Archive for category: Myositis Treatments

Myositis has no known cure, however, treatments exist to control the symptoms of some forms of the disease for many patients, such as those with Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis. No medications have been discovered or developed specifically to treat Myositis, but medications used to treat other, similar inflammatory and autoimmune diseases are used effectively. There is some encouraging news about treatments for Inclusion Body Myositis undergoing clinical trials, however, no approved effective treatment currently exists.

Finding the correct drugs and combinations of drugs can be a frustrating process. What works for some may not work for others, so the treatment journey can present challenges. Reactions and tolerance to the treatments also vary from patient to patient.

The first line of treatment for PM and DM is typically corticosteroids to address the inflammation causing the weakness and simultaneously suppress the overactive immune system. Additional drugs to suppress the immune system are frequently added to the steroids, sometimes at the beginning of treatment and other times once determination has been made that the steroids have shown to be effective in treating inflammation.

A great article we found about Prednisone (steroid) withdrawal.

Prednisone Withdrawal: As a patient with #myositis, you are likely on, or have been on, prednisone at some point. Prednisone is a man-made substance that reduces inflammation quickly and that is why it is used as a first-line treatment in most forms of myositis. But what happens when it is time to taper? GO SLOW!

http://www.healthline.com/health/psoriasis/prednisone-withdrawal

“Depending on how long you’ve been taking prednisone, your withdrawal symptoms may last from a few weeks to up to 12 months. This time will likely be much shorter if you follow your doctor’s instructions for slowly tapering your dosage of prednisone when you stop taking it.”