Yes, what Robert said! I stopped taking Dexamethasone a few years ago. My oncologist said at first, it is part of the treatment and it kills MM cells. But when you are on maintenance therapy, it is mainly used to prevent adverse reactions to treatment. I've been on Darzalex so long, that there likely is not going to be a reaction, so he said it was safe for me to stop taking it. I was so happy!!! I don't take anything else with the Darzalex, I see that most people take it with something else. But I have maintained remission, so I'm not complaining!!!

Solu Medrol is the liquid version of Methylprednisolone. Methylprednisolone is somewhat different from Dexamethasone. Dexamethasone is longer acting, more potent and about 4 to 5 times stronger than Methylprednisolone when given in the same dosage.

@A MyMyelomaTeam Member Hey Sally! How are you doing and most importantly, how are you feeling? I haven't taken Dexamethasone since May because I had to stop treatment as my immune system went sideways (uugghh). In addition to multiple myeloma, I also have Addison's Disease (which is an autoimmune condition where your immune systems attacks your adrenal glands). To replace my cortisol and to "calm down" my immune system (to prevent it attacking my adrenal glands), I have to take 30 mg of Hydrocortisone (steriod just like Dex) everyday (no choice). I tackled the first three months of my induction treatment without a hitch even with Addison's...but then before I started meds for the fourth cycle, my body said NOPE...no more, we are done, close the shop. My blood work was fine (with the exception of high WBC) and I never had a fever and any infection, I just felt awful. I'm feeling better now and the cancer appears to be at bay (amen and praise be to Jesus), but I've been doing a ton of research on trying to figure out what exactly happened. As it turns out, Dex apparently does a number on folks, even those without Addison's, in relation to adrenal insufficiency (AI). See the conclusion below from this PubMed article.

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A MyMyelo...

Anyway, hope you are well and happy @A MyMyelomaTeam Member! How is your MM these days?

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A MyMyelo...

There is a lot of other literature on this, but I think this correlation between Dex and adrenal insufficiency in MM patients is huge. If you ever felt crappy after taking Dex for treatment...especially after long-term use...it really could be a bigger issue than "just feeling crappy from treatment."