I'm currently having my first, KNOWN, MS flare up. I start 3 days of IV solu-medrol tomorrow. I've gotten 3, 5 day courses of it before for the optic neuritis that I went through about a year and a half ago and it worked well to bring back my sight fully after the 3rd course. This, however, is the first time I am getting the solu-medrol for the MS, and my question is.. Will I notice a difference rather quickly or will it take a while before the medicine takes effect? I'm in severe pain and now am unable to use my right.. barely. I have two young boys who require my attention and care and am hoping that the medicine takes effect quickly. Anyhow, any information would be much appreciated!

So sorry for your pain. I always found that after you've had Solu-medrol, that it takes up to a month, before you feel better.

I hope it works sooner for you.

Oh, that stinks! Thank you, though! At least I will be getting it A friend of mine told me about a masseuse that works specifically for MS patients and said the massage helps to "work" the medicine in quicker. So I will be making an appointment with her in hopes that it makes the IV kick in faster! We will see though. Hoping for the best, thank you for your input. I'm so new to the MS world, I feel blind to the whole idea of it, because it effects everyone differently.

I used to notice my spasticity quickly reduce in intensity rather soon after my infusions.
I will tell you what my neuro suggested-a slow infusion is better-no quicker than 45 minutes. Also eat a diet low in sodium for a week after your 1st infusion-no more than 2000mg per day. That will help keep the swelling down.
And I always bring some hard candy like cinnamon discs to lessen that icky taste from the solumedrol.
Hope it helps you

I forgot about the nasty taste! After she got it started the taste entered my mouth and I thought to myself "Oh no... I was not prepared for this!" lol I have noticed that after todays course the pain seems to be WORSE. I hope this is just a "gets worse before it gets better" thing.

When I've had steroids (oral and IVSM) I tend to eat garlicky tasting foods because it seems to kill the nasty taste of the steroids. At least for me it does. I also found a really nice apple flavored hard candy to suck on that helps too.

Last time I had IVSM (August 2012) I was sick it seemed from the steroids. Felt like crap. Didnt want to eat, which was weird, since steroids usually make me want to eat the refrigerator...not just the contents, but the actual refrigerator. My not wanting to eat might have been a combination of the steroids making me feel icky. My flare making me feel icky, and the fact that my mom got really sick the week I was getting steroids at the infusion center and she ended up getting put in the hospital for two months. I might have just been stressed out from all the stress and it screwed up my appetite.

Okay so I just finished day two of 3 of the IV's, and yesterday it made the pain from the flare up worse than it has ever been in the 3 months that I've been going through it. Today, the same, I'm in agonizing pain (lower back and hips), I only have 2 pain killers left that I can't get refilled until Monday... is it normal to make the flareup symptoms worse before they get better?? I'm on the verge of tears it's hurting so bad. I don't know what to do. Heat nor cold help.. just the pain killers.

I just started this today, a five day series. Doing it at home, the nurse came and installed my IV today and brought the supplies. I just have to set the bags up every day myself. They will come if there's a problem or something, but if not they will just change the IV site in a couple of days. I am quite glad to be able to do it at home, as the hospital is a few hours from here.

IVSM has a variety of side effects - bone type pain being one of them. The list of possible s/e is a bit long long. I have had varying side effects each time- sometimes the same ones; sometimes I think I am getting off easy - then a new/different side effect pops up. They always say
"Oh, that's just the solumedrol causing that, it will go away" (uh, gee... thanks)

If the pain is pretty bad, call your neuro and ask for help dealing with it --- after all, he doesn't know you are suffering unless you tell him. Good luck and I hope you feel better fast!


*I swear by sour lemondrops hard candies to cut the metalic yucky taste

Please be careful with the frequency that you use steroids.....both oral and IV. They can cause all kinds of damage to your bones and once the damage is done.....it's done.