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Prednisone and pneumonia

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    Prednisone and pneumonia

    I just finished a 2 week course of Prednisone and now have walking pneumonia. This is the second time this has happened. Now I'm on some heavy antibiotics and feel like this cycle is just going to continue. My pcp is sending me to a different neuro to see if we can try other meds. I know there are meds that can help reduce relapses, but are there other meds to help symptoms?
    Courage is NOT the absence of fear, it is going forward in spite of fear. Diagnosed 5/27/10

    #2
    Originally posted by gypsy View Post
    I just finished a 2 week course of Prednisone and now have walking pneumonia. This is the second time this has happened. Now I'm on some heavy antibiotics and feel like this cycle is just going to continue. My pcp is sending me to a different neuroto see if we can try other meds. I know there are meds that can help reduce relapses, but are there other meds to help symptoms?
    There are plenty of meds to help with symptoms.

    Steroids would be used in one of two ways: when you are having a relapse or on a regular , maybe monthly, basis to reduce inflammation in the CNS (either alone or in conjunction with a DMD). Either way, they wouldn't usually be a two week course of Pred. It would usually be, depending on usage, anywhere from 1000mg (750 mg is sometimes used in pulse steroids) IVSM or oral equivalent a day for 1 day or up to 5 days.

    They wouldn't or I could say, shouldn't be used for symptomatic treatment. In the right dose, they can help shorten the duration of a relapse (by reducing inflammation, no inflammation present means they do nothing but give you the side effects and potential risks like the increased risk of infection you're familiar with ).

    Steroids may or may not affect the symptoms you experience. They don't have any effect on the outcome of a relapse either, only speed you through it. Any relief of symptoms you might experience from steroids is from a resolution of the relapse...something you would achieve over time with or without treatment.

    What your doctor should keep in mind is that steroids, bottom line, are to treat the inflammation, not act directly upon symptoms. Unless you either have a near constant level of inflammation or a relapse, they are of no benefit and still pose the normal risks. When symptoms are part of your everyday normal, they should be treated with the proper meds (there are, as I said, mobs of them to try for most MS stuff) and not steroids.

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