Steroid Cards

Hi all - this is a daft question and I feel sure I should know the answer but could anyone please tell me at what sort of dose should we be issuing steroid cards routinely with inhalers? I have looked in all the obvious places but can't seem to find an answer!

Many thanks

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Hello, i have never had a steroid card for my inhalers but after a hospital admission the hospital pharmacy always put a blue steroid card in with my take home meds but just for Prednisolone. When i get my Prednisolone from comunity pharmacy i don't get card.

As far as i was aware you just get a 'steroid card' if you are taking Prednisolone, but this could be peculiar to my area. Sorry can't be of more help, take care, Lois

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I guess it depends a lot on the pharmacist, at my local hospital if you come home with a steroid inhaler you get a steriod card...However when i get my pred from my local chemist nobody ever says anything about cards

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Basically the purpose of a steroid card is to inform any medical personnel treating you that you are on steroids, as you might require extra doses at times when your body is under extra stress, such as if you have another illness or are involved in an accident etc. Steroid cards also give brief advice to the patient about not stopping the steroid and about avoiding chicken pox.

It makes sense, then, that you would need a steroid card only when these issues are relevent, ie with oral steroids and perhaps with very high doses of inhaled steroids.

The BNF recommends giving a steroid card to all patients on oral steroids, even if only a short course, and all patients on 'high dose inhaled steroids'. It doesn't define high dose, but the BTS guidelines consider more than 1000mcg beclomethasone twice daily or equivalent to be high dose.

However, it is very much up to the individual pharmacist how they interpret this advice, although I'm sure if you ask for a steroid card they will be happy to give you one. As long as you have taken steps, though, to ensure that medical personnel will know that you are on steroids, it doesn't really much matter what format it's in - personally, I don't carry a steroid card, but it is on my Medic Alert bracelet that I am on high dose steroids, and it is on the letter detailing my medical history that I carry with me at all times.

You can see the steroid card and what it says at bnf.org/bnf/bnf/53/119642.htm (site requires registration, but it is free and only takes a few minutes).

Hope this helps

Em H