Triamcinolone [posted 8/6/98]
Question: My ENT doctor prescribed triamcinolone as an anti-inflammatory to treat swollen salivary glands. When he told me this was a steroid I was concerned. He said it was a very low dose. The Pharmacist told me the same thing the doctor did. When I read the possible side effects I became very leery about taking this medication. Do you have any other information about this drug?

Answer: Steroids are strong anti-inflammatories. There really is no equal, although non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (Motrin, Naprosyn, the like) can offer some decrease in inflammation. However, there is a price to pay. Long term, these drugs accelerate the aging process - this is basically what you read on the side effects. This is dose and duration dependent so that the higher the dose and the longer you take it are the biggest factors in developing side effects. Short bursts in isolated situations probably have minimal effect. Longer bursts for repeated treatments will start to show side effects.

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