Your steroid 101
Your doctor is the best person to talk to about your prescription, but if you’re looking for a general overview, this steroid 101 could be just what you need.
What are steroids?
The word ‘steroids’ can mean a few slightly different things. Here, we explain what we mean by steroids and how they work.
When we talk about steroids at Sam, we mean man-made medicines that are prescribed in high doses for long time periods to treat inflammatory and autoimmune conditions.
Natural steroids
Natural steroids are hormones that help regulate many essential functions, including breaking down food (metabolism), protecting us from infection (the immune system), regulating blood pressure and helping us manage stress. They are made naturally by the adrenal glands located on the top of each kidney.
Anabolic steroids
These are man-made substances engineered to mimic the natural steroid testosterone and promote muscle growth. Anabolic steroids are often associated with illegal performance enhancement in sports and can carry serious health risks. They are not a focus area for Sam.
Medical steroids
These are man-made to mimic the steroid hormones made by the body’s adrenal glands. They are usually prescribed to reduce inflammation or suppress the immune system and can be delivered as tablets, intravenously, topically via a cream, or as eye drops.
If you’re reading this, your doctor has likely prescribed steroids to treat an inflammatory or autoimmune condition. Steroids and Me has been specially created to support patients like you as you face the side effects this type of usage can cause.
Corticosteroids, OCS, and glucocorticoids
All of these terms refer to the steroid hormones produced by the adrenal glands or those man-made to behave like them. You are most likely to hear them in relation to man-made medications that are delivered intravenously, in tablet form, as creams, or as ear or eye drops. The abbreviation OCS means oral corticosteroids, i.e. those taken by mouth.
The most common of these include prednisone, prednisolone, dexamethasone and methylprednisolone. All of these medications work in the same way, but your doctor may try different ones to find out what works best for you.
How do steroids work?
Medical steroids mimic cortisol, a naturally occurring hormone produced by the adrenal glands. Once in the body, these medicines work to reduce excess inflammation.
They also reduce the activities of the immune system, which can help patients with autoimmune conditions by preventing the body from mistakenly attacking its own tissues.
Why do we need to reduce inflammation?
This is a complex question! In the short term and at the right levels, the body's natural inflammation response helps it heal. However, in autoimmune diseases, the immune system gets confused leading to inflammation being poorly regulated, or going on for a long time (chronic inflammation). This can lead to pain, tissue damage and even secondary diseases.
Why are steroids used for so many conditions?
Steroids are so widely used because they’re very effective at reducing inflammation quickly. As a key part of the body’s natural healing process, inflammation is a common feature of a huge number of illnesses, including everything from asthma and Crohn’s disease to rheumatoid arthritis and vasculitis and dozens more!
In addition to their effectiveness, steroids are relatively inexpensive, making them a popular choice for doctors.
Sadly, this means that millions of people have to learn to live with steroid side effects on top of the symptoms of their original condition. For many conditions, ‘steroid-sparing’ alternatives have been developed that are just as effective, without the side effects. Research in this area is ongoing and promises a brighter outlook for patients with inflammatory and autoimmune conditions in the future.
Why do steroids cause side effects?
The fact that steroids are effective across the body means they interfere with a range of important bodily processes. This interference can cause a long list of serious physical and emotional side effects.
What can I do to reduce steroid side effects?
Tell your doctor about your side effects as soon as you notice them so that they can make sure you are on the lowest possible effective dose. It's also worth asking your doctor about a plan for reducing or ‘tapering’ your steroids gradually.
While you wait for an appointment, you can use Sam to explore possible side effects and keep track of any that you notice.