Last updated: September 2023
Therapeutic action
- Long-acting steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (corticosteroid)
Indications
- Symptomatic treatment of severe allergic and inflammatory reactions
Forms and strengths
- 2 mg and 4 mg tablets
Dosage and duration
Dosage varies according to indication, reaction severity and clinical response:
- Child: 0.15 to 0.6 mg/kg (max. 16 mg) once daily
- Adult: 0.5 to 24 mg (max. 40 mg) once daily
Duration varies according to indication. Due to dexamethasone’s long half-life, a treatment of 1 or 2 days is usually sufficient in asthma or croup. In the event of treatment longer than 10 days, decrease doses gradually to avoid adrenal suppression.
Contra-indications, adverse effects, precautions
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In case of systemic infection, only administer if patient is under antimicrobial treatment.
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May cause (if prolonged treatment with high doses): adrenal suppression, muscle atrophy, growth retardation, increased susceptibility to infections, sodium and water retention (oedema and hypertension), osteoporosis, hypokalaemia, digitalis toxicity due to potassium loss in patients taking digitalis glycosides.
- Pregnancy and breast-feeding: no contra-indication; use the lowest effective dose.
Remarks
- 0.75 mg of dexamethasone has the same anti-inflammatory activity as 5 mg of prednisolone or prednisone and 20 mg of hydrocortisone.