MS Methylprednisolone treatment can be a double-edged sword. As bad as people suffer with Multiple Sclerosis, Methylprednisolone treatment often ends up making them suffer more. It is often used alone, or in combination with interferon beta – 1a in an attempt to improve the outcome for RRMS or relapsing-remitting MS. Like most treatment regimens for Multiple Sclerosis, methylprednisolone needs to be evaluated on an individual basis to see if the side effects outweigh the benefits. In a Denmark study recently, that was published in “The Lancet Neurology” 130 patients were studied that were being treated for relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis. Methylprednisolone was added both orally and intravenously to half of the group along with their interferon beta – 1a. Of the patients taking interferon for the MS, methylprednisolone added either orally or intravenously cut the relapse rate roughly in half. But the effect was short lasting and worst of all, one fourth of the patients dropped out because they couldn’t tolerate the side effects.
It has to be bad when you’d rather live with the symptoms
The most common side effects are dizziness, facial flushing, feeling as if you’re spinning constantly, headache, sweating, fever, chest pains, tendon and joint pain, unusual skin sensations, vomiting, fainting, and severe nausea. This is just a partial list.
Now look at that list again. A lot of those side effects duplicate symptoms you are trying to get rid of. So in many cases, in the treating of your MS, methylprednisolone makes your symptoms worse. And if you add to that the constant feeling of spinning around and dizziness, functioning in any normal way isn’t possible. It may be that for your particular relapsing-remitting Multiple Sclerosis, methylprednisolone may reduce your relapse rate from every 2 years to every 5 without many severe adverse reactions. But most patients end up eventually end up seeking an alternative treatment.
Precautions while under Multiple Sclerosis. Methylprednisolone treatment
Methylprednisolone is a corticosteroid and as such there are precautions to be aware of while using MS methylprednisolone as a treatment option. Most people are aware that the corticosteroids stimulate the appetite and also make the body retain water at a higher rate. You should follow a diet low in salt and also low in calories. Your doctor can help you with diet recommendations. Also, Methylprednisolone can affect the blood sugar levels in diabetics, so close monitoring of your sugar tests are in order. And MS Methylprednisolone treatment may cause mood swings. Dealing with MS already causes mood swings depending on where you are in your disease cycle, so be careful that the mood swings don’t develop into full blown depression before you take action.
