Dexamethasone 2018-10-27 Person 3 5 0

Well, I had a brain tumour that caused brain swelling that almost killed me. The dexamethasone they gave me got the swelling down within an hour, and basically removed all the symptoms from the tumour. So. Good, right? Probably wouldn't be here without it. The side effects are really nasty though. Sweating like a pig. Eating like a horse, seriously I've never felt such hunger. Fatigue like you wouldn't believe, alternating with energy, I had no idea what I would be capable of day to day, getting out of bed alone or going to work like an energiser bunny. My tongue turned into a cartoon's tongue, all wide and smooth and floppy. My head turned into a bloated pumpkin. Mood swings like you wouldn't believe, I think I got to experience a couple of hours of severe depression thanks to this stuff, and believe me that was not pleasant at all. This drug cannot be stopped cold turkey and in fact doing so may kill you (you need a medical alert bracelet just in case you end up in A&E while on these things, so they know), so they have to wean you off it over a few weeks. Basically. This drug is serious business. It probably saved my life, and certainly alleviated very serious symptoms indeed (I had aphasia from the brain swelling, so I couldn't speak and was staggering around like a drunk). But is also thoroughly unpleasant. Better than the alternative though, eh. I guess if you get prescribed it, you need it, and it does work, but get ready for an unpleasant ride.