Prescribing Long-Term Steroids course for GPs

This session emphasises the importance of safe prescribing of steroids and demonstrates how this can be done in practice.

This session was reviewed by Khyati Bakhai and last updated in March 2020.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Describe the side-effects and risks of long-term steroid use
• Describe the issues around the safe prescribing of steroids and what to do in the event of intercurrent illness
• Recognise the importance of adequate bone protection in patients on long-term steroids
• Recognise how the rare (yet serious) Addisonian crisis may present in primary care, and the importance of prompt action

Oral corticosteroids are commonly prescribed in primary care despite the development of steroid-sparing agents.

Side-effects and complications are common, so it is crucial that patients are informed about these and when to take action.