Treatment for MS #Flare-Ups (#Exacerbations)

If you have MS and you think you’re having a flare-up, call your MS doctor or nurse as soon as you can. They’ll ask about your general health, the symptoms you’re feeling, and any problems they’re causing. This will help them decide the best way to help you feel better and get through the flare-up.

Sometimes your symptoms will go away on their own. If they don’t, your doctor might suggest steroids or another medicine.

Steroids are powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that can ease your symptoms and shorten your flare-up. They also can help you recover from one. But they can’t undo the damage that’s been done or slow down the disease.

You should start them as soon as your doctor confirms you’re having a flare-up. Methylprednisolone is the most common steroid used for this.

You might take the steroids as tablets, or your doctor might put them right into your bloodstream through a needle in your vein — called an intravenous (IV) drip. It’s done in a hospital or your doctor’s office.

Steroids can cause side effects. They can be short- or long-term.

Short-term effects include:

Long-term use of steroids can make your skin and bones thin (that’s called osteoporosis). It can also cause high blood pressure. On rare occasions, steroids can also damage your hips.

If you can’t take them because of the side effects or because they haven’t worked well for you, another option is Acthar gel. That’s a form of a hormone called ACTH. That helps your body make a different hormone that can fight your inflammation. You get it as a shot in a muscle or under your skin, and it goes into your bloodstream. You need one shot a day for 2 to 3 weeks.

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