What Are the Side Effects of Inhaled Steroids?
Inhaled steroids have few side effects, especially at lower doses. If you are taking higher doses, thrush (a yeast infection in the mouth) and hoarseness may occur, although this is rare. Rinsing the mouth, gargling after using the asthma inhaler and using a spacer device with metered dose inhalers will help prevent these side effects. Thrush is easily treated with an antifungal mouthwash.
Inhaled steroids (asthma inhalers) are safe for adults and children. Side effects with these anti-inflammatory asthma inhalers are minimal. Your doctor will prescribe the lowest dose that effectively controls your or your child's asthma.
On a side note, many parents are concerned about giving their children "steroids." The inhaled steroids are not the same as anabolic steroids that some athletes take to build muscle. These steroids are anti-inflammatory drugs, the cornerstone of asthma therapy. There are many benefits of using anti-inflammatory asthma inhalers to self-manage asthma.
How Do Prednisone and Systemic Steroids Work to Increase Asthma Control?
Using systemic steroids (steroids that get into the bloodstream and not just the lungs) such as prednisone helps to treat severe asthma episodes, allowing people to gain better asthma control. Prednisone and other steroid drugs are used with asthma medications to either control sudden and severe asthma attacks or to treat long-term, hard-to-control asthma.
Systemic steroids take three hours to begin working and work best after six to 12 hours. Sometimes prednisone and other steroids are taken in high doses for a few days (called a steroid burst). They may also be given in a low dose daily or every other day for long-term control.
Systemic steroids include:
Medrol, Methylpred, Solu-Medrol (methylprednisolone)
Deltasone (prednisone)
Prelone, Pediapred, Orapred, (prednisolone)
Side effects of systemic steroids tend to occur after months or years of use and include: acne, weight gain, mood or behavior changes, upset stomach, bone loss, eye changes, and slowing of growth. These side effects rarely occur with short-term use, such as for an acute asthma attack.
Source: WebMD
Totally unrelated to AAS unless he's been given megadoses of Albuterol as a child (which in theory should increase muscle mass). His doctor would have been one crazy MOFO if he did that to a 7 year old.
I don't know if a year's worth of Prednisone would have contributed to his weight gain though.
