INDICATION/S

Cerebral Edema  

Cerebral edema associated with primary or metastatic brain tumor, craniotomy or head injury. Use in cerebral edema is not a substitute for careful neurosurgical evaluation and definitive management such as neurosurgery or other specific therapy. 

Endocrine Disorders 

• Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
• Nonsuppurative thyroiditis
• Hypercalcemia associated with cancer
• Primary or secondary adrenocortical insufficiency (hydrocortisone or cortisone is the first choice; synthetic analogs like dexamethasone may be used in conjunction with mineralocorticoids where applicable; in infancy, mineralocorticoid supplementation is of particular importance) 

Allergic States

Control of severe incapacitating allergic conditions intractable to adequate trials of conventional treatment in adults and children with:

• Bronchial asthma
• Seasonal or perennial allergic rhinitis
• Contact dermatitis
• Atopic dermatitis
• Serum sickness
• Drug hypersensitivity reactions 

Rheumatic Disorders

As adjunctive therapy for short-term administration (to tide the patient over an acute episode or exacerbation) in:

• Post-traumatic osteoarthritis
• Synovitis of osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis, including juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (selected cases may require low-dose maintenance therapy)
• Ankylosing spondylitis
• Acute and subacute bursitis
• Acute nonspecific tenosynovitis
• Acute gouty arthritis
• Psoriatic arthritis
• Epicondylitis 

Collagen Diseases

During an exacerbation or as maintenance therapy in selected cases of:

• SLE
• Acute rheumatic carditis 

Dermatologic Diseases

• Pemphigus
• Bullous dermatitis herpetiformis
• Severe erythema multiforme (SJS)
• Exfoliative dermatitis
• Mycosis fungoides
• Severe seborrheic dermatitis
• Severe psoriasis  

Ophthalmic Diseases

Severe acute and chronic allergic and inflammatory processes involving the eye and its adnexa, such as:

• Herpes zoster ophthalmicus
• Iritis, iridocyclitis
• Chorioretinitis
• Diffuse posterior uveitis and choroiditis
• Optic neuritis
• Sympathetic ophthalmia
• Anterior segment inflammation
• Allergic conjunctivitis
• Keratitis
• Allergic corneal marginal ulcers

Respiratory Diseases

• Symptomatic sarcoidosis
• Berylliosis
• Fulminating or disseminated pulmonary tuberculosis when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculous chemotherapy
• Loeffler`s syndrome not manageable by other means
• Aspiration pneumonitis
• Croup 

Hematologic Diseases

• Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in adults
• Secondary thrombocytopenia in adults
• Acquired (autoimmune) hemolytic anemia
• Erythroblastopenia (red blood cell anemia)
• Congenital (erythroid) hypoplastic anemia

Neoplastic Diseases

For palliative management of leukemias and lymphomas in adults. 

Edematous States

To induce diuresis or remission of proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome, without uremia, of the idiopathic type, or that due to lupus erythematosus. 

Gl Diseases

To tide the patient over a critical period of the disease in:

• Ulcerative colitis
• Regional enteritis
• Nausea and vomiting with chemotherapy 

Other Uses

• Tuberculous meningitis with subarachnoid block or impending block when used concurrently with appropriate antituberculous chemotherapy
• Trichinosis with neurologic or myocardial involvement
• Diagnostic testing of adrenocortical hyperfunction