Decadron side effects - how worried should I be?

Dear Beau,

I don't have a medical answer to your post, but I'll give you my 2 cents.  My recollection of taking decadron was it was a pain over the long haul, I don't recall having severe immediate reactions you are describiing.  I'm thinking this will pass if you just wait it out.  I've had random headaches on all my chemos, but when my oncologist recommended tylenol/advil (duh!), I felt much better.  Don't read too much about the crazy side effects of steroids - I think it is easy to over analyze (and I'm saying this as someone who over analyzes all the time, so I am trying not to sound condescending).   Anyway, in my experience, and I'm sure others will chime in, the effects of decadron were more annoying after taking it for 6 months.  It can make you a little wired in the wee hours of the morning. The thing I found most annoying was that I was all puffy/bloated looking on decadron.  Good luck and I hope this is just a passing thing and you'll be feeling better soon.

I had some SE's from the steroids, too... the one I disliked most was feeling so aggressive (good thing I wasn't driving a tank, I would have driven right over a lot of cars, I got so frustrated with bad drivers!).  The SE's passed after a few days and once I knew what to expect I was able to cope better. 

You might ask your oncologist (if you haven't already) what you can do to deal with this (or his/her nurses -- they often know more about the details like this). And the women here will have more to say, too, I'm sure.

This isn't a time to suffer -- I know I never used to take things for pain, for example -- but if you're having headaches, don't hesitate to take something.  You and your body and spirit have enough to deal with.  Ask your dr. what OTC meds are OK to take and then use them when you need them.

I drank a lot of water because of the chemo but think that might have helped with the steroids, too.  It may sound counterintuitive but if you're retaining water, it often helps if you drink plenty of fluids -- ask your dr.  And I used the excess energy to get things done because I knew I'd crash after.  When I was exhausted, I rested/slept.   Relaxation stuff helped me a lot, too, even deep breathing while in the car to calm myself down over the idiots on the road   Try to eat well -- keeping properly fueled and rested will help you cope with everything a bit better.

For nausea, I used ginger (many forms, from candy and ginger ale to capsules, find one you like) and ativan.

Best of luck.  It's a pain to go through; try just taking it as it comes, and hang on to the thought that it will pass.

I hated the Decadron too. Mine was administered through the IV at treatment times. I can just remember being wide awake all night the day of treatment, and then around the 2nd or 3rd day just crashing. Sorry you had such bad SE's.

my stomach is bloated............not sure what to do. ITs like a huge pout just sticking out. My face is a moon face, i have mood swings, emotional one day/ and normal the other. I get so hungry like ive never ate in a long time. and im never never full!!!

If i drink water, its just locks into my body! im a fatty!! aghhhhhhhhhhh please can i have my old body back!!!