Steroid Drug Withdrawal

Doctor Edward Calvin Kendall at the Mayo Clinic conducted a research and found that the steroids that are used to treat many medical related problems including asthma, different types of arthritis and other inflammatory diseases have serious drawbacks. Their continuous use can disturb the balance of normal hormones. They have many other side effects so they should be taken for a short period of time.

However, no matter how short the time period of taking steroids is, there are still chances that you may experience the steroid drug withdrawal symptoms. You feel these symptoms especially when you start decreasing your dose or when you cease it completely. Generally, it is the rule that the longer you take steroids, the more you feel steroid withdrawal symptoms. So you should be very careful while starting these types of drugs and you should be even more careful when going to stop them.

Some Very Common Symptoms of Withdrawal Steroids are These:

1. You can see a wide range of mood swing in the patients who are withdrawing steroids
2. Some rays of fluctuation in temperature are also found in the patients.
3. Restlessness is also reported in these cases.
4. Patients feel the decrease in appetite.
5. Pain in the whole body is seen in a number of patients.
6. Some patients complain weakness and fatigue.
7. Weight loss is also found in some patients.
8. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea are reported in some of the patients
9. Constant use of steroids may cause low blood pressure which further may cause dizziness and fainting.
10. There may be a complaint of low blood sugar level.
11. The most dangerous symptom is a glimpse of depression in some of the patients. This is the most serious problem because it can lead to many other problems.

It is very important that you cut off the dose gradually. If you stop using steroids at once, you have to pay for it. Your adrenal glands require some time to return to their normal pattern of secretion. This time period may differ from person to person but you have to give them time to settle down.

Normally it is a general rule that if you are taking high dose or you have been using a low dose for a long time; in both the cases this process of tapering down depends upon the body control of the underlying disease with the low dose of medicine and at the same time the ability of our body to adjust according to the need. If other things remain the same, it takes four to six weeks to come to its normal routine.

Here is another point that should be noted that when you perform blood tests during your period of taking steroids, the results are not reliable. So you are unable to find the reasons for your disease while taking steroids. In such situation, increasing or decreasing the potency of steroids is the only option that can be availed.

In many cases, alternate- day therapy is ideal as you have to take steroids on alternate days. The natural stimulation of the hypothalamus and pituitary glands do not stop working at all. There will be fewer risks of side effects as well. What you should do is to be in touch with your doctor so that he can manage any type of emergency.

Related Article: Emotional Effects of Steroids