Topic Overview

Many people take oral or inhaled steroid medicines for conditions such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). These medicines include beclomethasone, flunisolide, and prednisone. The oral kind and the high-dose inhaled kind can cause bone loss over time. If you are on these types of medicines for 6 months or longer, you are at increased risk for osteoporosis. This puts you at high risk for broken bones. If you do break a bone, healing can take a long time because osteoporosis reduces your bones’ ability to rebuild.

If you use steroid medicines long-term, you should be watched for bone loss.