IMO, the taper was to make the transition/withdrawal from the high dose IVSM, easier on our bodies, not to make the attack itself better.

Who knows, we're only lab rats anyway, to them!!

I agree Sally, the taper I had the 2nd time I had IVSM was to make coming off of the IVSM easier, and wasnt for the actual attack.

First time I had IVSM was for double vision. No taper with that. The crash afterwards was pretty nasty. I was sick (weak, really tired. Throwing up the first 2 or 3 days) for a couple of weeks after that.

Last year, I did IVSM because I had a flare that made me feel like I was having problems moving my right leg. I begged for the taper afterwards. I still felt tired and a little sick feeling on the taper, but I wasnt barfing sick from the crash like I was with the crash that I had after my first experience with IVSM. I felt like the taper helped the transition from having 3 grams of IVSM (1 gram a day for 3 days)

The taper made things easier and there was less barfing. (dont think I threw up while on the taper. Might have felt a bit queasy tho. Oral pred tastes nasty and does a number on the stomach)

i agree with Sally and Erin. I thought the reason for the taper was to help the adrenal gland recover and get back to producing it's own cortisol

My neurologist does 3.5 h infusions of IVSM, and a month-long taper. I had 6 infusions of IVSM when I had my first round of it.

My second relapse, I had 3 days of IVSM, 2.5 h infusion time, and no taper after. This was not my regular neurologist.

I asked the nurses at the day centre (where they do the infusions, city hospital). They just said that each neurologist has their own way of doing things and ordering the doses/number of days/time infusing & rate of infusion, etc.

I don't know if one's better than the other ... taper or no. I think that my neuro gave the taper of 1 month as it was at diagnosis and I had not had IVSM before, and 6 days was a huge shock to the system, and he wanted to be sure the inflammation was knocked down (I had a very active MRI initially, showing a very active disease process).

Then again, he's an old guy and pretty "By the books" about the meds. I find he 'overdoes' things - weekly to bi-weekly to monthly blood work on Copaxone... which isn't 'needed' as far as I know with C (with the interferons, yes).

ExAcTlY!!!!