Recent diagnosis
 

Hi Everyone,

I have only recently found these forums and I was wondering if I could get your help or knowledge.

A little about me first. I'm in my early 20's and I've recently went to hospital with severe pain in my left eye which got worse and worse throughout the day.
It was like a migraine but so much worse. The doctors diagnosed me with optical neuritis and possible MS - MRI and other scan results are being reviewed and they have assigned me a Neurologist to see next week.

I haven't had any other symptoms before my hospital visit with the original pain in my eye.
But have had shoulder pain that has been ongoing for a while- So I'm not sure if this was linked to potential MS.

The thing is I had used Cocaine on and off for about a year. And the questions I had were related to this.

1. Would having used Cocaine had any effect of increasing my chances of getting MS?
2. And how does Cocaine affect MS or optical neuritis?

I'm hoping someone may know. This isn't a question I can ask any doctors here.
I know its not a good substance, and I have stopped using it. But the questions have been on mind since when this all began.

Hello Msmoreinfo and welcome to NeuroTalk.

There is a diagnostic criteria for diagnosing MS ~ The Revised McDonald Criteria. Optic Neuritis can be a first symptom of MS but it can also be a stand alone diagnosis.

MS is a disease of the Central Nervous System(CNS) which includes the brain and spinal cord. There is no symptom(s) that is exclusive to this disease. Many other conditions can cause symptoms similar to MS.

Your Neurologist will order more testing and perform a Neurological exam/evaluation. The road to a diagnosis of MS or something else can take time and patience.

As far as Cocaine; I am not aware of it causing or increasing your risk of having MS. MS is a demyelinating disease, our own body is attacking myelin which is the protective coating surrounding our nerves. Our body considers Myelin a foreign object and destroys it as it would attack an infection or virus my may get.

Cocaine use should not have increased your chances of getting MS, however out of curiosity where do you live where you cannot share that information with your doctors? I’m unfamiliar with privacy in other countries but if it’s anywhere in the US the doctors may frown upon it and want to lecture you about it, but it’s very important for them to know about drug use, past and present.