Dexamethasone for children and young people
Published: Jul 2026
Next review: Jul 2029
This guide gives information about the use of dexamethasone in children and young people with cancer. It also offers help for managing the behaviour of children who need to take regular steroids as part of their treatment for cancer.
Dexamethasone is a steroid medicine used to treat many different conditions. It can be used to help treat acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) and lymphoma, to help reduce swelling on the brain for patients with brain tumours and as an anti-sickness medicine.
Please read this factsheet carefully alongside any patient information provided by the manufacturer. Keep it somewhere safe so you can read it again.
You can order free physical copies of this publication by adding it to the cart, or you can download the digital version.
How this resource was made
This factsheet was reviewed by Rachel Greer, Paediatric Oncology Pharmacist, Leeds and Laura Mattis, Paediatric Oncology Pharmacist, London in conjunction with the Neonatal and Paediatric Pharmacists Group (NPPG) Paediatric Oncology Pharmacy Steering Committee alongside Dr Sarah-Jane Verity, Paediatric Neuropsychologist, Newcastle on behalf of the CCLG Information Advisory Group, comprising parents, survivors and multiprofessional experts in the field of children and young people’s cancer.
We want our information resources to be relevant and useful. Tell us what you think by completing this short survey or contact us at publications@cclg.org.uk