From the Research
Dosing for Intravenous (IV) Dexamethasone
- The dosing for IV Dexamethasone for lumbar radiculopathy after surgery varies across studies, with different doses being evaluated for their efficacy in reducing postoperative pain and radiculopathy symptoms.
Specific Doses Evaluated
- A study published in 2006 1 evaluated the effect of 40 mg and 80 mg IV dexamethasone on postlumbar discectomy pain, finding that 40 mg IV dexamethasone could effectively reduce postoperative radicular leg pain and narcotics usage.
- Another study published in 2013 2 used 10 mg of dexamethasone in lumbar transforaminal epidural steroid injections, finding that dexamethasone was noninferior to particulate steroids in pain relief and functional improvement at 2 months.
- A 2015 study 3 used 8 mg of IV dexamethasone, finding that it improved visual analogue scale pain scores at 24 hours in emergency department patients with low back pain and radiculopathy.
- A 2019 study 4 used 8 mg per day (40 mg total) of IV dexamethasone, finding that it resulted in pain improvement at 15 and 30 days in patients with acute radiculopathy due to a herniated lumbar disk.
Comparison of Doses
- A meta-analysis published in 2013 5 evaluated the use of 4 mg to 5 mg and 8 mg to 10 mg IV doses of dexamethasone to prevent postoperative nausea and vomiting, finding that both doses had similar clinical effects in reducing postoperative nausea and vomiting when used as a single drug or as part of a combination preventive therapy.