5 days | 3/18/2008 | 3 | Post tx for brain tumor | Increased appetite, in a fog, short temper, restlessness and fatigue, bloating, mood swings, some weight gain, desire to eat more sweets, muscle weakness, sleep pattern turned upside down, indigestion that lead to mock cardiac symptoms (chest pain radiating to back and sweating) and a trip to the ER. | I was on 4 mg a day (to start then pushed to less after issues came up) recently (post Cyber Knife radiation treatment for brain tumor) which is not a high dose from what I know. This stuff is wicked and I was on this (assume a higher dose) after having brain tumor removed surgically years ago. I understand that I was IMPOSSIBLE to deal with when I was on the drug the first time. My wife thought that they had cut a wire when they were in removing the tumor. She told them that was not the man she married 15 years ago. This drug managed my issue, headaches post treatment but wow, the price I paid in all the uncomfortableness and side effects. This time, I was on this drug for 11 days total and completed my last dose today and thankful I don't need to take it again. In fact, if they try and prescribe in future, I'll ask for something else. | M | 44 | 11 days | 3/16/2008 | 4 | severe pain/osteoartritis/spinal | (see 2 earlier posts) OFF the Decadron for about 6 months per orders from spine surgeon prior to fusion of L4/L5--now tpaerd on from 2 mg./day (too little) down to .5 mg per day. Great help with neuropathy and joint pain. Not 100% as I take Lyrica and occasional Vicodin at night. Most serious effects are extereme thinning/bruising of skin. | Other early side efffects reported (somnolence/mood) are behind me. | M | 73 | 2 years | 3/12/2008 | 3 | Migrane rebounds | Bloating, constipation, skin felt like sunburn. Weight gain. Felt like a coating on my tongue, nothing tasted right, was so hungry,,,, | I guess it was worth the side affects. It did stop the migrane I was suffering from for 2 weeks. | F | 52 | 4 days | 3/5/2008 | 2 | reduce swelling for brain lesions | head pressure, swelling in face,feet, hands, dizzy, weight gain, blurry vision, muscle pain in legs difficult to walk, back pain, skin feels like sunburn. | wondering how long side effects will last, just weened off it and symptoms feel worse | M | 48 | 8 days | 2/23/2008 | 3 | Head Cancer | Severe Wieght gain, moon face, insomnia, serious mood swings and behaviour changes. The worst is the leg pain. Intense severe cramping in knees & thighs. Hospitalized and put on morphine. Lasted 2-7 days. This comes and goes and have had about 4 episodes. | Did help relieve nerve pain in face. The cancer is terminal | F | 52 | 3 months | 1/19/2008 | 1 | Brain Tumor | 25% weight gain, massive lymph build up below the hips, insomnia (as in 72+ hours w/o sleep), swollen feet, rage mixed with depression, enhanced memory recall and idea connectivity, crazy feelings, insatiable appetite and thirst. | This was the wrong drug for me as the type of tumor indicated a very different therapy. I can only hope it is used sparingly as it took me 6 weeks to titrate from it. The withdrawal symptoms must be akin to highly addictive substances as I felt like a junkie trying to kick heroin. | M | 37 | 9 weeks | 11/21/2007 | 5 | autoimmune + inability to swallow | bone pain in broad bones, i.e.shoulder blades | I was a long-term prednisone patient and experienced nearly all the side-effects listed here, but I literally have no other side effects from Decadron beyond the bone pain. I would suggest that others try different glucocorticosteroids because obviously this is the one that works for me, while a milder drug (prednisone) caused major damage. Decadron gave me my life back, I take it in pulses of 6 days on/2 weeks off. | F | 43 | 8 months | 11/14/2007 | 1 | Reduce swelling after brain surgery | My husband has been taking this for 1 week to reduce brain swelling after brain tumor surgery. He has turned into the meanest most enraged person I ever met. Me and my children are thinking of moving into a motel until he is off this medication because we are scared of him and what he will do. He has broken nearly 100 items in our home this week. If he cannot find a cup, he breaks everything in kitchen, then cries for hours. What the hell is this drug doing to him? I asked doctors and they told me its called"roid rage" and it is common and to stick it out.. well, me and my kids do not need to live with a timebomb either. Don't take this drug unless your life depends on it! | M | 53 | 7 days | 11/13/2007 | 2 | surgeries-VHL Brain Lesions | From Decadron: Moonface-Moonstomach. High-energy Insomnia. Compulsiveness. Mood Swings and Mind Racing. Taste Change. Loss of some Teeth. Skin breakdown due to Staph Overrun. Legs & Feet Edema at times. Hunger for Sweets. Hallucinations. Odd Itches. Cataracts. Suffocating Feeling. Muscle Wasting led to Inabilty to Walk. Repeat Pseudomonas Pneumonias. Hiccups. Bone Pain. Some Tremors. Some Blurry Vision. Weight Gain. Dizziness. To make it worse, Prednisolone bag was hung in post-ops. Most recent--Multiple Spine Fractures led to tube feeds. My broher takes Decadron 6mg. daily to decrease the likelihood of bloodvessels leaking fluid into his brain and to control inflammation. Now, he's alive & lucid, but the only function he can perform without medical assistance is using a tv remote. Prescribed Steroids continue to cause most of his complications and post-op disabilities. | Unfortunately, this potent steroid interferes with immune system and essential body bilogy and can greatly impact quality of life. Not a good long-term solution. I think it should only be taken for brain & organ-saving events and then the smallest dose that will do the job. | M | 47 | 4.5 years | 10/28/2007 | 1 | nausea for breast cancer | CONSTANT HEADACHE | I WILL NEVER TAKE THIS DRUG AGAIN!! | F | 37 | 7 days | 10/12/2007 | 1 | brain tumor | Um all of the side effects. Confusion, raging bitch, MOON FACE, gaining like 35 lbs., insomnia, constipation, acne, sweating, bone pain (when weening off...take oxycodone), muscle deterioration, urgancy to pee, facial hair growth(that was fun). | Where should I begin?!? So my butt went to my gut and I looked like I had my wisdom teeth pulled in the middle of worse acne ever. I would swear like it was my job. F-bombs were my favorite. If I was talking to you...I would forget what I was saying halfway through. I was afraid to take a bath. I ran around in Depends. WORSE DRUG EVER! | F | 21 | 5 months | 10/3/2007 | 1 | brain tumor | Experienced them all: severe swelling- head, neck legs. Muscle weakness. pneumonia, kidney failure, diabetes, paranoia, loss of appetite. | this drug and its wild cascade of symptoms killed my mother. | F | 71 | 6 weeks | 7/3/2007 | 2 | Nausea due to Chemotherapy | Bloating, puffiness, weight gain and constipation | Hi! I have Stage IIB breast cancer for which I had a bi-lateral mastectomy in Dec 2006. Started chemo treatment (CMF) mid Jan 2007. Decadron + EMEND + Zofran were prescribed for side effects. I too would like to know how to get it out of my system as I'll finish chemo shortly. I'm going to have Lymphatic drainage (for lymphdema) as soon as dr ok's it and know that will help. I am also trying more alternative options like the Ionic foot bath....don't know if it is wasted money but seems to help. As soon as radiation burn area is totally healed, I will do the Oxygen bath and far-infrared therapy for detox. While these are "spa" treatments, I've done these and again, it seems to help by flushing the body fluids. Of course, not covered by insurances :-( Cancer is a big business....after my radiation burns, I contacted one of the National Burn Centers.....was told (off the record) that their protocol is NOT to radiate BC patients with tissue expanders....frustrated to | F | 47 | 5 months | 5/30/2007 | 1 | Multiple Sclerosis | SEVERE muscle atrophy in legs, nausea, decreased potassium levels, hallucinations, bone and joint pain, severe mood swings, hypoglycemia, and steroid-induced myopathy. | Doctor misdiagnosed me as having a severe MS attack (actually had a fratured sacral not MS) and ruined my life with this drug. My leg muscles disappeared literally within just days leaving me in a wheelchair for months with steroid-induced myopathy. If anybody wants to give you this drug run awaying screaming as far and as fast as you can. | M | 54 | 12 days | 5/21/2007 | 1 | Acute Contact Dermatitis | Insatiable Appetite, Weight Gain with fluid retention (14lbs in 10 days) symptoms of psychosis, bi-polar symptoms... 4mg bid | almost 1 year later, still retain fluid, 30lbs heavier, distention, bph, high blood pressure... insomnia... joint pain... Fear Cushing's. | M | 40 | 10 days | 5/17/2007 | 4 | spinal stenosis, osteoarthritis | skin is very thin, subject to cuts and brusies. Most/all early side effects now gone (somnolence, mood changes, etc.) Side effects an acceptable trade-off for pain relief. | (see earlier post of 4/06) Have been on maintenance dose of .5 mg/day for almost 1 year. In 2 attempts to withdraw, pain came back with a vengeance about 2-3 days after cessation. | M | 72 | 1 years | 5/4/2007 | 1 | ITP-Platelet Disorder | Insomnia, irritability, achy muscles in legs, confusion, nervousness, upset stomach, indigestion, loss of taste | My doctor told me to take 10 4mg tablets but I knew from prior episode with itp that 40mg had me in a fog for quite some time so I only took 8mg and still had hidious side effects. | F | 44 | 4 days | 4/13/2007 | 1 | For Chemotherapy/Nausa | Huge weight gain, swollen ankles, moon face, anxiety, hand foot syndrome. | I want to know how to remove this horrible drug from my body, I have been off it for 6 months and the side effects are still here. I am told it is stored in tissues and fat cells. There must be a way to detoxify it. Please help if you know of any way. | F | 48 | 9 months | 3/23/2007 | 1 | Brain Lesions - CNS Vasculitis | Took 3 weeks for me to keep anything down when I first started it. Ended up in ER for dehydration and receiving Decadron by IV. Spinning, dizziness, insomnia, extreme hallucinations, psychosis, gained 60 pounds in the last 6 weeks (although no increase in appetite or eating behavior, muscle wawasting, weakness, Gross Edema - double chin the size of a papaya, looked like I was wearing an Edwardian collar, Hyperglycemia, short-term memory loss, confusion, muscle wasting, rash, acne, excess Keratin in facial skin I could scrape off with my finger nails, thrush mouth (the worst), asthma attacks when it wore off before the next dose - I felt like I couldn't breath, hump on back, "Cushing's Syndrome" appearance, excess hair on face (like male) - then when it came back out after ceasing the medication, it took more with it, tremors, night sweats,DVT (blood clot that caused hospitalization), stomach ulcer, blurred vision, and on and on. I'M SURE I'M FORGETTING SOME THINGS SINCE I | I was only on this medication for 58 days in 2001. A few side effects ceased as soon as I quit taking the medication. Many of the side effects continued and did not start backing off until 2003. They gradually started backing off and still doing this until 2007. I was told by a doctor at Cleveland Clinic that I was highly sensitive to this medication. I was also told that I would most probably be dead had I not taken this medication. I was also told that I could've been put on a different drug. I will not take this medication ever again and I was advised not too, although no one needed to tell me that! | F | 46 | 58 days | 3/10/2007 |