In clinical work, I met a patient who had gout for more than 10 years. When he had joint pain, two dexamethasone tablets were swallowed, and the pain was relieved in 2 hours, and he could manage three days without pain. So in the last two years, he basically took two dexamethasone tablets every three days. But later, he found that even if his joints did not hurt, if he did not take dexamethasone tablets every three days, he would be weak and his appetite was poor, and he could only lie in bed softly, and his spirit would only improve after taking two dexamethasone tablets. At the same time, he found that his weight had increased by more than 10 pounds, his limbs were not very fat, but his face was showing round, his stomach was getting bigger and bigger, and his blood pressure and blood sugar were also a bit elevated. I also came across a patient with dermatitis, as soon as he took dexamethasone tablets his skin did not itch, but it itched when he did not eat for a few days, so he took dexamethasone tablets every day. The result is the same situation as the one above, no energy if you do not eat, face fat, and high blood sugar. Why is this? The adrenal glands secrete glucocorticoids, which mainly regulate the synthesis and metabolism of glucose, protein and fat, as well as the balance of electrolytes, and are necessary for a normal human body. The amount of glucocorticoids secreted by the adrenal glands is governed by the pituitary gland in the brain, which maintains the glucocorticoids in the body at the right level through negative feedback regulation. Exogenous glucocorticoids are divided into three categories: short-acting, medium-acting and long-acting. When the adrenal cortex is low, we often use short-acting glucocorticoids to supplement the replacement of our own is not enough to improve metabolism; medium-acting glucocorticoids are commonly used in the treatment of various diseases that require longer-term use of hormones, such as a variety of autoimmune diseases, because of their anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-toxin and anti-shock pharmacological effects. Dexamethasone tablets are a long-acting glucocorticoid with stronger anti-inflammatory effects, but also longer duration of action and stronger inhibitory effects on the pituitary gland, so they are commonly used for short-term treatment. Well, with that said, we can string together what we talked about earlier. Because dexamethasone tablets work well against inflammation, and gout and dermatitis are inflammatory conditions, dexamethasone tablets work well. However, after taking dexamethasone tablets, the glucocorticoids in the body will increase, and the pituitary gland in the brain will think that the glucocorticoids are enough and order the adrenal glands to secrete less, and because it is a long-acting hormone with a strong inhibitory effect on the pituitary gland, the function of the adrenal glands to secrete glucocorticoids will be greatly degraded after a long time. If dexamethasone tablets are no longer supplemented at this time, the glucocorticoids in the body will not be enough, but the function of the adrenal glands has degenerated and cannot secrete enough glucocorticoids anymore. At the same time, long-term use of glucocorticoids can also lead to side effects such as fat face, fat accumulation in the abdomen, muscle atrophy in the limbs, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, stomach ulcers, etc.