These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
Angio Edema
Question: My son has recently been diagnosed with hereditary angio edema. My husband
and father in law also have the disease and have been controlled over the
past 7 or 8 years with stanazol (winstrol).
My husband is on a very low dosage and takes blood tests several times a year
to monitor any potential adverse effects of the drug. My son is only 16
years old and suffered a very painful attack recently. Can he take stanazol
or is he too young? Could it have an effect on growth and hormone
production? We are looking for something so he won’t have to suffer with
another attack again.
Answer: Although stanazol will decrease the frequency and severity of this disease we really don’t know the mechanism. Clearly stanazol can elevate blood counts and other detrimental effects of steroids. In general, we avoid any steroids in children until their growth plates are closed. I am not aware of specific contraindications for this drug. However, most physicians will avoid this drug until he is 20 or so. The exception will be if the attacks are life threatening. I would have your physician contact a pediatric endocrinologist for recommendations.
