Adding Methylprednisolone to MS Treatment May Improve Outcome (If You Can Stand It)

For people taking a multiple sclerosis treatment using interferon beta-1a (Rebif), combining it with oral methylprednisolone (corticosteroids) may improve outcomes for relapsing-remitting MS. In a study from Denmark, published in The Lancet Neurology, 130 patients with relapsing-remitting MS were divided into two groups. Half of the group received an MS treatment using interferon beta-1a plus 200mg of oral methylprednisolone given in kind of a "pulse therapy" fashion (200 mg on 5 consecutive days every 4 weeks), while the other half received interferon beta-1 plus a placebo treatment. The group that took both medications had an annual relapse rate of .22 (about 1 relapse every 5 years) compared to the Rebif plus placebo group, which had an annual relapse rate of .59 (slightly more than 1 relapse every 2 years). The authors concluded that adding methylprednisolone led to a reduction in relapses. The study lasted 96 weeks.

There was one problem, however, 26% of the group that received the methylprednisolone dropped out of the study because of side effects due to the steroid treatment, like sleep problems and psychiatric disturbances. In other words, the added treatment may help, but is as not well tolerated in the group. A larger study is necessary to figure out the true benefit of adding in methylprednisolone.

Methylprednisolone is the same stuff as Solu-Medrol (which is given intravenously to shorten the duration and severity of relapses) - the stuff that we hate, even as it is giving us back lost function, for its myriad of side effects. In my experience, I have worse reactions to the oral taper of methylprednisolone than I do to the giant doses of IV Solu-Medrol, so I have begun refusing the taper for that reason (which is actually the recommended approach).

For more information on these drugs, read the full articles:

• Is Rebif Right for You?
• When Is Solu-Medrol Used in Multiple Sclerosis?
• The Solu-Medrol Experience
• Solu-Medrol Treatment: Side Effects and Tips
• Solu-Medrol and Anxiety
• Solu-Medrol and Acne

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Learn more or join the conversation!
_{MS on Twitter | MS Newsletter Signup | MS Forum}
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .