Hi Joe,
That’s a great question. I can’t give medical advice, but I might be able to provide a little insight. I have seen it used for short term treatment of side effects such as nausea, rash, and arthritic type pain. When you receive a steroid injection, it is considered “localized” because the effects of the medication are limited to the area where it was given. If you take steroids by mouth, the effects are more widespread. There are some pretty significant side effects of using pills long term such as increased risk for infection, diabetes, loss of bone density, trouble sleeping, and muscle wasting. Overtime, the risks can outweigh the benefits. At high doses, it can actually impact your white blood cell count.
The decision on when to prescribe steroids is definitely based on the needs of each individual patient. If you think you could benefit from it, definitely ask your doctor to get his or her input.
Hope this helps!
Ashley
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