My step son is having a return of blured/double vision and Balance problems after IV steriods!

[santana8]

To those of you who have taken IV steriods or who know the about them I have some questions to ask for my 16 year old step son. He has been out of the hospital and off of the IV steriods for a week now. All of his symptoms cleared up except for some leaning toward the right when he walked. But yesterday the blured/ double vision returned for a while and now is going away again.  Also the dizziness and vertigo is worse today.  He also broke out in some kind of pin point  red rash on his face, shoulders and torso.  

Is this normal to have a return of symptoms a week after the IV steriods?  Does this mean a relaps, or could it mean that he did not receive enough steriods?  He had a four day course of 1 gram per day without any oral taper.

His mother and Grandmother have called the Peds neuro and he said the vertigo and dizziness would come and go and that he should stay on the Xanax he had prescribed for this, and he did take it today and is sleeping. They have asked me to ask all of you if this is normal for symptoms to return and come and go after the IV steriods and also about the rash he has broken out with. Could this be a reaction to the steriods? Also could this four day course of steriods have been too short?

Since I have never received any steriod treatment since my onset and have no experience with them, I am asking those of you who know about this for advise for his mother and Grandmother.

Any help on this would be helpful to us!!

~Santana~

[Heather3418]

bump...this is getting lost in the shuffle...

[spastic]

Oh Sweetie, I don't know what to say!!!  I hope Quix will be able to respond.  I had a horrible time with the steroids when I had to stop them.  I just wish I knew the answer for you Sweetie, it just rips me up inside when I hear of the young ones going through this and I don't know how to help.  But I am here for you and wishing him better.

Many Hugs and Love,

Ada

[santana8]

Thanks for responding so fast and thank you Heather for bumping it up. I will be on and off the forum tonight checking for more answers to this.  I know all my friends here will do whatever they can to help!

Hugs,
~Santana~

[Sarahsmom46]

I was on 1g IV steroids for 6 days in the hospital and was not tapered either.  I couldn't believe that my symptoms started coming back within  about 10 days after the last dose of Solu-Medrol.  I thought I was the only one this happened too and didn't even mention it to my doctor because I thought he wouldn't believe me.  Is this normal?  We'll have to see what others have to say about their experiences.  One thing I can say is that my symptoms did not come back hard and fast, but more gradually starting that second week.  I went on Lyrica before things got that bad though.  I hope you stepson will get some help with this, because even if he is taking Zanax, it can't be good sleeping too much.  Please let us know how things are going for him.  Take good care of yourself too.

Julie

[santana8]

Thanks for sharing this with us! I will tell his mother not to let him sleep too much!

~Santana~

[Momzilla]

Hi!

Most of my symptoms did return after receiving Solu-Medrol in the hospital -- but they were not severe.  I am guessing your step son is at the end of his relapse, or exacerbation.  The steroids helped him through the worst part.  That's just my feeling, though.

Vertigo can be different, too, I think.  When I had a very bad episode of vertigo (was kept overnight in the hospital-couldn't stand on my own), it took really months for it to resolve.  It gradually got better and better, but I continued with that merry-go-round feeling for a very long while.  I would ask if there might be a better medication for your son to be taking, since it may be long-term.  It could very well be that Xanax is the best thing for him now.  That I am not sure of either.

As for the rash -- I do not know.  It may be unrelated to all this.  It could be one of the medications he's taking.  I have never heard of a rash developing after steroid treatment, but, again -- I really do not know for sure, I'm sorry to say.

Please send our good thoughts and prayers along to your son and all his family.

Peace,

Zilla*

[santana8]

Thanks for the personal experience, this is what I needed to be able to pass along to his mom. Since I am not his mother, and I am not really in control of his treatment choices, I am trying to give them information on all of this.  Some of it I know about, but never having received the steriods, I know nothing from personal experience about them.

When his mom asked me if my symptoms had ever came back even temporarily, I had to say no, they haven't.  Mine came on like a tornado and have slowly resolved over the past two years, but my vision, balance and deficits have never worsened since the onset, only improved slowly.

I am starting to wonder if this difference in courses between me and a lot of others is related to steriod treatment or lack of it, or if maybe I have something different! Just a thought, but my course does seem a lot different than those I have read on the forum and now even my own step son!

I will call his mom and give her the information  I have gotten so far from everyone! Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my post, it means a lot to me and all of us!

Hugs,
~Santana~

[Quixotic1]

I have frequently heard that symptoms returned after a week.  Mine did.  For the most part the steroids have never helped any of my MS symptoms (most of which are motor).  But the Trigeminal Neuralgia did improve for a week or so only.

The steroids would last in the blood stream for just about a week before they fell to very low levels.  His symptoms returned as the steroids left his system.  They ddid not have a lingering anti-inflammatory effect.  So, what we know is that he might very well respond to a longer course or benefit from a slow taper.  You might tell his mother this.

Quix

[vizslagal]

I had a rash after steroid treatment.  The dermatologist said it was steroid induced acne.  Based on the location of the rash it is possible that his rash could be as well.

[santana8]

His mom said that is exactly what it looks exactly like a teenage acne breakout. It is getting better today! Thanks for sharing this!

~Santana~