A consultant psychiatrist in Egypt has warned against taking medication that contains corticosteroids without medical consultation and only in extreme necessity. He pointed out that corticosteroid treatment is one of the main causes of poor overall mood, which can lead to depression in certain types of patients.
Dr. Mohamed Hamouda, a psychiatrist at Al-Azhar University Medical School, stated, "A recent study conducted on a sample of 50 patients with autoimmune diseases who took medications containing corticosteroids experienced episodes of depression." He noted that a significant portion of this sample did not suffer from any depressive symptoms or mental illnesses, but upon starting corticosteroid treatment with doses not exceeding 40 mg, symptoms of depression appeared in 26% of those patients, with varying degrees of severity.
Many recent studies indicate that corticosteroid medications disrupt the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain and reduce serotonin levels, which regulates mood, sleep, and pain perception. This suggests that excessive amounts of corticosteroids can lead to mood swings and may even result in depression.
Hamouda emphasized that reducing corticosteroid doses in patients with immune deficiency can help alleviate mood swings and the occurrence of depressive episodes.
