Abstract
Background: Physicians in the United States write approximately 10 million new prescriptions for oral corticosteroids each year. Common side effects of corticosteroids include weight gain, osteoporosis, and diabetes mellitus. This article reviews the available literature on psychiatric and cognitive changes during corticosteroid therapy. Method: A search of the MEDLINE and psycINFO databases was conducted to find clinically relevant articles on psychiatric and cognitive side effects with corticosteroids using search terms including corticosteroid, prednisone, mania, depression, psychosis, mood, memory, and cognition. Results: Symptoms of hypomania, mania, depression, and psychosis occur during corticosteroid therapy as do cognitive changes, particularly deficits in verbal or declarative memory. Psychiatric symptoms appear to be dose-dependent and generally occur during the first few weeks of therapy. Patients who must remain on corticosteroids may benefit from pharmacotherapeutic approaches, such as lithium and the new antipsychotic medications. Conclusion: Mood and cognitive changes with corticosteroids appear to be common but generally mild and reversible side effects. More studies are needed to determine effective treatment for steroid-induced psychiatric disorders.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 17-21 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry |
| Volume | 3 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| State | Published - 2001 |
Fingerprint
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
Mood and cognitive changes during systemic corticosteroid therapy. / Brown, E. Sherwood; Chandler, Patricia A.
In: Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Vol. 3, No. 1, 2001, p. 17-21.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Mood and cognitive changes during systemic corticosteroid therapy
AU - Brown, E. Sherwood
AU - Chandler, Patricia A.
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Background: Physicians in the United States write approximately 10 million new prescriptions for oral corticosteroids each year. Common side effects of corticosteroids include weight gain, osteoporosis, and diabetes mellitus. This article reviews the available literature on psychiatric and cognitive changes during corticosteroid therapy. Method: A search of the MEDLINE and psycINFO databases was conducted to find clinically relevant articles on psychiatric and cognitive side effects with corticosteroids using search terms including corticosteroid, prednisone, mania, depression, psychosis, mood, memory, and cognition. Results: Symptoms of hypomania, mania, depression, and psychosis occur during corticosteroid therapy as do cognitive changes, particularly deficits in verbal or declarative memory. Psychiatric symptoms appear to be dose-dependent and generally occur during the first few weeks of therapy. Patients who must remain on corticosteroids may benefit from pharmacotherapeutic approaches, such as lithium and the new antipsychotic medications. Conclusion: Mood and cognitive changes with corticosteroids appear to be common but generally mild and reversible side effects. More studies are needed to determine effective treatment for steroid-induced psychiatric disorders.
AB - Background: Physicians in the United States write approximately 10 million new prescriptions for oral corticosteroids each year. Common side effects of corticosteroids include weight gain, osteoporosis, and diabetes mellitus. This article reviews the available literature on psychiatric and cognitive changes during corticosteroid therapy. Method: A search of the MEDLINE and psycINFO databases was conducted to find clinically relevant articles on psychiatric and cognitive side effects with corticosteroids using search terms including corticosteroid, prednisone, mania, depression, psychosis, mood, memory, and cognition. Results: Symptoms of hypomania, mania, depression, and psychosis occur during corticosteroid therapy as do cognitive changes, particularly deficits in verbal or declarative memory. Psychiatric symptoms appear to be dose-dependent and generally occur during the first few weeks of therapy. Patients who must remain on corticosteroids may benefit from pharmacotherapeutic approaches, such as lithium and the new antipsychotic medications. Conclusion: Mood and cognitive changes with corticosteroids appear to be common but generally mild and reversible side effects. More studies are needed to determine effective treatment for steroid-induced psychiatric disorders.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0012410468&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0012410468&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0012410468
VL - 3
SP - 17
EP - 21
JO - The primary care companion for CNS disorders
JF - The primary care companion for CNS disorders
SN - 1523-5998
IS - 1
ER -