Steroid therapy for acute myeloid leukaemia

• A quick guide to what's on this page
• What steroids are
• Side effects of steroids
• A rare side effect

Steroids are substances made naturally in the body. They can also be made artificially and used as drugs. Steroids may sometimes be used with chemotherapy to treat AML.

Steroids can be tablets or injections. Prednisolone and dexamethasone are the steroid drugs most commonly used.

Because you will not be taking the steroids for very long without a break, you are not likely to have bad side effects from them. But there are quite a few side effects you may notice. These can include

• Increased appetite
• Increased energy and wakefulness
• Indigestion

When you have been taking steroids for some time you may notice some swelling in your hands, feet or eyelids. You may also put on weight. These symptoms are caused by the extra fluid in your body. Steroids can cause water retention.

Steroids are irritating to the lining of your stomach. You should not take them on a completely empty stomach. Try to have at least a slice of bread, or a glass of milk with them. Preferably, you should take them with a meal. But when you are on chemotherapy, you can’t always manage food. For this reason, your doctor may give you another tablet to stop the steroids damaging your stomach. This may be ranitidine (Zantac), cimetidine (Tagomet) or lansoprazole (Zoton). You must tell your doctor if you get stomach pains after taking steroids.

Your doctor will be looking out for other side effects of your steroids. These are

• Raised blood pressure
• Sugar in your urine or raised sugar in your blood

Your doctor may talk about ‘steroid induced diabetes’. This doesn’t mean you will be diabetic. Your sugar levels usually go back to normal shortly after you stop taking steroids. You may be asked to test your urine for sugar. Or to bring samples to the hospital to be tested.

Because your resistance to infection is lowered it is best to avoid people with colds and flu while you are taking steroids. And while you are on chemotherapy.

These side effects are unlikely to happen unless you have been taking steroids for some time and they are temporary. They will go away when you stop taking the steroids.

It is important for any doctor treating you for any reason to know you are taking steroids. So, in case of emergencies you will be given a card to carry to say you are taking steroids. Your doctor will ask you to carry the card with you at all times.

Very rarely, steroids can cause a strange reaction. The person affected can become excitable and confused and may imagine things. This is called steroid induced psychosis. It goes away when the steroids are stopped.