inflammation in and around lesion, nuvigil and steroids

[deniseinalabama]

I began to have new symptoms and MRI showed inflammation in and around an old lesion that I have. Doctor started me on nuvigil...to take along with the focalin that I was already on. And he gave me three days of IV steroids then today I started with the prednisone pills. I have not had much improvement. I was hoping that the nuvigil would help my fatigue, but I cannot tell that it has. The back of my head and neck is somewhat numb, but it also hurts. My head feels all foggy and full of pressure. Could this be from the nuvigil or steroids? I would have thought I would be feeling much better after the nuvigil and steroids. Any info? Thanks!

[SNOOPY]

Both Nuvigil and Focalin are stimulants. I am not quite sure why you are taking both. Stimulants do have risks and you are taking two of them

Fatigue is a common symptoms for those with MS. Medications can sometimes help but not always. Exercise has been shown to help with fatigue...for some.

I'm also unsure why you are using steroids. For fatigue? Steroids are usually used for exacerbations (relapse, attack, flare-up) and not every exacerbation requires steroids.

There can also be other medical causes for fatigue. It's always good not to assume every symptoms is MS related.

Sometimes steroids are helpful and sometimes they are not. Exacerbations can last weeks to several months even with the use of steroids.

[Redwings]

Hi denise:
Some people feel better pretty quickly after having steroids. But more people are probably affected by common steroid side effects (you can Google what they are) that make them not feel well -- some feel only a bit "off" and others become so sick that they swear they'll never take steroids again.

Depending on what your symptoms were like before your steroid 3-day, what you're feeling might or might not be a side effect of the steroids. If you've just finished the high-dose IV series, you're fully loaded on steroids right now, so it wouldn't be a surprise if you're experiencing some side effects. If that's the case, you might not start to feel better for a couple of weeks or more, until you've finished the prednisone.

For any symptoms that are not from drug side effects, it's hard to say when you'll start feeling better. The unpredictability is one of the frustrating and infuriating characteristics of a relapse. But I hope your recovery starts soon!

[deniseinalabama]

I didn't really explain why the doctor put me on the steroids...He did the MRI and said that there is inflammation in and around the area where one of my lesions is. I was having bad fatigue, numbness, tingling, etc. So he gave me the nuvigil, to take with the focalin, and started me on the IV steroids. I took the IV steroids for 3 days and now I am on the oral prednisone for nine days. I will be so glad to actually start feeling better....just wish it would be soon!
Thanks for your posts.

[BigA]

I began to have new symptoms and MRI showed inflammation in and around an old lesion that I have. Doctor started me on nuvigil...to take along with the focalin that I was already on. And he gave me three days of IV steroids then today I started with the prednisone pills. I have not had much improvement. I was hoping that the nuvigil would help my fatigue, but I cannot tell that it has. The back of my head and neck is somewhat numb, but it also hurts. My head feels all foggy and full of pressure. Could this be from the nuvigil or steroids? I would have thought I would be feeling much better after the nuvigil and steroids. Any info? Thanks!

I'm curious - how profound were your new symptoms and how long since your last MRI?

[deniseinalabama]

My last MRI was in December. My fatigue had gotten really bad and BOTH my LEFT and RIGHT feet, legs, hands, arms were numb/tingling, along with my face and lips. My balance was off too.