This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

I was diagnosed with rrms and solumedrol has brought me back to preattack. I was worried that I switched to spms. My last 2 solumedrol drips hasn't had any effectiveness. I was wonder if solumedrol becomes ineffective if I switched from rrms to spms ?

hi civickiller,
I, also, was diagnosed rr almost 19yrs. ago. was symptom free 15yrs. only optic neuritis after 10 yrs. My neuro prescribed solumedrol (made me very sick) so I didn't take it again. I tried other DMDs' but nothing slowed down progression. Now I'm SP. But I still choose no DMDs. I suppose it's just the course my ms decided to take, with or without drugs. I hope this has been helpful.
God bless!!

Hi,

Solumedrol is Methylprednisolone. That's a corticosteroid drug. It's used to suppress your immune system to help you remylinate faster than you demylinate. It's like Cortisone. You cannot use it all the time. As it only suppresses symptoms it's a bit a "fools gold". It won't make any difference if you are remitting relapsing or primary progressive and apart from the gap between attacks I haven't seen anything definitive that says there is any difference between the mechanism of the two types. Please read my posts under "Valtrex and Avonex" on the regimens forum and have a look at my other posts under general discussion forum. What I do is the exact opposite to the approach your doctor is taking and I am staying very well.

Regards

There was some talk about it here http://www.thisisms.com/ftopicp-44811.html

Civickiller


I have never heard of solumendrol, I thought it was some kind of DMD or something me being a bit dence.


Check out what Scott 1 says yeah! may be relevant, not that I know anything on this subject.

Fiona

Solu-Medrol is the IV form of methlyprednisolone, a synthetic corticosteroid. It is not a DMD. It is an anti-inflammatory used to reduce inflammation associated with acute flare ups/exacerbations/relapses. If MS has moved beyond the relapsing/remitting stage Solu-Medrol will have less and less benefit.

These drugs are in the family called glucocorticosteroids. As the name indicates, glucocorticosteroids increase the level of blood sugar in the bloodstream. It has been observed that diabetes often develops after frequent use.

KyleW wrote:Solu-Medrol is the IV form of methlyprednisolone, a synthetic corticosteroid. It is not a DMD. It is an anti-inflammatory used to reduce inflammation associated with acute flare ups/exacerbations/relapses.

For further info: Corticosteroids, such as methlyprednisolone, induce apoptosis (cell death) in the white blood cells thereby reducing inflammation. They seem to shorten relapses, but don't appear to have much effect on long term progression.


NHE

As well as the immune suppression, they are believed to also "shut down" the BBB permeability.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... ds=1619410

...During treatment there was a rapid reduction of BBB abnormalities...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/quer ... ds=1866009

Thus, the blood-brain-barrier integrity improved after high-dose IV methylprednisolone, which correlated well with the clinical improvement.