Timing of when you take your meds matters
Submitted by art on Thu, 2009-04-23 06:50.
I didn't find this study to be so interesting in and of itself, but I did find the general concept it was looking at to be very interesting.
Turns out, when you take steroids for MS, the effect it has depends on when during the day you take them. Since this sort of analysis is not done for any drug trial I've read about in MS, imagine what might be missing from our understanding of the disease. What if one of the drugs that failed to show sufficient response just wasn't given at the right time of day?
I'll admit it is probably unlikely we've lost a cure, but it does get you thinking.
Out of three steroid
Out of three steroid treatments I've undergone, the one I took at night seemed to work much faster. The other two courses were taken in the mornings before I went to work. If I remember correctly, the nurses always recommended that I administer the steroids in the morning because they will supposedly keep you awake at night. But one time I had a 3-day course to take over the weekend, and I had to get a nurse to come to my home on a Friday night (or else I would have had to wait until Monday). So I didn't mind being awake all weekend. It turns out that I was still able to sleep fine at night, and my symptoms began to clear up before the course was through. The other times it took much longer for the steroids to kick in; several weeks before I could feel my legs again. Interesting, maybe the time of day makes a difference.
Interesting. I've had three
Interesting. I've had three rounds of steroid treatments. Each round has been ordered for five days, but it usually ends up more like 7 - 10 days. My doctor prescribes them for infusion every 6 hours. Because I have so many horrible side effects, I have to be hospitalized for round the clock observation. I don't think my system could handle having the full day's course in one infusion.
My current neuro seems to
My current neuro seems to have some problem with steroid infusions weakening my immune system...so he is not real game to prescribe them for me. I guess if I had a real ms attack it would be a possibility but my ms symtoms seem to not qualify as exaserbations but they are real to me. My question is why clinically is it good to do steroid infusions save the one you may have had at the inception of the illness? Glad you are hard at work again Mr. ART....Pat Smith
I had 5 day courses of 500mg
I had 5 day courses of 500mg IV solumedrol with oral prednisone taper for the severe attacks in 01 (when I was dx'd) & 02. Before the taper had finished the symptpms had returned. I did not know to return to the neuro to be re-treated. The neuro stated that if I ever needed solumedrol again that I'd get a full gram.
I know now that these severe excaserbations... which I was still getting recovery beyond a year... and which I never got full recovery (have considerable permanent disability)... are the hallmarks of the transition to SP.
All my many years of vague symptoms were the RR period... with no dx & no therapy. Clearly I am SP now & have not needed solumedrol again.