Oral Steroids - Effective Treatment for Inflammatory Conditions

Oral steroids are medications taken by mouth to reduce inflammation in the body and treat a variety of conditions such as asthma, autoimmune diseases, and allergic reactions.

Oral Steroids FAQ

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What is an oral steroid?

The form discussed in this leaflet is the tablet form, taken by mouth, called oral steroids. Other types of steroids include creams, ointments, injections, inhalers and sprays. These are discussed in the separate leaflets called Topical Steroids (excluding Inhaled Steroids), Topical Steroids for Eczema and Asthma Inhalers.

What are steroid tablets used for?

Steroid tablets, also called corticosteroid tablets, are a type of anti-inflammatory medicine used to treat a range of conditions. They can be used to treat problems such as allergies, asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, Addison's disease and arthritis. Steroid tablets are only available on prescription.

What are steroid medicines?

Steroids are a type of hormone produced by the body. They have many functions including reducing inflammation and suppressing the body's immune system. Steroid medicines are man-made but are similar to these natural hormones. Steroid medicines used to treat disease are also called corticosteroids.

What is a steroid ointment used for?

Steroid medicines are used for many different medical conditions. Steroids can be given as creams/ointments (eg, for eczema or dermatitis), as a nasal spray (eg, for hay fever or allergic rhinitis), as inhalers (eg, for asthma), as tablets (eg, for inflammatory bowel disease) or as an injection (eg, for arthritis). What are steroids?

What are oral steroids used for?

Oral steroids are used to treat a large number of conditions, usually by reducing inflammation or the effect of the persons immune system. Some examples include: Inflammatory bowel diseases (for example, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis ). Autoimmune diseases (for example, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), autoimmune hepatitis ).

What are steroids and how are they used?

Steroids are a man-made version of chemicals, known as hormones, that are made naturally in the human body. Steroids are designed to act like these hormones to reduce inflammation. They’re also known as corticosteroids, and are diferent to anabolic steroids used by bodybuilders and athletes.