Filipinos warned against use of dexamethasone without prescription

MANILA, Philippines — Dexamethasone is a prescription drug and should be taken under the supervision of a doctor, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Friday following reports that it could be used to treat the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

“The sale of unregistered Dexamethasone or sale of the drug without a valid prescription or through online platforms is strictly prohibited,” the FDA said in an advisory.

Misuse or unsupervised chronic use of the drug may lead to serious adverse reactions such as impairment of the body’s ability to fight infections, gastrointestinal bleeding, and ulcers, electrolyte imbalance, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, poor wound healing, the FDA warned.

Meanwhile, prolonged use of the drug may cause suppression of growth among infants and children, obesity while sudden stoppage of use may cause withdrawal symptoms such as hypotension, shock, and coma.

Earlier, British researchers found that dexamethasone, a cheap, widely available steroid, reduced deaths by up to one third in severely ill hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

But the Department of Health said the drug was not a “magic pill” against the infectious respiratory illness.