What are the side effects of Dexamethasone Injection?
Last updated September 7, 2026.
Most side effects of a dexamethasone injection are short term, including facial flushing, trouble sleeping, mood or energy changes, increased appetite, fluid retention, and a temporary rise in blood sugar. How much you notice depends on the dose, how many doses you get, and where the shot goes. A single dose for an allergic reaction, croup, or a flare usually causes a few days of jitteriness and poor sleep, while weeks of repeated dosing adds risks like infection, bone thinning, cataracts, and adrenal suppression. A shot into a joint or tendon can cause a brief pain flare in the first day or two, plus skin lightening or thinning at the site. Taking your dose earlier in the day, eating regular protein-containing meals, and checking your glucose more often if you have diabetes make the first week easier. Tell the clinician about any recent infection, live vaccine, or blood thinner before the injection.
What to do
- Time the dose: Ask for morning dosing when possible so the sleep and jitteriness effects fade by night.
- Watch your glucose: If you have diabetes or prediabetes, check more often for about a week and report readings well above your usual range.
- Protect your stomach: Take oral follow-up steroids with food and avoid routine ibuprofen or naproxen unless your clinician approves it.
- Do not stop abruptly: If you have been on steroids for more than a couple of weeks, follow the taper your clinician gives you instead of stopping on your own.
- Flag infection early: Steroids can blunt fever and mask symptoms, so report new cough, burning with urination, or a spreading skin sore promptly.
- Know when to call: Vision changes, severe mood changes, black stools, or swelling with shortness of breath need a clinician the same day.
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