[Margaret Pilkington]

Barrie...I didn't read it that way.......you said you 'disagreed most strongly', because you had had good effects.....my point was, that many people do not have the same results and will get the nasty side effects...but that isn't to say that these drugs should not be tried to see what results individuals have with them....and in some situations there really is no alternative other than to put up with the side effects or suffer the unwanted consequences of vital medication.

With the long term use of steroids there is also the possibilty of steroid induced diabetes(because it is a gluco-corticoid), and osteoporosis....these drugs can also mask the presence of infection in the body.

So yes, they are useful, but they have their 'downsides'.