A plain-language guide to what multiple sclerosis is, the infusion medications used to treat it, and what treatment actually looks like. Written for patients and caregivers in Maryland.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system, which is the brain, the spinal cord, and the optic nerves.
In MS, the immune system attacks myelin, the fatty sheath that insulates nerve fibers and lets electrical signals travel quickly. Where myelin is damaged, those signals slow down, scatter, or stop altogether. The symptoms you experience depend on which nerves are affected. That is why MS looks so different from one person to the next.
The damage leaves behind scarring, or sclerosis. The multiple refers to the several sites where that scarring occurs.
MS is usually described by its course over time rather than by where it appears:
Symptoms vary widely from person to person. They change depending on which nerves are affected and how active the disease is. The most common include:
Some of what is hardest about MS does not show from the outside. Cognitive changes are common and often go undiscussed: slower processing, word-finding difficulty, trouble holding attention. The same is true of heat sensitivity, where symptoms temporarily worsen as body temperature rises. Fatigue is consistently ranked by patients as one of the most disabling symptoms, and one of the least visible.
This page is educational, not medical advice. Only your neurologist can diagnose MS or decide which treatment is right for you. If you are experiencing sudden vision loss, new weakness, or symptoms that are rapidly worsening, contact your doctor or seek care right away.
MS treatment usually runs on two tracks at the same time. One manages relapses when they happen. The other works continuously in the background, reducing how often relapses occur and how much damage accumulates over time.
During an acute relapse, a neurologist may order a short course of high-dose corticosteroids, often given intravenously as methylprednisolone (Solu-Medrol). Steroids shorten the relapse and speed recovery. They do not change the long-term course of the disease, and they are not meant for ongoing use.
A disease-modifying therapy, or DMT, is not symptom relief. It does not repair damage that has already happened. It changes the course of the disease itself, reducing relapse rate, reducing new lesions on MRI, and slowing the progression of disability.
Several of the most effective DMTs are given by IV infusion because they are antibodies, which have to be delivered into the bloodstream rather than swallowed. The infused therapies used in MS fall into two main groups.
Target and deplete the B cells that contribute to the immune attack on myelin. Given as IV infusions. Ocrelizumab (Ocrevus), ublituximab (Briumvi)
Stop inflammatory immune cells from crossing into the central nervous system. Given by IV infusion. Natalizumab (Tysabri, Tyruko)
Not every MS medication is an infusion. Many DMTs are oral tablets or self-administered injections taken at home. Ocrevus Zunovo is a version of ocrelizumab given as an under-the-skin injection rather than an IV, and it takes about ten minutes instead of a few hours. Which route is right for you is a conversation with your neurologist.
These are the FDA-approved medications given by IV infusion that Springside administers for this condition. Each links to its medication page, where you’ll find the referral form your specialist needs.
Infusion times are the times specified in each medication’s FDA prescribing information. Your total appointment will be longer, because check-in, vital signs, IV placement, and post-infusion observation all add time.
A relapse, sometimes called a flare, exacerbation, or attack, is the appearance of new symptoms or the clear worsening of old ones. It lasts more than 24 hours and occurs at least 30 days after the last episode. Relapses happen because of new inflammation and demyelination in the central nervous system.
Not every relapse requires treatment. Mild sensory symptoms often improve on their own. When a relapse interferes with function, such as vision, walking, or the use of a hand, the standard treatment is a short course of high-dose corticosteroids to reduce the inflammation and shorten the episode.
This is a different job from your disease-modifying therapy. Your DMT is working to prevent the next relapse. Steroids treat the one you are having now. Being on a DMT does not mean you will never have a relapse, and having a relapse does not automatically mean your DMT has failed. That judgment belongs to your neurologist.
A typical course is given daily over several consecutive days. It is a short series of visits scheduled at short notice, so where you receive it matters more here than it does for routine maintenance infusions. We administer methylprednisolone at all three Maryland locations.
If you have never had an infusion, or you have only had them in a hospital, here is the shape of a typical visit.
Plan for more than the infusion time. The times listed on each medication page come from that drug's FDA label and cover the infusion itself. Check-in, IV placement, premedication, and observation are on top of that. When we confirm your appointment, we will tell you how long to plan for.
You can change where you receive your infusions without changing your neurologist. Your neurologist continues to manage your MS and writes the order. We administer the medication and report back to them.
Many Maryland insurance plans now prefer, and some require, that non-urgent infusions be given at an ambulatory infusion center rather than a hospital outpatient department. That is often at meaningfully lower out-of-pocket cost. Coverage rules and prior-authorization requirements vary by plan, so we verify your benefits and handle the authorization before your first visit.
The questions patients ask us most often about moving their Multiple Sclerosis infusion care to Springside.
Most patients can safely switch infusion providers once their medication schedule is stable and their specialist considers treatment well established. Most patients do not switch during loading doses or while medications are still being adjusted. The best time is usually once you reach the maintenance phase and your schedule becomes predictable.
Look at scheduling predictability, appointment length, privacy of the treatment space, whether the center coordinates insurance authorization and records transfer for you, and how directly the center communicates back to your specialist.
Coverage rules and prior-authorization requirements vary by plan. Many Maryland insurance plans now prefer, and some require, that non-urgent infusions be given at an ambulatory infusion center rather than a hospital outpatient department. Springside verifies your benefits and handles prior authorization before your first visit.
Yes. Where you receive your infusion and who prescribes it are separate. Your specialist continues to manage your condition and writes the order; the infusion center administers the medication and reports back to them.
Transitions are typically coordinated between doses so treatment continues without interruption. Springside works with your specialist, your insurance provider, and your clinical records team to schedule the transfer around your existing dosing interval.
Your specialist sends new orders and clinical records to the new infusion center, which then verifies your insurance benefits and obtains prior authorization before scheduling your first appointment.
Most transitions follow this timeline: 2 to 5 business days for insurance verification, 3 to 7 business days for physician orders and clinical records transfer, and 1 to 2 weeks to schedule the first appointment.
Working professionals generally prioritize predictable scheduling, evening and weekend availability, private treatment suites, and short door-to-door time. Independent ambulatory infusion centers are typically built around these factors, unlike large hospital outpatient departments.
