Contraindications & Cautions - Synthetic Corticosteroids

Contraindications & Cautions

A. Special Precautions

Patients receiving glucocorticoids must be monitored carefully for the development of hyperglycemia, glycosuria, sodium retention with edema or hypertension, hypokalemia, peptic ulcer, osteopo-rosis, and hidden infections.

The dosage should be kept as low as possible, and intermittent administration (eg, alternate-day) should be used when satisfac-tory therapeutic results can be obtained on this schedule. Even patients maintained on relatively low doses of corticosteroids mayrequire supplementary therapy at times of stress, such as when surgical procedures are performed or intercurrent illness or acci-dents occur.

B. Contraindications

Glucocorticoids must be used with great caution in patients withpeptic ulcer, heart disease or hypertension with heart failure, cer-tain infectious illnesses such as varicella and tuberculosis, psycho-ses, diabetes, osteoporosis, or glaucoma.