HealthCare Journey for Multiple Sclerosis
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Virtual MS Center
    • Q & A for Virtual MS Center
    • Read About Our Virtual MS Center Staff
  • News & Resources
  • Seminar Registration
  • Health & Wellness
  • Blogs
    • Physician Blog >
      • Healthcare Provider Blog
    • Physical Therapy Blog
    • Patient Blog
    • Caregiver Blog
    • Research Blogs >
      • "Ask Dr. Debbie" Research Blog
      • Multiple Perspectives In Multiple Sclerosis Research Blog
  • About MS
    • What is MS?
    • Diagnosis
    • Treatment
    • MS Tips
  • Symptoms
    • Balance and Walking Issues
    • Breathing/Respiratory
    • Bowel Dysfunction
    • Cognitive Dysfunction
    • Crying/Laughing Uncontrollably (PBA)
    • Depression and Anxiety
    • Dizziness/Vertigo
    • Dysphagia
    • Fatigue
    • Foot Drop
    • Hearing or Smell or Taste Changes
    • Heat Sensitivity
    • Leg Weakness
    • Loss of Hand Dexterity and Coordination
    • Memory and Mutliple Sclerosis
    • Migraines
    • Numbness/Tingling/Altered Sensation
    • Nystagmus and Oscillopsia
    • Pain
    • Sexual Dysfunction
    • Sleep Issues
    • Spasticity/Spasms/Cramps
    • Speech/Swallowing
    • Urination/Bowel Problems
    • Vision
  • MS Clinics
  • MS Topics
    • Pregnancy and Infertility
    • Caregivers and Family Members
    • Employment and MS
    • Medical Costs and Insurance
    • Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis
  • Register With Us
  • Terms of Use/Privacy/HIPAA
  • MS HealthCare Journey

Welcome to the Virtual MS Center!

Ask any question you want about Multiple Sclerosis and one of our experts will answer it as soon as possible.
CLICK HERE TO ASK YOUR QUESTION!

How often is too often for steroids?

2/14/2018

 
Here is My Question:
I don’t know where to turn. Insurance has left me in a pickle. My MS DMT went out of network. There are only two doctors in my town - neither of which have their thumb on the pulse of MS. Trying to get an appointment at a group in the next town over. In the mean time - I feel like I am declining. Had steroids back at the beginning of November due to a loss of peripheral vision on the right side of my right eye. Not really documented by an ophthalmologist. He just looked and said your retina is fine. Go to your neurologist. Neurologist ordered 3 days IV steroids. Didn’t touch the vision issue at all.

Today it is worse. Now involves lower peripheral vision on right eye. I don’t know what to do. My optometrist has done a few OCTs and there is evidence of damage to both eyes. Currently taking Betaseron. Only for two months. Have tried copaxone and rebif.

  • How often is too often for steroids? I’ve been diagnosed over 4 years. I’ve done acthar three times, third time didn’t work, and steroids twice.
  • Is there a danger in not doing steroids for eye issues? Or is this just causing more damage?
  • Do I need to be seeing an ophthalmologist?
  • I am really interested in Lemtrada. I feel like I have no real clinical team anymore.
  • Is there a particular med that is more beneficial for patients with eye issues?
SoconfusedandworriedinSC


Answer:
This is tough to answer as I do not feel comfortable giving medical advice on any particular patient without seeing him/her first.
​
However to answer some of the questions:

in general, steroids are not required for treating optic neuritis as they only speed up the time for recovery of the vision loss.  If the vision loss is going to recover, it will do so with or without the steroids (the steroids just hasten the speed of the recovery).

You clearly need to find a new neurologist who is specialized in MS and may need to expand the scope of where you can travel.  Lemtrada seems like a reasonable option to consider but you would need to discuss if you are an appropriate candidate with an MS specialist.

