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@srh90 

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srh90

Treatment decisions!?

Hi everyone! Today I had an appointment with my consultant for diagnostic test results and discussion about treatment. His recommendation was to go for a higher-potency DMT as the current body of evidence supports that approach, but that I need to weigh up the side effects and long-term risks associated with this. Either one of those or Tecfidera, as he described it as the stronger of the lower/mid potency DMTs. When I asked about the low-potency drugs like interferons, he explained that as they have been around a while and they are maybe a bit dated compared to the newer/stronger drugs, he would lean towards the stronger drugs. My question to you guys is whether your consultants gave you similar or different info? And I wondered why people are on low-potency drugs like interferons, if they aren’t as promising or effective as the newer drugs? Has anyone else started with a high-potency drug as their first treatment? When I first started reading about treatments, I rather naively made the assumption that one might begin with the milder drugs and then escalate as needed? He has given me a narrowed down list of his recommendations for me to weigh up and choose from: Tecfidera, Lemtrada, Fingolimod, Tysabri and Ocrevus as part of a clinical trial. If anyone has any strong opinions one way or another, or experiences of these, I’d be really keen to hear from you, and how you arrived at your decisions? There’s tonnes of factors/variables that right now I just can’t make clear sense of, to make a decision! Thanks!
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@Vixen
@Vixen
 

Hi there. What a difference it makes depending on where you live. My hospital were really quick with introducing the idea of DMTs. But neither Nero nor nurse would make the call or a recommendation; it had to be my own decision. As it happens, I went for Tec, which I felt would fit better with my lifestyle. And it's done just that; I was very lucky and didn't get any side effects, and have been on it for seven months now. So all good for now, but I'm sure at some point there will be a change for one reason or another. I would be very interested to see how Ocrevus goes in the next few years. Lots of luck. The good thing is, that 15 years ago, none of these options would have been available to us at all, so things are looking up in the murky, grey world of MS. Let the fight back begin :-) x

@Stumbler
@Stumbler
 

@srh90 , you have a proactive Neuro, rather than a conservative one. MS is a progressive, degenerative condition, whichever variant of MS you have been diagnosed with. Each relapse is creating potentially irreversible damage to your brain and/or Central Nervous System (CNS), which is best avoided. The expression "time is brain" is used to reinforce the message. So, yes, hit it powerfully and hit it quickly. But, you also need to consider how the treatment will fit into your lifestyle. Whether you would prefer daily tablets, monthly infusions or periodic infusions. But, more importantly, whether it fits with your life plans and whether you have any maternal plans. So, a bit to consider.............