Sister has MS Question

[CrystalChick]

Hey everybody Does anybody know why a person would have a salty after taste with the following steroid Dexamethasone.
Annnnnd how can bloating be reduced?

Thanks CC

 

[spatts]

Adrenal supression?

Does she take it regularly or as needed?

Wasn't this stuff going to be banned several years ago?

 

[BigEasy]

Not sure if you are saying your sis has MS, or this question is for MS? If its the latter, pardon my butt-in.

My sister used to take dexamethasone for Crohn's disease. It is WILL cause sodium retention, so she needs to really watch her overall sodium intake. It will probably also cause her to really lose potassium via urine, so electrolyte balance is problematic. Usually the doc will advise extra potassium rich foods or supplementation. We found that a lot of the salt-substitutes were high in potassium, cheap, tasted good, and made other supplementation unnecessary.

I am a little curious though, have they already tried her on methylprednisolone or interferons? Dexametasone has soooo many negative sides it is rough to use. Watch out for depression, my sis really had it bad, and she is usually the eternal optimist!

Best wishes to your sister!

 

[CrystalChick]

Wow Thank's for the replies soooo quickly,
My Sister has MS annnn has Optic-nuritis S/P as a result of a flare up in the optic nerve the Dr. perscribed a Dexamethasone Intervenious drip for 3 day's followed up by a Dexamethasone tablet to reduce the inflamation in her eye.
Currently she takes betaseron S/P injections E/O/D.

 

[CrystalChick]

Oh BigEasy she was on methylprednisolone but the Dr. could not locate it anywhere Dexamethasone is supposed to be the substitute for it.

 

[spatts]

Couldn't find it anywhere?!?

*In my best Cartman voice* "That does not make sense!"

 

[MS]

Yeah, not only can dexamethasone cause fluid/sodium/potassium imbalances, but it can also alter the perception of tastes. In other words, stuff may TASTE more salty without actually BEING more salty. On top of that, dexa also makes your body ABSORB more sodium from the gut. However it is considered to be the mildest synthetic corticosteroid in terms of fluid/sodium retention so that even though she may be absorbing more sodium, she will probably also be excreting more. Her best bet would be to add in some Slow-K (under her docs supervision of course) and drink lots of water.

 

[CrystalChick]

Thank's for the Response MS. What is Slow-K?

CC

 

[MS]

Slow-K is just a time released potassium supplement. Her doc will know what it is, although she shouldn't need a prescripton to get it. It's still a good idea to avoid taking any extra meds that her doc doesn't know about or condone. It's easy to check sodium and potassium with a blood test to determine if she's outta whack or not. How long will she be taking the dexa???

 

[THeMaCHinE]

This is completely an aside -- just thought I'd pass it on in case it is helpful ... You may want to check into pharmeceutical grade, high omega-3 yield fish oils as well. Dr. Sears was talking about success with MS patients in the 10 gr/day omega-3 range.