trump on steroids: what's dexamethasone?

u.s. president donald trump, currently being treated in hospital for covid-19, has been given the steroid dexamethasone, his doctor told reporters in a sunday press conference.

the new york times reports that he received the treatment saturday, noting that the steroid is “typically not used in mild or moderate cases of the disease, and in fact, could be harmful early in the course of the disease, when steroids could dampen the body’s own immune response.”

reuters had reported that trials involving low doses of the hydrocortisone, dexamethasone and methylprednisolone reduced the risk of death by 20 per cent.

corticosteroids are a classification of drugs that are meant to lower inflammation and reduce immune system activity in the body, which is what makes dexamethasone effective in treating those who are severely ill with covid-19. in these cases, scientists say the patient’s immune system goes into overdrive, a state known as a “ cytokine storm ” and ends up attacking their own organs and cells in an attempt to fight off the virus. dexamethasone is used to reduce inflammation and suppress the immune system in cases where it’s not functioning properly.

dexamethasone has been in use since the early 1960s. a list of potential side effects includes “anxiety; behaviour abnormal; cataract subcapsular; cognitive impairment; cushing’s syndrome; electrolyte imbalance; fatigue; fluid retention; gastrointestinal discomfort; headache; healing impaired; hirsutism; hypertension; increased risk of infection; menstrual cycle irregularities; mood altered; nausea; osteoporosis; peptic ulcer; psychotic disorder; skin reactions; sleep disorders; weight increase.”

anabolic steroids are the kind that most people, and many athletes, are more familiar with. they are synthetic substances meant to mimic testosterone. when taken illegally, meaning without a prescription, the doses are usually 10 to 100 times higher than what a doctor would prescribe to their patient.