Sterdax® For Patients

Sterdax ® contains the active substance dexamethasone.

Dexamethasone belongs to a group of medicines called steroids (the full name is corticosteroids). Corticosteroids are produced naturally by the body itself and help maintain health and well-being.

Boosting your body with an additional amount of corticosteroids (such as dexamethasone) is an effective way of treating various illnesses that involve inflammation in the body.

Dexamethasone is a synthetic glucocorticosteroid (an adrenal cortex hormone).

Sterdax ® reduces inflammation, which could otherwise continue and worsen your condition. You must take this medicine regularly in order to get the maximum benefit from it.

Sterdax ® is used for one of the following:

• where the normal levels of corticosteroids in your body have decreased and you need to replace them
• where swelling of the brain has occurred
• if you are being tested for diseases that can reduce the normal levels of corticosteroids in your body, such as Cushing’s syndrome (a hormonal disorder)
• to reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system in:
• allergy (hypersensitivity)
• polymyalgia rheumatica (chronic inflammation of the larger arteries), polyarteritis nodosa (chronic inflammation of the small and medium-sized arteries)
• blood disorders including haemolytic anaemia (a disorder that breaks down red blood cells), leukaemia (cancer of the blood), myeloma (a tumour of the bone marrow)
• Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis (inflammation of the bowel), hepatitis
• polymyositis (inflammation of the muscles)
• increased pressure in the head that is not associated with tumours, worsening of multiple sclerosis
• inflammation of the eye
• inflammation of the kidney
• respiratory problems such as chronic bronchial asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which may present as difficulty breathing on exertion, difficulty breathing in and out and persistent cough. Disorders where there is inflammation of the lung.
• rheumatoid arthritis (painful joint disease), rheumatism, inflammation over a wide area of the body
• chronic and severe skin diseases (including Stevens-Johnson syndrome and a rare condition known as mycosis fungoides)
• infections such as tuberculous meningitis with a high protein level in the cerebrospinal fluid and septic shock from Gram-negative bacteria
• leukaemia of the lymphatic system, Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, breast cancer that has spread around the body, Kahler’s disease (cancer of the blood cells) and high calcium levels caused by this disease
• after organ transplants and for the prevention of nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy.

 

Sterdax ® is used for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adult and adolescent patients (aged 12 years and older with body weight of at least 40 kg) with difficulty breathing and need for oxygen therapy.

Sterdax ® is intended for oral use only.

The score line on Sterdax ® 2 mg tablets is only there to help you break the tablet if you have difficulty swallowing it whole.

Always take this medicine strictly as your doctor has told you. Your doctor will decide for how long you should take dexamethasone. If you are in doubt, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Recommended dose

Adults: initially 0.5-10 mg per day, then a maintenance dose of 2 mg per day. The total dose may be divided into two or three smaller doses to be taken during the day.

For the treatment of Covid-19 disease

Adult patients are advised to take 6 mg orally once a day for up to 10 days.

Use in children and adolescents

A single dose every other day. If Sterdax ® is given to you as part of hospital tests, the dose range administered will be: 0.5 mg to 2 mg per dose, given for a short period of time.

Do not exceed or take less than the prescribed dose.

Do not take the medicine more often or less often than prescribed.

For the treatment of Covid-19 disease

In paediatric patients (adolescents 12 years and older) it is recommended to take 6 mg orally once a day for up to 10 days.

If you take a larger dose of Sterdax®

If you take a larger dose of this medicine than normal, tell your doctor or go to a hospital immediately.

If you forget to take Sterdax®

If you forgot to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember unless it is almost time for the next dose.

Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose you forgot.

If you stop taking Sterdax®

It may be dangerous to stop taking this medicine suddenly. Symptoms that have been reported when treatment is stopped too quickly include low blood pressure and in some cases relapse of the disease for which the medicine was given. A “withdrawal syndrome” may also occur, including fever, muscle and joint pain, inflammation inside the nose (rhinitis), weight loss, itching and irritation of the eyes (conjunctivitis). If your treatment is to be stopped, follow your doctor’s advice. Your doctor may tell you to gradually reduce the amount of medicine you take until you stop taking it completely.

If you have any further questions on the use of this medicine, ask your doctor, pharmacist or nurse.

Find the full package leaflet of Sterdax ® here