Reply To: questions from recently diagnosed CIDP

From the Foundation newsletter:
“Established Therapy of CIDP”
http://www.gbs-cidp.org/newsletters/winter98established.htm

“Corticosteroids have been the mainstay of treatment for CIDP. Retrospective analyses document improvement in 65 to 95% of CIDP patients. To achieve this benefit, high-dose Prednisone has to be prescribed for a minimum of six months (initial dose 1 mg/kg. body weight/day for 6 to 8 weeks, subsequent tapering by 10 mg/month and change to alternate-day dosing). First signs of improvement were seen at mean 1.9 months and maximum benefit was reached only after a mean 6.6 months.”

This is treatment for a slowly progressing course, not a rapid one. If you are getting weaker daily and cannot curl a one-lb weight, I am surprised you are not already in a hospital preparing to receive IvIg. When I was hospitalized, I had no use of my legs, but could still push my wheelchair around. Eventually, I lost even that.

But here’s an encouraging note: two years out of the hospital, I walk without a cane or any other assistive devices. You need to get proper treatment soon to maximize your potential for recovery.