News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis
Is there a time when multiple sclerosis (MS) is finished attacking the nervous system – when it just “burns out” and there’s no longer any need to continue using a disease-modifying therapy (DMT)? A 2017 review by researchers at the University of British Columbia notes that disease activity declines as people with MS grow older. It suggests that those who are 55 years or older and have had no relapses,…Continue Reading
I slept through the night last night. Recently, I’ve managed to do that on most nights. No 4 a.m. bathroom trips for me! That’s a big deal. There was a time when I’d get up two or even three times during the night for a bladder run. Sleeping seven or eight hours straight is huge. I’ve been troubled by bladder frequency and urgency for many years during the four decades…Continue Reading
The late August approval of Tyruko (natalizumab-sztn) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is big news in the multiple sclerosis world. Tyruko is a biosimilar for Tysabri (natalizumab), and it’s the first biosimilar to gain FDA approval as an MS disease-modifying therapy (DMT). “Tyruko has the potential to extend the reach of natalizumab treatment for [MS] patients, increase healthcare savings and fuel innovation through competition in the market,” Keren…Continue Reading
Times, they’ve been a-changin’ for disease-modifying therapies. When I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1980, there were no DMTs. The first, the injectable Betaseron (interferon beta-1b), was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1993 for relapsing-remitting MS. A few years later, I was thrilled to be included in the Phase 3 clinical trial of Avonex (interferon beta-1a), the second injectable, even though it required a self-injection…Continue Reading
If you have multiple sclerosis, I’m sure you’ve had several MRIs by now. You’ve probably also had one using a contrast agent. That contrast agent is made from a rare earth element called gadolinium. Mixed with other chemical ions, it highlights lesions or areas of active MS inflammation that would otherwise be difficult or impossible for a radiologist to see. It’s a useful tool, but there have been concerns about…Continue Reading
The multiple sclerosis treatment arsenal has gained a new weapon. Shortly after Christmas, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Briumvi (ublituximab), joining a small group of disease-modifying therapies that aim to halt MS progression by knocking out certain B-cells in the immune system. Why does Briumvi target B-cells? B-cells remember past threats to the immune system so that invaders, like viruses, can be stopped quickly. But some B-cells, carrying…Continue Reading
My multiple sclerosis prescriptions cost me a lot, even with good insurance. Your prescription costs are probably also high, no matter what your illness is, if you don’t live in a country where the government picks up your drug costs. But now billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban is taking a shark-sized bite out of the cost of some of those medications. Cuban is an investor who regularly appears on the “Shark…Continue Reading
Over the many years I’ve lived with multiple sclerosis I’ve used several MS drugs to treat my symptoms. Some have helped, some haven’t, and some worked at first but then lost their efficacy. I recently returned to three MS drugs that I’d stopped using for various reasons. Here’s why. Provigil Provigil (modafinil) is a medication that reduces fatigue, one of my most troubling symptoms. For many years I used modafinil,…Continue Reading
I’m marking a big anniversary this month. It’s been four years since I finished the second round of treatment with Lemtrada (alemtuzumab), my final disease-modifying therapy (DMT). That means that, after about 60 monthly blood draws, I’m finished being stuck. Lemtrada is usually a two-phase series of injections, with each phase separated by a year. The medication wipes out most of the cells in an MS patient’s immune system with…Continue Reading
A little over a year ago, I wrote about whether people with multiple sclerosis (MS) should get a COVID-19 vaccine. I was anxious to be vaccinated as soon as I could, but I was also concerned about how the vaccines would affect someone with MS. Would the side effects be worse for MS patients than for healthy people? Would the disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) used to treat MS affect the ability…Continue Reading