EXPECT TRUMP’S ‘PSYCHOSIS’ TO WORSEN WITH STEROIDS: FINNISH DOC

US President Donald Trump’s physicians should be forthright and not equivocate in discussing the medical condition of their patient, a Finnish doctor warned.

Tero Varpula of Jorvi hospital in Espoo City told the Finnish news agency Yle  that while dexamethasone can help in severe cases of COVID-19, but if given too early, it may interfere in the immune system response necessary to fight off the infection.

Varpula also told the newspaper Helsingin Hanomat that dexamethasone is a corticosteroid that prevents the release of substances in the body that cause inflammation. It is used to treat many different inflammatory conditions such as allergic disorders and skin conditions. As early as February 2001, Drs. E. Sherwood Brown and Patricia A, Chandler wrote that “symptoms of hypomania, mania, depression, and psychosis occur during corticosteroid therapy as do cognitive changes, particularly deficits in verbal or declarative memory. Psychiatric symptoms appear to be dose-dependent and generally occur during the first few weeks of therapy. Patients who must remain on corticosteroids may benefit from pharmacotherapeutic approaches, such as lithium and the new antipsychotic medications.”

Trump has not looked so sick that he might require dexamethasone, Varpula said, adding that his decision to take a much-criticized drive-by visit to fans outside the hospital may have been influenced by dexamethasone usage. He said that corticosteroid-induced psychosis is a known phenomenon. "It brings manic traits to the fore," said Varpula. "If the guy has some of those to start with, it's no surprise that even a small dose can bring extra dimensions."