In the meantime, if you do feel like your vision loss is getting worse, I recommend you see an ophthalmologist again to make sure it is only the MS/optic neuritis affecting your vision and not some other treatable condition that is being missed.

Benjamin Osborne, MD
Associate Professor of Neurology and Ophthalmology
Director, Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO) and Neuro-Ophthalmology Clinics
Associate Director of the NIH/Georgetown Neurology Residency Program
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital

Comments are closed.

    RSS Feed

    PLEASE NOTE: This information/opinions on this site should be used as an information source only.  This information does not create any patient-HCP relationship, and should not be used as a substitute for professional diagnosis and treatment.  Please consult your health care provider before making any healthcare decisions or for guidance about a specific medical condition.
    Read About Our Virtual MS Center Authors

    Archives

    December 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013

    Categories

    All
    Accessible Housing And Environmental Modifications
    Anxiety
    Balance
    Bowel Problems
    Caregivers
    Cognitive Function
    Compliance
    David Rintell Ed. D.
    Deborah Backus Blogs
    Depression
    Diagnosis
    Diet
    Dizziness
    Dosing
    Dr. Greenberg's Q&A
    Dr. Kinkel's Q&A
    Dr. Miravalle's Q&A
    Dr. Nielsen's Q&A
    Dr. Osborne's Q&A
    Exercise
    Experimental Treatments
    Eye Surgery
    Fatigue
    Fatique
    Flu Shot
    Foot Drop
    Herbs
    Immunosuppression
    JCV
    Lasik Surgery
    Lesions
    Lori Kostich's Q&A
    Lyme Disease
    Medications
    Migraines
    Mobility
    MRI
    MS Hug
    Other Diseases
    Pain
    PML
    PPMS
    Pregnancy
    Relapse
    Safety
    Sarah Wargo's Q&A
    Sexual Dysfunction
    Side Effects
    Smoking
    Spasticity
    Stem Cell Transplantation
    Steroids
    Stress
    Supplements
    Surgery
    Symptoms
    Treatment
    Urination
    Viruses
    Vision
    Vitamin D
    Vitamins
    Weakness


© 2022 HealthCare Journey, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
HealthCare Journey™ is a trademark of HealthCare Journey, LLC
Picture
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Virtual MS Center
    • Q & A for Virtual MS Center
    • Read About Our Virtual MS Center Staff
  • News & Resources
  • Seminar Registration
  • Health & Wellness
  • Blogs
    • Physician Blog >
      • Healthcare Provider Blog
    • Physical Therapy Blog
    • Patient Blog
    • Caregiver Blog
    • Research Blogs >
      • "Ask Dr. Debbie" Research Blog
      • Multiple Perspectives In Multiple Sclerosis Research Blog
  • About MS
    • What is MS?
    • Diagnosis
    • Treatment
    • MS Tips
  • Symptoms
    • Balance and Walking Issues
    • Breathing/Respiratory
    • Bowel Dysfunction
    • Cognitive Dysfunction
    • Crying/Laughing Uncontrollably (PBA)
    • Depression and Anxiety
    • Dizziness/Vertigo
    • Dysphagia
    • Fatigue
    • Foot Drop
    • Hearing or Smell or Taste Changes
    • Heat Sensitivity
    • Leg Weakness
    • Loss of Hand Dexterity and Coordination
    • Memory and Mutliple Sclerosis
    • Migraines
    • Numbness/Tingling/Altered Sensation
    • Nystagmus and Oscillopsia
    • Pain
    • Sexual Dysfunction
    • Sleep Issues
    • Spasticity/Spasms/Cramps
    • Speech/Swallowing
    • Urination/Bowel Problems
    • Vision
  • MS Clinics
  • MS Topics
    • Pregnancy and Infertility
    • Caregivers and Family Members
    • Employment and MS
    • Medical Costs and Insurance
    • Pediatric Multiple Sclerosis
  • Register With Us
  • Terms of Use/Privacy/HIPAA
  • MS HealthCare Journey