How can ms be treated

Five of the injectable medications used for MS are beta interferon drugs:. In people with MS, it's believed that interferon therapies alter the autoimmune response, leading to fewer attacks on the myelin in your brain and spinal cord and, thus, fewer MS symptoms. Interferon therapies are generally well tolerated but may cause pain or redness at the skin site where the medicine is injected. In addition, some people experience flu-like symptoms, but that usually stops happening as treatment continues.

Depending on the specific interferon you are taking, your healthcare provider may monitor bloodwork like liver or blood cell tests or ask you questions about your medical history before prescribing it.

For instance, your practitioner may ask if you have a history of depression, which can worsen on interferon therapy. Copaxone, Glatopa. Also in the injectable category are Copaxone and Glatopa glatiramer acetate. Scientists believe glatiramer acetate mimics a protein found in myelin and distracts your immune system from attacking the real thing.

A common side effect of Copaxone and Glatopa is a reaction at the injection site, similar to interferon therapy. Rotating injection sites and using a warm compress prior to injecting can help minimize the reaction. While this can be scary, it usually goes away within 15 minutes and doesn't have any long-term consequences. Gilyena fingolimod is a pill that you take once a day.

It mainly works by trapping certain immune cells in the lymph nodes, which means they can't circulate and create lesions on your brain and spinal cord. Gilenya is also the first and only FDA-approved medication to treat children and adolescents age 10 years and older with MS. Common side effects of Gilyena include headache, diarrhea, cough, sinus inflammation, and pain in the back, stomach, arms, or legs.

They are both tablets taken once a day. However, when you first start either one of these drugs, you have to work up to the regular dosage. Make sure you understand and follow the dosing directions exactly, and ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist any questions you may have. Common side effects of Mayzent include headache and high blood pressure. For Zeposia, some common side effects include back pain, low blood pressure when you stand up called orthostatic hypotension , and high blood pressure.

All three drugs—Gilyena, Mayzent, and Zeposia—can cause more serious adverse effects like blurry vision, breathing or liver problems, and infections. They sometimes slow down the heart, so you may need special testing before you start treatment or be monitored in a healthcare facility after your first dose. Tecfidera dimethyl fumarate is a pill that's taken twice daily.

It activates a response in your body that's designed to protect cells that are in distress. Exactly how this works in someone with MS is unclear. Common side effects of Tecfidera are flushing, nausea, diarrhea, and stomach pain. Serious adverse effects include a severe allergic reaction, the development of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy PML, a potentially fatal infection of the brain linked to the JC virus , and suppression of your body's infection-fighting cells.

Vumerity diroximel fumarate is an oral capsule taken twice a day. The exact mechanism remains unknown, although experts suspect it may work by reducing oxidative stress, which helps protect against damage within the central nervous system.

Vumerity is chemically similar to Tecfidera, which is why they share common side effects like flushing, abdominal pain, diarrhea, and nausea. People appear to tolerate Vumerity better than Tecfidera, especially when it comes to the gastrointestinal side effects.

It is also taken twice per day and has similar side effects, most commonly flushing and nausea. Rare but serious side effects include allergic reactions, PML, decreased ability to fight infections, liver problems, and shingles.

Aubagio teriflunomide is taken once daily and works by suppressing the immune system, so it can predispose people to infections. It may also cause headaches, hair thinning, diarrhea, nausea, or abnormal liver blood tests. Since Aubagio can cause liver failure, your healthcare provider will check your liver blood tests prior to starting the medication and then periodically afterward.

Aubagio is also contraindicated for pregnancy. Because Aubagio can cause major birth defects, if you are a woman of reproductive age, your practitioner might require you to use a reliable contraception method.

Mavenclad cladribine is for highly active relapsing forms of MS. The dosage schedule is unusual, with short periods of taking pills spread out over two years. This drug temporarily reduces your levels of T cells and B cells, but without continuously suppressing the immune system. Possible side effects include herpes zoster virus infection, rashes, hair loss, and reduced neutrophil count a type of white blood cell.

It may also lower your body's resistance to infections and cancer. People with kidney problems and those who are pregnant or breastfeeding shouldn't take Mavenclad.

A drug infusion is delivered through an IV needle or catheter, and you have to go sit at a healthcare facility to receive it. These DMTs are typically for more severe cases, and they can come with severe side effects. Lemtrada alemtuzumab is infused for five days in a row, and then three days in a row one year later. Due to the fact that there are a number of FDA warnings linked to Lemtrada, it can only be prescribed through a special program and is reserved for people who've had an inadequate response to at least two other DMTs.

