Best friend has confirmed MS

[mrs]

Well I was on here a while back and my best friend who dr's thought had Lupus has MS.

The dr. first did a diagnosis of Fibromyalgia so she can get some drugs that were needed. Dr. said unless she met the criteria MS would not be a diagnosis yet. Well she wound up in the ER this past weekend and her dr. said that with the paralized left side again that it now confirms a proper diagnosis of MS. He gave her a drug that he said would help her if it is truly MS and the next day she was better.
I am not sure if we should be happy that it's finally confirmed or sad that its MS but I guess it could be worse and she's still with me so I wont fuss. A bit scared but I wont fuss.
Dr. told her a few drugs to consider;
Avonex 1/wk
Copaxone daily
Etavia not sure dose or when

She is looking at the Avonex and from what I read I am too. (She wants my opinion and what I would do if it were me).
I'm asking all of you since some of you might have had experience with these drugs, what do you think?

Give me the good, the bad and the ugly! She has a week to decide.
She did say the drug that was used for her in the ER was a steriod of some sort and she feels so much better than she did way before this every happened. I just want to hug her but she doesn't live near me.
I will give her a big big big big hug when I do though. Which hopefuly will be less than two weeks shes coming for a party here.

any thoughts and tips for her?

THank you all for the support.

[KoKo]

Hello Mrs

You seem to be a great friend!

Does your friend have a computer? If so, she could read the threads that discuss the different DMD's in this (Medication) Forum. (She could do a Forum Search for each specific DMD)

Or, she could ask specific questions and the members could share their experiences.

The DMD's can affect people differently. One drug may be well tolerated for one person, while another person may have trouble with the exact same drug.

While you're waiting for more responses, you could check out the threads that discuss the DMD's (Copaxone, Avonex, Rebif, Betaseron, Gilenya). There's a sub-forum in this section (at the top) for Tysarbi.

It is wise for her to research the DMD's and learn all she can so she can make an informed decision on her choice. Also, if she is unable to tolerate one drug, she can talk to her doctor about stopping it and trying a different one.

Good luck! Best wishes to you and your friend!

Take care,
KoKo

[Justsayyes]

You are a good friend!

I searched for this previous thread where one of our members put alot of good info about the medications:

http://www.msworld.org/forum/showthread.php?t=104569

All the medication are good choices, it often comes down to which one fits your lifestyle in a way that you feel you can stick with it.

My neuro recommended Beta or Rebif, but I chose Avonex for a few reasons. Once a week dosing, no site reactions.
I was very sensitive to the flu-like side effects, but they do often decrease over time. It was just hard to get to that point. Some don't have difficult side effects at all. That is why it is so hard to tell you what to expect from any of the medications.

I hope this info helps!

[mrs]

Avonex is what she is leaning towards. I can't begin to tell you how I feel about her...she truly is a blessing to me. If I need her she IS there. I've known her since she was little(i'm 3 years older than she is)..quite a funny story as to how we met but that is for another day.
She is figuring that saturdays will be days with the girls and her boyfriend, that night she'll take the shot and sunday will be her down day. at least that is the plan for now! ;-)
I will check out the thread. thank you!