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Posted: **Thu Dec 07, 2006 7:52 pm**

My MSQR, the publication from the North American Research Committee on MS (www.narcoms.org), arrived this week--free to me for participating in their surveys. The following came from the feature article, "Diagnosis and Treatment of Tremors," ( pg. 9) and may interest some here:

"Drug-induced Tremor: Certain drugs are known to induce or worsen tremor in some patients. Table 2 provides a list of some of the most common agents in this category. For example, levetiracetam (Keppra), typically used to treat epilepsy, was reported to worsen ET {essential tremor} in 5 out of 10 patients in an open label study (Ondo, Jimenez, Vuong & Jankovic, 2004). In patients with MS, drugs such as prednisone or antidepressants are common causes of tremor.
Table 2: Drugs with potential to induce tremor.
Caffeine, Lithium, Cyclosporin, Methylxanthines, Tacrolimus, Bronchodilators, Valproic acid, Antidepressants, Neuroleptics, Antiemetics, Reserpine, Prednisone, Amiodarone, Tocainide, Stimulants, Metronidazole, Alcohol withdrawal, Levetiracetam."

A later article (pg.27) entitled "A Randomized Crossover Study of Bee Sting Therapy for MS" ended by stating "It was concluded in this trial that treatment with bee venom in patients with relapsing MS did not reduce disease activity, disability, or fatigue and showed no improvement in quality of life. (Available from: http://www.pubmed.gov, PMID: 16221950)"

Just sharing a little.

Posted: **Sat Dec 09, 2006 2:48 pm**

I don't wish to bore you who get this publication, too, but here is one more article in its entirety that may be of interest to some: on page 23 I read

Irreversible Neurological Worsening Following High-dose Corticosteroids in Advanced Progressive MS

Administration of a course of high-dose corticosteroids has been indicated to accelerate recovery from a relapse of MS. Some patients with progressive MS seek a course of corticosteroid treatment outside a relapse, in the hope of gaining some improvement in function. Two Dutch researchers in the Department of Neurology at the University Medical Center Groningen described four patients with advanced progressive MS who experienced worsening of disability after treatment with high-dose corticosteroids. The findings of their study can be read in the January-February 2006 issue of Clinical Neuropharmacology.

All four patients reported moderate to severe disability and sought corticosteroid treatment because they were slowly progressing. None had experienced a relapse. Each patient experienced improvement by the end of therapy, however, within 1 or 2 days after discontinuing treatment, they had worsened to a state more clinically disabled than before treatment occurred. Therefore, the authors note that the use of high-dose corticosteroid therapy in progressive forms of MS outside relapses can be detrimental and actually result in worsened disability.

(Available from: http://www.pubmed.gov PMID: 16518129)

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