Novantrone mitoxantrone is a chemotherapy drug that is given every three months. In addition to treating relapsing forms of MS, mitoxantrone can also be used to treat secondary progressive MS. Mitoxantrone can cause heart damage, so it can only be given a limited number of times.

It has also been linked to the development of acute myeloid leukemia. Tysabri natalizumab is given every 28 days. It can only be administered in an approved infusion center due to the risk of developing PML.

Some common side effects of Tysabri include infections of the lungs, nose and throat, and urinary tract , headache, and joint and stomach-area pain. Ocrevus ocrelizumab is one of the newer FDA-approved MS infusion therapies and the first ever to be approved for primary progressive MS. It's also approved for relapsing MS.

Ocrevus is given every six months and works by essentially deactivating a type of B cell, which is one of the immune cells believed to play a role in the damage and destruction of myelin. If you are receiving Ocrevus, you will be monitored for signs of a serious infusion reaction e. Fatigue is among the most pervasive and ubiquitous symptoms of MS.

Going well beyond "tired," it's a form of brutal, debilitating exhaustion that can make simple activities like getting dressed in the morning or concentrating on a movie difficult or even impossible. Prescription medications that are sometimes used to help people with MS feel alert and be productive include:. Nerve-related pain called neuropathic pain or neuropathy isn't like the pain of an acute injury, such as a broken arm or strained muscle.

You can't treat it effectively with typical over-the-counter pain relievers or even prescription pain drugs like Vicodin hydrocodone. Nerve pain requires drugs that target overactivity in the nervous system. The neuropathy of MS is generally treated with:. Spasticity muscle spasms and rigidity can also cause a lot of pain in people with MS. Muscle relaxants may help. You may be prescribed other drugs for your specific symptoms, such as cognitive dysfunction , sexual dysfunction, depression, or problems with urination.

It all depends on which systems in your body are affected by MS and what symptoms are most bothersome to you. Read more about treating urinary incontinence. It may be possible to treat mild to moderate constipation by changing your diet or taking laxatives. More severe constipation may need to be treated with suppositories, which are inserted into your bottom, or an enema.

An enema involves having a liquid medicine rinsed through your bottom and large bowel, which softens and flushes out your stools. Bowel incontinence can sometimes be treated with anti-diarrhoea medicine or by doing pelvic floor exercises to strengthen your rectal muscles. A speech and language therapist can help you find ways to overcome problems with speech and swallowing. For example, they can offer advice about foods that are easy to swallow and recommend exercises to strengthen the muscles used in speech and swallowing.

If swallowing problems become very severe, some people need to be fed using a tube, which is fitted into the stomach through the skin. If you have relapsing MS talk to you specialist team about other possible treatments to help with your symptoms.

Although MS can't be cured, there are medicines that can help people have fewer and less severe relapses. These are called disease-modifying therapies. These aim to reduce the amount of damage and scarring to the myelin sheath a layer surrounding your nerves , which is associated with MS relapses.

These treatments may also help to slow worsening disability in MS, although definitive research into their long-term benefits is limited. Disease-modifying therapies aren't suitable for everyone with MS. They're only prescribed to those with relapsing-remitting MS or secondary progressive MS who meet certain criteria, such as the number of relapses they have had.

People without relapses are very unlikely to benefit from the treatments and could still experience side effects from them. You can find further information about disease-modifying therapies on these websites:. Much progress has been made in MS treatment thanks to clinical trials, where new treatments and treatment combinations are compared with standard ones. All clinical trials in the UK are carefully overseen to ensure they're worthwhile and safely conducted.

Participants in clinical trials sometimes do better overall than those in routine care. Speak to your care team if you're interested in taking part in a clinical trial. Some people with MS find that complementary therapies help them feel better. Many complementary treatments and therapies claim to ease symptoms, although scientific evidence is often not clear about how effective they are.

Many people think that complementary treatments have no harmful effects. But people can occasionally experience problems, and it's not a good idea to use them as an alternative to medicines prescribed by your doctor. Other times, I'd rather keep the details to myself. The results weren't permanent, but I'll cherish the memory of regaining my mobility. Myasthenia gravis and multiple sclerosis are immune-mediated conditions that can cause neurological symptoms.

Learn about their similarities and…. Multiple sclerosis is an immune disorder. Learn more. Neuromyelitis optica NMO is a rare condition that shares many symptoms with multiple sclerosis, but attacks only the optic nerve and spine. Traveling safely with MS may take some additional effort and planning, but I find it's always worth it in the end. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect.

Multiple Sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis MS Treatments. Medically reviewed by Dena Westphalen, Pharm. Disease-modifying drugs. Stem cells. Complementary and natural therapy. Treatments for relapses. Treatments for symptoms. Side effects of treatment. The takeaway. What You Need to Know. Myasthenia Gravis vs.