• Effectiveness

  Major (for glioblastoma)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for brain tumor)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (muscle cramps, thirst, elevated blood sugar (hyperglycemia), increased urination)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 0.5 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Okay - update since lowering the dose to 0.5mg per day. Gone too far. Just had a (for me) big seizure - facial spasms, loss of speech, quite stressful in a Starbucks. Managed to contact GP doctor who agreed it was time to up to 1.0 mg per day, and even to 2mg if I could feel 'echoes' of the seizures (I have). Very disappointed in one way (I thought I was doing so well) but grateful that this blasted drug is actually doing something useful after all. UPDATE: 18th December, back to 2mg per day after two seizures at 1mg. It's still allowing some seizure 'echoes' through and so we're increasing the Keppra/levetiracetam up to 750mg twice a day as I really don't want to go beyond 2mg and would hope we can go back down to 0.5mg sooner rather than later.

• Effectiveness

  Major (for brain tumor)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (muscle cramps, thirst, elevated blood sugar (hyperglycemia), increased urination)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 0.5 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Ho-ho! What a difference it makes to have some perspective. As of December 11, I've got down to 0.5mg per day, but two things are apparent: 1) all the 'diabetic' symptoms I've been getting - excessive thirst, frequent urgent need to urinate, bouts of tiredness, runny nose, sensitive skin, etc, are all down to the Dexamethazone. If I stopped taking it, doc says I wouldn't be diabetic. Yay. But 2) I'm now getting headaches and faint echoes of what could be my 'simple focal seizures', and some of the side effects of long term corticosteroid use are beginning to show. Skin's getting a bit thin and rough, muscle tone is fading, thirst still high, and I'm using metformin to help with a squeaky liver that is making too much glucose that pushes BG up when I don't eat.

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for brain tumor)
• Side effects

  Moderate (for Overall) (thirst, elevated blood sugar (hyperglycemia), increased urination)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 10 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Blood sugar levels went up and down like a yo-yo (not that I could tell). 5.4 to 18 and back again. Slightly elevated levels on average (7-9 mmol). Other than that, experienced no side effects - warned of increased appetite, weight gain, mood swings, aggression, reduced urine flow, but nope. If anything, it may be topping up my energy levels. Happily walked 2-3 miles a day in hospital, still doing that now. But this may just be my little coping strategy rather than the drug. Currently having the dosage decreased very slowly. started with 6x 2mg per day, now taking one less pill every third day until its done. I have been told that they may reintroduce it when other treatment starts, but - pffft. No worries. Oh yes, I have to carry a 'Steroid' card on my person 'just in case'. This notes my current dosage levels just in case I'm injured in an accident, as apparently suddenly stopping a Steroid course isn't very good for you.