Managing relapses

Relapses can come out of the blue, and make life with MS unpredictable. There are steps you can take to manage them and plan for them, to minimise the effect MS has on your life as far as possible.

One important step could be to take a disease modifying therapy (DMT). Getting treatment can make you less likely to have relapses.

The options for managing an MS relapse are:

treatment with high-dose steroids, either as an in-patient, a ‘day-case’ or at home
rehabilitation – after steroids, or without steroids being given
no treatment

Learn more about relapsing remitting MS (RRMS)

Treating relapses

You might be prescribed steroids if a relapse is especially painful or has a big impact on your daily life.

Rehabilitation can combine many different approaches to managing MS – physiotherapy, occupational therapy, lifestyle advice and support at work or at home. Whatever services are involved, the aim is to lessen the impact of MS on someone’s life.

You might benefit from rehabilitation after a relapse, whether or not you had steroids. There is some evidence to show that recovery from a relapse is improved by having rehabilitation as well as steroids.

An MS nurse, district nurse or GP sometimes acts as a central point of contact for you. They can help ensure referrals are made to other professionals and answer your questions about rehabilitation services.

You might decide not to have treatment for a relapse, though it's a good idea to discuss this with your healthcare team. For milder, sensory relapses (such as tingling or numbness), this is often the preferred option.

FAQs

Sometimes people get in touch with their MS team straight away. Sometimes they feel they can wait a day or two to see if it feels like a relapse.

When you decide to let someone know, they will let you know the next steps. For example, checking if it is a relapse, and then how to manage it.

Even if you manage a relapse without treatment from a healthcare professional, do let them know if you have a relapse (see below, ‘Reporting your relapse’).

MS nurse or neurology team

If you’ve got an MS nurse, you should get in touch with them if you’re worried about sudden new symptoms. If you don’t have an MS nurse, contact your neurology team and tell them you think you’re having a relapse – and how it’s affecting you.

GP

Your GP can check for infections, like a urinary tract infection (UTI) for example. Checking for an infection helps to see if it might be a relapse or a pseudo-relapse. But it also means you can get the infection treated if there is one.

Hospital care

Relapses are rarely so bad that you to need to go to a hospital’s A&E department. It could be necessary if you’re in intense pain, you can’t see in both eyes, or the relapse means you can‘t walk.

Relapses aren’t life-threatening. But if you ever feel your life is in danger for any reason, calling an ambulance or going to A&E is the right thing to do.

A very bad relapse can mean a stay in hospital. This is usually decided after you’ve seen your neurologist through the normal channels, not after a trip to A&E.

Reporting your relapse

Don’t keep a relapse to yourself. It’s important your neurologist, MS nurse or GP know about it. It can help your MS care if they know how many relapses you have, and how they affect you.

For example:

they might offer you steroids to help you get over your relapse sooner
it might affect whether you can have a DMT and what type you can have. Even if you’re already on a DMT, there might be another that works better for you

It’s a good idea to note down your symptoms, so that you won’t forget what’s happened. It’ll help to keep your neurologist or MS nurse updated.

If you talk to your GP about a relapse, they should let your neurologist or MS nurse know it’s happened.

There's no easy answer to this question - there's evidence that a certain level of exercise can help fatigue in MS in general, but there hasn't been any research into the effect exercise has on relapses.

Fatigue is often worse during a relapse, so you may need to rest. Also, it is important to prevent your core temperature from rising as this can make you feel worse. But everyone's MS is different, so trial and error - and getting advice from your doctor or physiotherapist - are the keys to managing relapses.

Recovery from a relapse can take time – weeks or possibly months. Symptoms from early relapses can disappear completely, but sometimes you might be left with symptoms or some difficulty. This is more likely with relapses later on in your condition.

Make sure you speak to your MS nurse or GP about this, as there may be treatments, such as physiotherapy, rehabilitation or medication that can help.

Last full review: 1 October 2025
Next review date: 1 October 2028

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