This article will go over how the half-life of steroid medication works. It also covers what factors might affect how long steroids for asthma stay in your system.
What Is the Half-Life of Steroids?
When you take a dose of your medication, the “half-life” refers to how long it takes your body to clear half of the total dose. A medication’s half-life determines how quickly you’ll feel it working and how often you’ll need to take it.
Different types of asthma medications have different half-lives. For example, the half-life of rescue inhalers like albuterol is between five-to-seven minutes, while the half-life of Advair is five to seven hours.
Half-life is mainly related to the properties of the drug, but each person’s body is unique. Even if someone takes the same medication at the same dose as you, their body might metabolize it differently.
There are several factors can affect the half-life of a drug, including:
Age Sex Race/ethnicity Body weight and composition Diet and hydration Lifestyle factors (e. g. , smoking, substance use) Liver disease Blood circulation Kidney function Other health conditions (e. g. , pregnancy) Medications, supplements, and herbal remedies
Steroids Used for Asthma
Oral corticosteroids (sometimes referred to as oral steroids or by a generic name like prednisone) are a group of powerful anti-inflammatory medications.
You might be prescribed steroids if your asthma symptoms are getting worse. You may need to take the drugs for several days to get your symptoms under control.
Oral corticosteroids reduce inflammation throughout the entire body (systemic). Inhaled steroids act mostly in the lungs (localized) which reduces the risk of side effects being felt throughout the whole body.
If you use an inhaler daily to manage your asthma, talk to your healthcare provider about how the NIH’s new guidelines may affect your treatment.
The half-life of oral corticosteroids is much longer than inhaled steroids, so they tend to have more side effects—some of which are serious.
The side effects of oral steroids include:
Decrease in bone density, osteoporosis Cataracts Glaucoma High blood pressure High blood sugar (glucose) Aggression, changes in behavior Increased appetite, fluid retention, and weight gain Increased risk of infection Depression
Side Effects of Inhaled Steroids
Inhaled steroids rarely cause systemic side effects like oral steroids. However, you may have local side effects like:
Thrush (oral candidiasis) Hoarseness
You can often prevent these side effects by rinsing your mouth and gargling after using an inhaled steroid, as well as using a spacer device that delivers measured doses.
A Word From Verywell
If you need to take oral corticosteroids more than once per year to control your symptoms, it might be time to look at your asthma action plan with your provider. You should also talk to them about any concerns you have about taking steroids. They can make sure you understand how to safely use the medications as well as give you tips for avoiding side effects.
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