Community Pediatric Asthma Service
Oral Steroids
Sometimes asthma flare-ups cannot be controlled with your inhaled corticosteroid medicine and you may be prescribed an add-on corticosteroid therapy in a pill or liquid form, often taken for 3-5 days.
- "Add-on" implies these oral medicines are taken in addition to your regular inhaled corticosteroids
- Some common names for oral corticosteroids for asthma are Prednisone, Pediapred, or Decadron/ Dexamethasone. (See Medicine Tips for Parents below.)
Oral steroids can...
usually get asthma under control quickly, allowing you to start feeling well sooner. Once the flare-up is controlled, you can return to your regular treatment of inhaled corticosteroid medicine. Oral corticosteroids are not usually taken on a regular basis, but are reserved to treat severe asthma flare-ups.
- Oral corticosteroid medicines are safe and effective when taken for short periods of time
- Side effects of oral corticosteroids are not usually seen if you take a typical 3 to 5 day course of the medicine
- You may notice some mood changes or increased appetite, but these disappear when the medicine is stopped
- Prolonged use of oral corticosteroids may cause side effects such as weight gain, skin thinning or bruising, osteoporosis, delayed growth and glaucoma
- If you have taken the equivalent of 3 weeks of oral steroids in a year, it is time to discuss the long-term side effects of oral steroids with your doctor. A review of your regular maintenance medication for asthma would also be helpful
Medicine Tips for Parents
Oral corticosteroid pills and liquid medicine have a bitter taste. Kids describe them as "yucky."
Tablets - If children are old enough to swallow them, tablets seem to be preferred. A tablet in a spoonful of jam or chocolate syrup helps the medicine go down :). While a tablet seems to be the easier medicine to take, it is not always the first to be prescribed in a hospital setting. Ask your doctor if it is available and appropriate.
Liquids - Liquid corticosteroids have a tendency to cause some children to vomit. Dexamethasone is commonly prescribed in the hospital. If your child vomits within 30 minutes of taking liquid corticosteroid medicine, it has not had a chance to be absorbed by the body and the dose must be repeated. If the liquid corticosteroid is repeatedly vomited, talk to your doctor about the alternatives.
Walk | Run | Play | Breathe
Material on this website has been designed for information purposes only. It should not be used in place of medical advice, instruction and/or treatment. If you have specific questions, please consult your doctor or appropriate health care professional.