According to the Autoimmunity Research Foundation, corticosteroid use is a first-line treatment for children. Corticosteroids are a family of powerful anti-inflammatory medications. They treat inflammatory diseases such as Crohn's disease or asthma, and reduce rejection after an organ transplant. Children are considered highly susceptible to the long-term effects of steroid use, whether injected or inhaled. The risk of side effects depends on the length of treatment, the dose and frequency.
Common Side Effects
According to the About Kids Health website, common side effects include filling or rounding out of the face, acne, tiredness or weakness, increased appetite and weight gain, trouble sleeping or changes in mood, upset stomach and vomiting. Check with a physician if these symptoms become problematic or persist. Suspend any vaccines or surgery, including dental, while using this medication, and avoid anyone who has recently been orally vaccinated for polio or is suffering from an infection, such as flu or chicken pox.
Serious Side Effects
Serious concerns are redness, pain, swelling or sores, changes in menstrual periods for girls, pain in the back, ribs, arms, legs, hip, or shoulder, or swelling of the feet or lower legs, fever, chills, sore throat, cough and increased thirst, Any of these warrant an immediate call to a physician. According to About Kids Health, pain or burning when urinating, blood or material that looks like coffee grounds in vomit, black, tarry stools or blood in stools are of particular concern. Get immediate medical care if the child has received an injection and begins experiencing hives, burning or pain at the injection site, the face begins to flush or swell or the child has a seizure.
Weaning
For a child who has received steroids for an extended period of time, the physician may recommend weaning him off the medication by gradually decreasing the dosage. If this is done too quickly, the child may experience withdrawal symptoms, which include prolonged loss of appetite and rapid weight loss, headaches that do not go away, low-grade fever and nausea, or reappearance of disease symptoms. About Kids Health stresses the need to contact a physician if any of these symptoms occur.
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