At Dexamethasone is an active ingredient that is produced artificially and falls into the large group of so-called glucocorticoids. Dexamethasone can be used to treat a number of diseases, including anti-inflammatory effects.
What is dexamethasone?
The active substance Dexamethasone is a glucocorticoid which is naturally produced in the adrenal cortex and has a variety of regulatory tasks in the body.
In its artificial variant, dexamethasone has, among other things, the function of inhibiting inflammation and the immune system.One of the properties of dexamethasone is that the active ingredient is about 25 times as effective as the naturally produced hormones.
If you take the active ingredient dexamethasone, this usually has a reducing effect on the production rate in the area of the adrenal cortex. This is an interaction that can be used very well, especially in the field of diagnostics, so that dexamethasone is very helpful as an active ingredient here.
Pharmacological effect
The most commonly used effect of Dexamethasone consists in the fact that existing inflammation can be inhibited. In addition, the active ingredient also has the property that the immune system is also significantly inhibited in its function. This effect is particularly desirable in diseases where an overactive immune system is not beneficial.
Another effect on the body is that dexamethasone can help stabilize cell walls. This in turn can have a positive effect in that various symptoms that occur in the course of allergic reactions can be alleviated.
Dexamethasone also has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal area, because the active ingredient can help alleviate various problems in this area, such as nausea or vomiting. So there are different effects on the organism that are achieved by dexamethasone.
Medical application & use
Because of the wide variety of functions that the natural Dexamethasone in the human body, the active ingredient in its artificial variant can be used in a wide variety of ways.
One area of application is, for example, increased intracranial pressure, which is due to cerebral edema. The resulting water retention can be reduced by the active ingredient. Dexamethasone can also have a good effect on bacterial inflammations in the brain, such as meningitis.
Another important area of application are relatively severe allergic reactions, which can range up to an allergic shock. The active ingredient is also often used in the widespread disease rheumatism, especially in phases of acute flare-ups. Dexamethasone is also used for certain eye inflammations and more severe skin diseases, including psoriasis.
The active ingredient can also be used in the presence of nerve compression, which also applies to inflammatory diseases of the joints. The areas of application of dexamethasone are very diverse, so that the active ingredient can be used in many areas.
Risks & side effects
Like almost every active ingredient, so has Dexamethasone in addition to the desired effect, there are also undesirable side effects that can occur in some patients. One of these undesirable side effects, which fortunately occurs relatively rarely, is the development or increased progression of osteoporosis].
You may also experience blood sugar fluctuations, which in most cases show up as an increase in blood sugar levels. Due to the fact that dexamethasone, among other things, inhibits the immune system, the susceptibility to infections increases significantly. Other side effects that can also occur include an increased appetite (hyperorexia). In addition, symptoms similar to those of Cushing's syndrome can occur, especially with relatively long use of the active ingredient.
The extent to which the possible side effects occur depends, among other things, on the dosage and, above all, on how long the active ingredient dexamethasone is used for. It is therefore not possible to make a general statement about the frequency and severity of the side effects of dexamethasone.
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