MEDICAL MATTERS

  • Medical Matters features questions asked by Members of the ME Association on health-related topics.
  • Dr Charles Shepherd and the ME Association's other advisers answer these questions by sharing their expert knowledge.
  • Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor’ series in ME Essential magazine.
  • It is a free resource that supplements the detailed information contained in the full range of literature that can be found in the website shop.

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Questions in the Category: Steroids

Steroid treatment – is it safe?

ME Essential Autumn 2024

I’m having a lot of joint problems at the moment and my consultant wants to inject a steroid into the joint to reduce the inflammation and pain. I’m concerned that this could make my ME worse because I thought that people with ME shouldn’t be given steroids.

Treatment: Low Dose Steroids

ME Essential Autumn 2022

I’m having joint problems at the moment and my consultant wants to inject a steroid into the joint to calm things down. I’m concerned that this could make my ME/CFS worse because I thought that people with ME/CFS should not take steroids. What do you suggest I do?

The 2021 NICE Guideline ME/CFS: Drug Treatments

ME Essential Autumn 2021

Comparing some of the recommendations on the use of specific drugs in the new NICE guideline to those in the previous 2007 NICE guideline, I see that melatonin is no longer given a possible recommendation for sleep disturbance in the 2021 guideline and the “do not use” instruction in the 2007 guideline no longer applies to antiviral drugs, fludrocortisone, steroids and thyroxine.

Does this mean that doctors can no longer prescribe melatonin but that they can now prescribe amphetamines, antiviral drugs, steroids, etc for people with ME?

Allergies: Hay Fever

ME Essential Autumn 2020

Is hay fever more common in people with ME? I’m in my midthirties and never had hay fever before being diagnosed with ME several years ago. Every summer and autumn I now have the full list of hay fever symptoms – runny nose, blocked nose and red itching eyes. This year it has been worse than ever and my chest has been wheezy as well. MY GP thinks it may have triggered mild asthma. And is it safe to use a steroid nasal spray for hay fever if you have ME?

Addison's Disease

ME Essential Summer 2020

I was interested to see the item on Addison’s disease in the Winter issue of ME Essential as I have a close friend with this rare disease and it obviously has some interesting symptom overlaps with ME/CFS. So is there any evidence that adrenal gland failure, and steroid hormone production, could also be involved in ME/CFS? If so, would it be worth looking at steroids as a possible form of treatment for ME/CFS?

Treatment: High-dose Steroids

ME Essential Autumn 2017

Having followed all the research that has been looking at both immune system activation and low levels of cortisol in ME/CFS, I was wondering if a course of high dose steroids might be a useful form of treatment. Is there any evidence that supports the use of steroids in ME?

Charles Shepherd

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