The Myasthenia Gravis Association is sharing the following blog post on behalf SAM, a steroid support resoruce.
Author: Sam Caswell
If you’re struggling with steroid side effects, Sam can help ease the ups and downs.
Looking for help on your steroid journey?
If you’re struggling with steroid side effects or if you think it could be useful to learn more ahead of a possible steroid prescription, we’re here to help. We’re Steroids and Me, “Sam” for short, and we’re working in partnership with the MGA and organizations like it to improve the day-to-day experience of patients who take steroids.
Who or what is Sam? Sam is a free digital companion packed with information, tools and expert advice for steroid-treated patients. Sam is personalized to you; learning as you track your side effects to bring you friendly, straight-talking, practical information to ease the ups and downs of your unique steroid journey.
You don’t have to be a technical whiz to use Sam. You can access it on your phone, tablet or desktop and make use of it as often as you like, for free!
Is it just for MG patients?
No. Sam is the world’ first companion designed to help all steroid treated patients - not just for those with MG. It represents a fresh new era for an (as yet!) underserved community of over 50 million steroid treated patients globally.
Why might I need Sam? Steroids can be a powerful ally in helping alleviate the symptoms of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions but for many patients, they also bring a host of unwelcome side effects. These side effects can crop up in multiple areas of the body and range from mildly inconvenient to life changing.
Steroid-treated patients have told us that they can find these side effects almost as challenging as their original condition and that the lack of information, support and general awareness can make them feel quite alone at times.
Sam has been created so that steroid-treated patients don’t have to feel alone like this anymore.
What does Sam contain? Sam features a side effect explorer with articles and films created by medical professionals. Crucially, it also contains a tracker for logging your mood and the severity of your different side effects and a separate ‘Journey’ page where everything you’ve logged can be seen at a glance. It makes it easy to prepare yourself for a productive medical appointment by sharing your experiences with your doctor.
Together these features make Sam the most powerful single source of information and support for those living with steroid-side effects. So no more feeling alone and no more trawling through endless websites trying to find the information you need!
Plus, by using Sam and tracking your side effects you’re helping build an understanding of the realities of living with steroids; insights that can be used to improve the therapies available for people with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions around the whole world!
Who built Sam? Sam is built by medical professionals who specialize in steroid side effects. It’s been developed in close collaboration with patients, healthcare practitioners and a community of world-leading experts including Dr Jeffrey M. Gelfand, a neurologist at the University of California who cares for people with neuroinflammatory conditions.
Sam is brought to you by Steritas; an independent scientific organization dedicated to increasing steroid awareness and improving the day-to-day experience of those living with autoimmune and inflammatory conditions.
Start a smoother steroid journey with Sam, today
Our direct experience with steroid-treated MG patients tells us that Myasthenia Gravis can be incredibly tough, presenting daily challenges and frustrations that can require ever-greater mental strength. Sam is here to share a little of that load.
You can explore Sam today by using the link below. It’s free to use and your personal information will not be shared with third parties. We hope you try Sam, that it helps smooth your steroid journey and that you’ll share it with other members of the MG community.
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