30 eclamptic patients who do not require steroids for fetal lung maturation purposes will be randomized to placebo or steroid. This includes patients with eclampsia encountered antepartum prior to 23 weeks gestation, postpartum eclampsia, undelivered patients encountered after 33 weeks gestation who would not be candidates for fetal lung maturation steroids, or patients not eligible for repeat steroid administration in the 23-34 week gestational window. Planned enrollment in this pilot study is up to 30 patients with at least 12 in each group.