Asthma UK's in-house GP explains how steroids work to help control asthma and why you shouldn't worry about side effects Transcript for Steroids for Asthma and Their Side Effects 0:00 As a GP, I do get people coming to see me worried about taking steroids for their asthma. Prednisone is an oral steroid medication. If you have serious worsening of asthma symptoms (an asthma attack), your doctor may prescribe a brief course of oral steroids such as prednisone. Oral. Prednisone is an oral synthetic steroid that is used for the treatment of inflammatory conditions. Its ability to reduce inflammation explains the connection between the use of prednisone and asthma control. Prednisone is a type of oral medication called systemic steroid that tamps down inflammation. Taking a 2-week “short burst of high-dose oral steroids like prednisone for asthma is relatively safe. Prednisone is one of those nasty medicines that I dread, but sometimes it’s necessary when you have asthma. For my kids, a course of prednisone (oral steroids) could sometimes prevent a trip to the hospital. Oral prednisone and dexamethasone are the currently recommended systemic steroids for moderate to severe asthma exacerbations. Formulations such as hydrocortisone and methylprednisolone can be given parenterally. Studies have found these routes to be equally effective, with the oral route being less painful and invasive. Prednisone is a corticosteroid that comes in oral or liquid form. It works by acting on the immune system to help reduce the inflammation in the airways of people with asthma. Asthma is a prevalent chronic disease of the respiratory system and acute asthma exacerbations are among the most common causes of presentation to the emergency department (ED) and admission to hospital particularly in children. Prednisone is a steroid that can be used as part of a person's treatment after they have a significant asthma attack. In this article, we examine the effect the drug has on inflammation in the. The amount of steroid in one burst of prednisone is approximately the same as an entire years worth of an inhaled steroid. Even when asthma is well controlled, the occasional flare up can happen in which case prednisone can be unavoidable.