June 30, 2023 Columns by John Connor I get no kick from champagne ā but what a kick I get from steroids Itās only day one, but my eyesight has already improved. It may not be that of a hawk’s, but at least I can tell the difference between a lumbering pigeon and a bird of prey. The world seems brighter ā and not just because of that vision thang, peeps. If…
June 27, 2022 News by Lindsey Shapiro, PhD Alcohol Use, Cholesterol Tied to Liver Injury With Pulse Steroid Therapy A short course of high-dose methylprednisoloneĀ was associated with signs of mild liver injury in nearly 3% of multiple sclerosis patients given this treatment, according to a study in Iran. Notably, a history of alcohol abuseĀ and hyperlipidemia ā higher-than-normal blood levels of fatty molecules such as cholesterol ā were…
April 13, 2022 Columns by Beth Ullah Pain and Positivity: My Experience With Plasmapheresis “‘Cause I would never break your heart/ I would only rearrange/ All the other working parts will stay in place.” ā Biffy Clyro, a Scottish rock band If youāve spent any time in a hospital, you know that it never gets completely dark. Thereās always a light flickering somewhere, a…
October 6, 2021 Columns by Beth Ullah I’ve Had Both Good and Bad Outcomes With Methylprednisolone for Relapse I am having an MS relapse, my first in three years. In the first two years after I was diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS in early 2017, I relapsed every two or three months. It got to the point that I couldn’t tell where one relapse began and another ended.
August 13, 2020 News by Marta Figueiredo, PhD Breastfeeding Appears Safe While Being Treated for Postpartum Relapse The corticosteroid methylprednisoloneĀ is detected at low, safe levels in the breast milk of women withĀ multiple sclerosisĀ (MS) during and after intravenous (into-the-vein) treatment for a postpartum relapse, according to a small study in Turkey. While these findings suggest that women can safely breastfeed their child during and shortly after…
March 1, 2018 Columns by Tamara Sellman The MS Alphabet: Solu-Medrol, Side Effects, Scanning Speech, and Other āSā Terms (Part 2 of 5) Editorās note: Tamara Sellman continues her occasional series on the “MS alphabet” with this column referencing terms starting with the letter “S.” Second in a series of five. Symptoms of MS Speech problems Itās estimated that nearly half of all people with MS struggle with speech…
January 10, 2018 News by Jose Marques Lopes, PhD Stem Cell Combo Therapy Shows Efficacy in MS Mouse Model, Korean Study Shows A combination therapy of low-dose methylprednisolone and interferon (IFN)-beta-secreting stem cells is effective in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis (MS), a new Korean study suggests. The research, āEffective combination of methylprednisolone and interferon Ī²-secreting mesenchymal stem cells in a model of multiple sclerosis,ā appeared in the…
December 4, 2017 News by Ashraf Malhas, PhD Analysis Suggests Oral Steroids Better Than Intravenous Ones for Treating Relapsing MS Oral steroids may be cheaper, more convenient and less invasive alternatives than intravenous steroids in treating relapses in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, suggests an analysis of five randomized trials. Glucocorticoids are recommended as the first line of treatment for MS relapses. Yet recent studies have shown no significant difference between…
January 6, 2017 News by Patricia Inacio, PhD Cyclophosphamide May Delay Disability in Secondary Progressive MS, but Tolerability Is an Issue, Study Shows Cyclophosphamide (CPM) may delay the progression of disability in the first years of secondary progressive multiple sclerosisĀ (SPMS), but patients must take it for two years — and many are unlikely to tolerate it for that long. The study, āDouble-Blind Controlled Randomized Trial of Cyclophosphamide versus Methylprednisolone in Secondary Progressive…