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Dexamethasone Injection

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Why is this medication prescribed?

Injections of dexamethasone are used to treat severe allergic responses. It is employed in the treatment of several forms of arthritis, gastrointestinal disorders, and edoema (fluid retention and swelling; excess fluid retained in bodily tissues). Diagnostic procedures also involve the injection of dexamethasone. Injections of dexamethasone are also used to treat a few ailments that impact the neurological system, thyroid, skin, eyes, skin, skin, and blood. It is occasionally used in conjunction with other drugs to treat the symptoms of low corticosteroid levels (the absence of specific compounds required for proper bodily function but normally produced by the body) and to control specific types of shock. The drug dexamethasone injection belongs to the corticosteroid drug class. The body’s normal natural production of corticosteroids is replaced in order to treat patients with low corticosteroid levels. It also helps cure other illnesses by lowering inflammation and redness and altering how the immune system functions.

How should this medicine be used?

Dexamethasone injection is available as a powder to be combined with liquid and administered intravenously or intramuscularly (into a vein). Your illness and how you react to treatment will determine your individual dose regimen.

Dexamethasone injection can be delivered to you in a hospital or other healthcare facility, or you can be given the medication to use at home. Your doctor will demonstrate how to inject the drug if you plan to use dexamethasone injection at home. Make sure you comprehend these instructions, and if you have any issues, consult your healthcare professional. If you experience any issues while using dexamethasone injection, ask your healthcare professional what to do.

Throughout your therapy, your doctor may adjust the amount of dexamethasone injection you receive to make sure you’re always getting the lowest dose that is effective for you. In addition, if you suffer extraordinary bodily stressors like surgery, illness, or infection, your doctor might need to adjust your dose. During your therapy, be sure to let your doctor know if your symptoms grow better or worse, if you become ill, or if anything else changes with regard to your health.

Other uses for this medicine

Dexamethasone injection is occasionally used to relieve nausea and vomiting brought on by particular cancer chemotherapy regimens as well as to stop organ transplant rejection. The dangers of using this drug for your illness should be discussed with your doctor.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details if you believe this drug should be used for something else.

What special precautions should I follow?

Before receiving dexamethasone injection,

  • If you have any allergies, including to benzyl alcohol, dexamethasone, other drugs, or any of the substances in dexamethasone injection, let your doctor and pharmacist know right once. Get a list of the components from your pharmacist.
  • Inform your doctor and pharmacist about any additional prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, herbal items, nutritional supplements, and any drugs you are now taking or intend to take. Any of the following should be mentioned: amphotericin B (Abelcet, Ambisome, Amphotec); anticoagulants (‘blood thinners’) like warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven); aspirin and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Aleve, Naprosyn), and selective COX-2 inhibitors like celecoxib (Celebrex); medications for diabetes like insulin; di (Rifadin, Rimactane, in Rifamate, in Rifater). Your doctor might need to adjust your medication doses or keep a close eye out for any negative side effects.
  • If you have a fungal infection, tell your doctor (other than on your skin or nails). Most likely, your doctor will advise against using dexamethasone injection.
  • Inform your doctor if you have or have ever had: myasthenia gravis (a condition in which the muscles become weak); cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye); glaucoma (an eye disease); high blood pressure; a recent heart attack; emotional problems, depression or other types of mental illness; TB (a type of lung infection); or cataracts (clouding of the lens of the eye), osteoporosis (a condition in which the bones weaken and become brittle, making them susceptible to breaking easily); malaria (a deadly illness carried by mosquitoes in some regions of the world and capable of killing a person); ulcers; or liver, renal, heart, intestine, or thyroid disorders. Moreover, let your physician know if you have any untreated bacterial, parasite, viral, or herpes eye infections, as well as any other type of infection that is not cancer (a type of infection that causes a sore on the eyelid or eye surface).
  • Inform your doctor if you are expecting, intend to get pregnant, or are nursing a baby. Call your doctor if you get pregnant while having a dexamethasone injection.
  • Inform the surgeon or dentist that you are receiving a dexamethasone injection if you are having surgery, including dental surgery.
  • Without first consulting your doctor, avoid getting any immunisations (shots that prevent infections).
  • Dexamethasone injection may reduce your ability to fight infection and may stop you from exhibiting symptoms if you contract an infection, so you should be aware of this. Avoid contact with sick persons while taking this drug, and wash your hands frequently. Avoid those who have the measles or chicken pox. If you believe you may have come into contact with someone who had the chicken pox or measles, call your doctor right once.

