Q: My daughter is two years old. She is suffering from a skin allergy. She has been on Predone Forte for the past six months. If the predone forte dose is reduced or stopped, the reddishness always recurs and she gets swelling on the red skin. The reddish skin also becomes very hot. What are the side effects of this medicine? Will she get rid of the allergy once the dose of the medicine is brought down? The dosage is 2 ml / day, and we are trying to bring it down every week. Should she undergo a blood test to determine the allergy? If Predone is continued, will the blood test give correct results?

A:Prednisolone given for a long period can cause irreversible side effects. Particularly in a child there can be growth retardation. All blood tests should be done at least after stopping the drug for two weeks. This appears to be an atopic manifestation. Please consult your doctor once more and request him to contemplate use of drugs like hydroxy chloroquine, azathioprine, cyclosporin, etc. for short spells.