@DMT on Shift.ms

DMT

Hello, Me again 🙋🏻‍♀️😬 I’m still stuck on what DMT to take. I’m deciding between Mavenclad & Copaxone. I really like the ease of Mavenclad, it’s a pill & the fact it’s a higher efficacy but I can’t work out if there is a less common side effect of PML with Mavenclad? & I’m sure I read the ‘cancer’ side effect was a rare case? Can anyone help? Cons are these possible side effects. Copaxone pros it’s been around a long time so has more data on it. Little side effects. Con - lipoatrophy & injection 😅 If Mavenclad is a serious contender im due to have a catch up with my ms nurse to go through this one. So just getting my head around it. 😊

Completely different drugs working in different ways. Copaxone is only 'moderate efficacy', cladribine a much stronger drug. I was on copaxone for 11 years and it did me well (but the choice back in 2003 was very limited, the DMT 'revolution' was just beginning). The lipoatrophy was pretty much inevitable, although I rotated the sites religiously. Now, though, it's injections just 3 times a week, mine were everyday so you might be slower at getting them. They are a DISFIGUREMENT, no two ways about it and pretty much irreversible, although mine are improved since I increased exercise and built a bit of muscle. After copaxone I was on fingolimod but have now changed to cladribine and have just finished my first year treatment. The neuro gave me 3 options: stay on fingo, go back to copaxone or start clad. Cladribine works by giving you a new immune system. Once that's done, you may not need any more treatment for years. Nothing, apart from an annual MRI and the neuro appointment. The safety profile is very good - there was a cancer scare some years ago but that's been disproved. All drugs carry risks, of course, but I read it all up and came to the conclusion that clad gave me the best chance of staying OK. The thought of being treatment-free, no bloods to be taken etc. is liberating. Neither drug interferes with covid jab efficacy, unlike fingolimod which does. The neuro told me that it was my decision but that it's not an option to chop and change. Before I read up on clad, I wondered about going back on copaxone then switching if it wasn't strong enough but I was told that the fewer changes you make with DMTs, the better. For any drug to work at its best it needs max time in the system. I thought about it for a few months and noted the widely held view that MS outcome is better if treated as hard and as early as possible, because damage can't be undone. In the end, it was clad that ticked the boxes. x