What special dietary instructions should I follow?

Your doctor might advise you to consume less salt or eat more potassium or calcium. Also, your doctor might advise or prescribe a calcium or potassium supplement. Pay close attention to these guidelines.

What side effects can this medication cause?

Side effects from dexamethasone injection are possible. If any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away, let your doctor know right once:

  • Headache
  • Slowed-down wound and contusion healing
  • Dry, brittle, or thin skin
  • Under-the-skin blotches or streaks that are red or purple
  • Skin lesions where the injection was made
  • Increasing body fat or a shift in where your body is moving
  • Unsuitable happiness
  • Having trouble falling or staying asleep
  • Significant mood swings and behavioural changes
  • Depression
  • Increased perspiration
  • Muscular tremor
  • Joints hurt
  • Irregular or nonexistent menstruation
  • Hiccups
  • Higher appetite
  • Injection site discomfort or erythema

Some adverse effects may be severe. Call your doctor right away or seek emergency medical attention if you have any of these symptoms:

  • Infection-related symptoms including a sore throat, a fever, chills, or a cough
  • Seizures
  • Vision issues
  • Eye, face, tongue, throat, arms, hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs swelling
  • Breathing or swallowing challenges
  • Breathing difficulty
  • Unexpected weight gain
  • Rash
  • Hives
  • Itching

An shot of dexamethasone might make kids develop more slowly. While receiving dexamethasone injection, your child’s doctor will closely monitor your child’s growth. The hazards of giving your child this medication should be discussed with your child’s doctor.

Long-term dexamethasone injection users run the risk of developing cataracts or glaucoma. Discuss with your doctor how frequently you should have your eyes checked while undergoing treatment for dexamethasone injection hazards.

The chance of developing osteoporosis may increase after receiving a dexamethasone injection. Discuss the dangers of using this drug with your doctor.

Further negative effects of dexamethasone injection are possible. If you experience any strange issues while taking this drug, call your doctor right away.

You or your doctor can submit a report to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting programme online or by phone if you have a serious side event (1-800-332-1088).

What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication?

The best way to preserve your medication will be advised by your doctor. Just as prescribed, only store your prescription. Be sure to know the right way to store your medications.

Unused prescriptions must be disposed of carefully to prevent pets, kids, and other people from ingesting them. You should not, however, dispose of this medication in the toilet. Instead, utilising a medicine take-back programme is the easiest approach to get rid of your medication. To find out about take-back programmes in your area, speak with your pharmacist or the garbage/recycling department in your city. If you do not have access to a take-back programme, see the FDA’s Safe Disposal of Medications website at http://goo.gl/c4Rm4p for additional information.

In case of emergency/overdose

Call the poison control hotline at 1-800-222-1222 in the event of an overdose. Moreover, information can be found online at https://www.poisonhelp.org/help. Call 911 right once if the person has collapsed, experienced a seizure, is having difficulty breathing, or cannot be roused.

What other information should I know?

Keep all of your appointments with your physician and the lab. To monitor your body’s reaction to the dexamethasone injection, your doctor will request a few lab tests.

Inform the doctor or technician if you are undergoing any skin testing, such as allergy or tuberculosis tests, that you are receiving dexamethasone injection.

Inform the lab staff and your doctor that you are receiving dexamethasone injection prior to any laboratory test.

Do not share your medication with anybody else. Any queries you may have regarding medication refills should be directed to your pharmacist.

You should keep a written record of every medication you take, including any over-the-counter (OTC) items, prescription drugs, and dietary supplements like vitamins and minerals. This list should be brought with you whenever you see a doctor or are admitted to the hospital. You should always have this information with you in case of emergencies.

Brand names

  • Decadron
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