How to Treat Emphysema With Steroids
Corticosteroid drugs are among the most common treatments used for emphysema. They are stronger than any other medicine available, but they carry a series of secondary effects that makes them inappropriate for certain patients. If you are considering steroids to help you treat emphysema, there are a few things you should know about them first.
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Instructions
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Ask your doctor about corticosteroids, the most common form of steroids used to treat emphysema. Corticosteroids are usually given to patients who are in relatively good health (aside from emphysema) and can deal with the secondary effects of the drug.
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Talk to your doctor about side effects. Steroids affect the body in a variety of ways, producing everything from weight gain and high blood pressure to osteoporosis and diabetes. Depending on your risk factors for these diseases, a doctor may decide not to prescribe steroids, or she may give you a spray version of the medicine which is inhaled quickly and carries a lower risk of secondary effects.
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Keep in mind that steroids may be addictive, and once you start treatment, you will need to continue indefinitely. If you have to stop the medication for any reason, your doctor will need to lower your dose to allow your body to adjust, while replacing the medicine with a different chemical.
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Consider the use of steroids to treat serious problems such as bronchitis or acute emphysema attacks, which lessen your breathing capacity. When taken for less than 10 days, corticosteroids can provide quick relief even for those people who should not be taking them on a permanent basis.
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Use steroid inhalers when you feel short of breath and need some help to breathe easier. Instead of taking oral steroids on an everyday basis, use the inhalers when you need them and then make use of other types of treatments to keep your symptoms at bay.
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Tips & Warnings
For people in the advanced stages of emphysema, steroids and supplemental oxygen may be the only available treatment options. If nothing else seems to work in your case, talk to your doctor about trying out corticosteroids on a trial basis and seeing what effect they have on you.
