Meds or Not?

[ggray4462]

Hello. I was "diagnosed" with MS 10 years ago but only had one symptom in 8.5 years. For the past 18 months, have had three significant flares. Am now considering meds, possibly tysabri. Am scared to death as I hate taking meds. Any thoughts as to taking a lot of supplements/vitamins and being gluten free as a way to treat MS? Anyone on tysabri? Thoughts of meds in general? Thank you- am very scared and confused.

[Nanobaby]

Going on medications is a very personal decision. Have you had a chance to discuss with your neurologist the pros & cons? My neuro was pretty adamant that I go on treatment ASAP when I had my 2nd flare up since I've gotten one per year for the last 5 years.

I was diagnosed in 2008 and didn't start on a treatment until 2 weeks ago (am on Avonex now).

Before I went on Avonex, I was taking omega 3 fatty acid supplements (known to create anti-inflammatory cytokines in the body) and megadoses of Vitamin D as it has been implicated in the etiology of MS. I'm still taking those since most people living in North America tend to be deficient in both those things due to dietary practices and also the physical location from the equator (i.e. farther away from the sun). I take 8000 IU of Vitamin D per day. I'm on Ascenta NutraSea HP which is a serving of 1500 mg of EPA and 500 mg of DHA on a daily basis.

In my humble opinion, the meds do serve a purpose in hopefully preventing future flare-ups and delaying disease progression. Of course, they do come with side effects which can range anywhere from annoying to life-threatening.

Hope you'll figure out what is best for you

[pjsSissy70]

Ive had MS for 20 years. I was on betaseron about 10yrs ago for around 9 months and then nothing til just this month due to 2 huge flares. The best advice I can give you is do your research. All meds come with side effects, its up to you to decide which ones your willing to live with. I wont get into specifics about the meds, because it is such a personal decision. Just remember, do your research.

[Sequoia]

Hello. I was "diagnosed" with MS 10 years ago but only had one symptom in 8.5 years. For the past 18 months, have had three significant flares. Am now considering meds, possibly tysabri. Am scared to death as I hate taking meds. Any thoughts as to taking a lot of supplements/vitamins and being gluten free as a way to treat MS? Anyone on tysabri? Thoughts of meds in general? Thank you- am very scared and confused.

Welcome to MSWorld, ggray4462!

It's not an either/or thing; some people with MS take a DMD (Disease Modifying Drug) and take supplements/vitamins and go gluten free.

Personally, I'd recommend at least taking a drug and a carefully selected group of supplements/vitamins. There's also a good argument to be made for eliminating gluten, IMHO.

There's more information on supplements/vitamins for MS on the "Tara's Nutrition & Supplement Notebook" forum. There's also a lot of information about eliminating gluten; Tara Palmer, MSWorld's professional nutritionist, recommends a gluten free diet.

http://www.msworld.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=70

Tysabri is not usually given as a first-line drug. It's usually preceded by the patient having taken at least one of the older, less risky drugs (Copaxone or one of the Interferons) and failed to do well on it. That's something to discuss with your doctor, though.

Best of luck in whatever you decide to do!

[Tinkerbell65]

As always, Sequoia has pretty much covered it. Ultimately it is a very personal decision. For me going gluten free (as well as a couple of others) and taking supplements has helped empower me against the MS. Makes me feel like I'm doing everything I can do in conjunction with medication. Maybe it's a false sense of control, but I'll take it anyway