The MS Wire

News, info and tips for living with multiple sclerosis

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A Third COVID-19 Shot for People With MS?

Third covid vaccine

Now that a third COVID-19 shot has been approved in the U.S. for immunocompromised people, and vaccine boosters are expected to be available to the general public sometime after Sept. 20, Walgreens and CVS have lost no time in offering the additional shot to those who qualify. Like their previous policies for vaccine shots and COVID-19 tests, the stores require people to make appointments online, and they’ll be happy to jab you. But should you get that…Continue Reading

BTK Inhibitors – The Next Big MS Therapy?

btk inhibitor research

Is orelabrutinib one of the next big MS therapies? Biogen is betting at least $125 million that it is. Orelabrutinib is an experimental oral BTK inhibitor (BTKi). BTKi’s are designed to selectively block an enzyme that’s important for the activation of B-cells and microglia. Some of those immune cells drive the abnormal immune responses that characterize MS. Researchers hope the medication will lower inflammation and slow progression of all forms…Continue Reading

Need Help? Don’t be Too Proud to Ask for it

need help

“Do you need help?” The question came from a 30-something woman after I’d finished loading some cartons into the back of my SUV. I automatically replied, “No thanks, all done.” But lifting and loading isn’t an easy job for me. My upper body strength is good, but my legs are weak and offer no help to my topside. In addition, I’ve slacked on my exercising, so I’m not as strong…Continue Reading

Use Caution When Using Cannabis for MS.

cannabis for ms

People with MS who are using cannabis take heed. A research letter published in May in JAMA Network Open reports that calls to poison control centers about people using cannabis products have been increasing over the past several years. Public health officials are concerned. According to the letter, written by various health experts in the U.S., one problem is that a growing number of retail sales involve manufactured cannabis products…Continue Reading

Poppy Has MS, But so What?

My grandson, John, turned 5 in May, and my granddaughter, Hayden, turned 7 in June. I love being their Poppy, but I wish their Poppy didn’t have MS. I was diagnosed with MS in 1980, just over a year after our son, Geoff, was born. He and our grandkids have lived with my MS all of their lives. I’ve only lived with it for about half of mine. As I…Continue Reading

Satisfied With Sativex in Belgium

Sativex

Could a cannabis spray be just what the doctor ordered to treat our MS symptoms? I’m talking about Sativex (nabiximols), which has been developed as a treatment for moderate and severe MS spasticity. Sativex combines THC, the chef intoxicant in marijuana, with CBD, marijuana’s nonpsychoactive component. It’s sprayed under the tongue or inside the cheek several times a day. The treatment has been approved in several countries, including the U.K.…Continue Reading

My Head Was Spinning. Was it Vertigo?

In the four decades I’ve lived with MS, I’d never before experienced a serious case of vertigo. I’ve occasionally felt a little spacey. In fact, mild dizziness while traveling home from a business convention is one of the things that led to my MS diagnosis in 1980. But vertigo is more serious than being just a little dizzy. It feels like the world is spinning around you. For someone with…Continue Reading

I Had a COVID-19 Antibody Test. What Does it Show?

COVID-19 antibody test

Is 2,500 my magical COVID-19 number? At my annual MS checkup a week ago, my neurologist included a SARS-CoV-2 antibody test. Antibodies are proteins in the blood that protect the body from being attacked by viruses, bacteria, and the like. In this case, the blood test was searching for antibodies that would protect me against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the virus that causes COVID-19. With two shots of the Moderna vaccine…Continue Reading