Corticosteroids - Dosage of corticosteroids

Because of the risk of side effects, your GP will prescribe the lowest possible dose of corticosteroids that will control your symptoms.

In some cases, it may take a while to find a dose high enough to control your symptoms but low enough to prevent some or all of the unpleasant side effects.

Read more about the side effects of corticosteroids.

If you have troublesome side effects after taking corticosteroids, do not stop taking your medication until your GP says it is safe to do so. If you suddenly stop taking your medication, you could become very ill.

Length of treatment

If you have to take corticosteroid tablets (oral corticosteroids) for more than three weeks, or you have taken repeated courses over the past few months, you will probably have withdrawal symptoms if you suddenly stop taking the tablets.

Once your symptoms are under control, it is usually recommended your dosage is gradually reduced over a few weeks or months before you stop altogether.

Corticosteroid inhalers and sprays can usually be used on a long-term basis without causing any adverse side effects, apart from an increased vulnerability to developing a fungal infection in the mouth (oral thrush).

Corticosteroid injections can usually be given once every three to six months. More frequent injections are not usually recommended because they can damage tissue. Also, if your symptoms do not respond to infrequent corticosteroid injections, it is likely that alternative treatments will offer a greater chance of success.

Ideally, a course of oral corticosteroids should not last for more than three weeks. After this time, a person is more likely to develop troublesome side effects and withdrawal symptoms. However, a moderate to long-term course of oral corticosteroids is often the only effective form of treatment available.