O.K., here's my suggestion...

When I need steriods now, I ALWAYS take them as a "solumedrol-smoothie".

It's something that was first offered to me by the MS center at UCSF.

It worked so well, that when I needed more steroids, I convinced my neuro to do some research on it. Sure enough, the next day I got the call saying he had contacted the compounding pharmacy and I would be able to pick up my solumedrol.

It's the same medication that is in your IV, but it's in a powdered form (hasn't been reconstituted).

I open the glass vile, pour it into orange juice, add sugar AND splenda to it....and gag it down!

It's the most VILE tasting stuff you've ever had...BUT it's worth it 'cause you don't have to miss work. You don't have to sit at a hospital while the IV drips in your arm. It takes all of about 10 minutes and you're done.

As bad as it tastes, I would NEVER do the IV again unless I just couldn't get the solumedrol any other way.

The only down side is that the only compounding pharmacy in town doesn't take my insurance, so I have to pay cash and submit to the insurance after.

But three days of solumedrol still only costs $100. And my insurance reimburses me within a week...it's just an inconvenience.

P.S. If you do it, just make sure you get a prescription for 1 gram. The first time I did it, the prescription was written for only 500mg x three days, and two weeks later I was still suffering with the exacerbation.

The neuro wrote another prescription for 1 gram x three days and by the second day I was good to go :-)