Decadron - what is it?

[Toril]

Anyone - I am not familiar with the drug Decadron, and just wonder what it is, as I see it mentioned several times.

Thanks, Toril.

[Gina]

is that Decadron is a steroid...for a longer answer see a pretty decent layman's description below:

Decadron

Decadron is an steroid and it comes in Intravenous as well as oral tablets. Intravenous form is used for immediate action and result and tablets are used to maintain the effect of Decadron. Decadron is used in a variety of situations in cancer patients:

Anti Nausea and Vomiting: One dose of Decadron is used prior to chemotherapy, normally along with Zofran, and is given intravenously.

Anti inflammatory: Decadron is also used in patients who suffer from Brain Metastasis or Spinal cord compression. In these situations, Decadron reduces the swelling of the normal tissues around the cancer site and helps in controlling the symptoms. Same effect is also seen in patients with Superior Vena Cava syndrome as well as in patients with Head and Neck cancers who have difficulty breathing.

Anticancer effect: Decadron is an active drug and a major part of treatment regimes ABVD and VAD used in management of certain cancers such as Hodgkin's Disease and Multiple Myeloma. Decadron by itself is a very active drug in management of Multiple Myeloma.

Side effects:

Side effect profile of Decadron is almost the same as other steroids. The degree and severity of the side effects depend on the amount and schedule of the administration of steroids. Following are some of the most common and important ill effects that are most seen with the long-term use of steroids. If used for a short period of time, they are normally well tolerated.

• <LI class=MsoNormal>Irritation of stomach, stomach ulcer. Most steroids are given with an anti-ulcer medicine.
  
  <LI class=MsoNormal>High blood sugar
  
  <LI class=MsoNormal>High blood pressure
  
  <LI class=MsoNormal>Osteoporosis
  
• Fluid retention
  

It is imperative that patients relay any side effects or problems to their medical oncologists.

Take care,
Gina

[Joe]

Decadron is normally given to reduce swelling from treated brain tumors. Here is a good Q&A :

http://www.virtualtrials.com/btlinks/n-sp96-6.html


Regards
Joe

[madubois63]

I've received Decadron (a steroid) in IV form with pre-meds when getting chemo to reduce chances of having an allergic reaction to the chemo. Since I start a triple dose of chemo tomorrow, I start decadron in pill form today for the same reason. I will have to take it for three days (before, during and after chemo). It makes me wired (I will be up cleaning EVERTHING tonight while you all are sleeping) and it make me HUNGRY like I can eat the walls...

..·´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨)) -:¦:-
((¸¸.·´ ¸.·´ -:¦:- -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.Maryann -:¦:-´´

[Gina]

I guess many of us on the board sort of have a love/hate relationship with decadron...I remember taking it years ago as a complement to taxotere, for reasons similarly to why you are taking it now. I, too, remember the INCREDIBLE surge of that FAKE high running through you...I had just bought my house so I remember many nights on decadron, painting whole rooms, by myself,...bald as a bat--crazy as a loon...smile. I remember thinking that Gee, this must be what it feels like to be a guy--all that energizing hormone racing through you, so similar in many ways to testosterone--and eat...oh yes, I have always been a big eater (love to cook), but on decadron...the sky was the limit...yes, it is wild...until....the LOW sits in...usually, a few days or so after the the decadron prep for the chemo and after the chemo has started knocking the blood counts--the LOW is like NONE other I have ever experienced in my life...everything was was at least 10 shades worse in my mind than reality, which, was--at that time in my life, I must admit, already bad enough...hee hee , but I got through it and you will too. There is not much you can do alternatively in this case as you can not risk messing up what the combo of the decadron plus chemo is trying to accomplish. I would suggest, though, giving yourself AMPLE rest after going off the decadron as when you are not tired, the decadron low won't be so LOW, but if you are truly exhausted, the LOW is horrible and does no one any good. Walking, if you are able, may help EVEN out the high period some...of course, when on decadron, I, though NEVER a runner, actually found running a couple of miles no big deal...the question is "WAS my body TRULY able to handle that much cardio-vascular stress"--given that I had never run even a mile prior to that only walked...don't know, but I did survive.

Hang in there, kid, smile....
Gina

[Toril]

Thanks everyone for you answers. I saw someone call it "the drug from hell", it made me wonder... but she also pointed out - "it did its work!"

Take care!
Toril

I am done with chemo now, but was given decadron to keep from having a reaction to chemo. I really loved it. It reduces any swelling you have in your body since it is a steroid. I have some minor arthritis and always have a stuffy nose from allergies, but after I got this drug, I felt really good...no pain in my back and I could breath. I didn't have any high from it. Just felt normal. The low the other person described was probably the low from the chemo kicking in, about 2 days later, which is what my onc said would happen. And it did. I did not do any running or any exercising, as my heart really raced after I did it. Herceptin and chemo are really hard on your heart. That is why they monitor it every 3 months. So my onc said don't do any unusual exercising. But I didn't have enough energy for that, although onc said it would have been good for me to do some.

[StephN]

Since I am a person who is senitive to meds in general, I requested to cut back on the Decadron as a premed - and had no problems with my chemos as a result.
I needed my rest and did not like to wake up prior to dawn with my mind racing. Probably could have written a whole book during that time.

I termed this drug "the Big D" when I was on it for my large brain met last year at this time. D = Devil. The side effects from one month on that stuff plagued me all the rest of the year. Mainly the weakness and muscle wasting that occurred, which had nothing whatever to do with the brain mets. Hence my GREAT JOY at coming home from the brain surgery this Feb. 11 without that to take. In just two days on it my neck and lower face started to swell - on top of the battering my muscles took from the surgery.

This drug has it place with certain chemos, but most docs will let you try cutting down if you ask and are showing no problems with infusions.

Steph, me too. All of what you said! I think my recovery time was around six months tho', for muscle deterioration.

Plus, another of the worst side effects on my month of dec was the feeling I was trying to balance walking in a boat on the water wherever I went...woowhee!

those wee hours were spent writing amazing thoughts and communicating with my family members who have passed on... seemed quite real to me at the time. The only thing I really miss about it!

hugs,
xoxo patty