Tysabri Withdrawal

[Mynamegoeshere1]

I have quit Tysabri. My last infusion was November 15, so I would be due for another. I am so tired that I can barely keep my eyes open. How long does this last if you do not get another dose to replenish your body? Will I feel like this for a long time? I was not given any information from my Neuro on what to expect.

[Andy75]

I am sorry to hear that you are not feeling well.

Some patients on Tysabri feel worse a few days before their scheduled infusion. I have read some refer to it as "slump week." They report that they feel better after getting their infusion. Perhaps your body is having a similar reaction.

Please call your neuro and request steroids or another med to help with your fatigue.

[MSW1963]

According to my MS Neuro, one of the known side effects of stopping Tysabri is the increased possibility of a MS exacerbation.

The only change in my MRIs over 10+yrs was during a period when I stopped my infusions.

Call your MS Doc!

[JJLL411]

Fatigue

My wife just had her 63rd Tysabri infusion. But she has always dealt with the fatigue issue. Her neurologist prescribed Adderall (generic is: dextroamphetamine) - 10mg in the morning and 10mg in the afternoon. The drug has worked wonders for her chronic fatigue. She often cuts the afternoon dosage in half because she sometimes can't sleep at night.

As a cautionary note, dextroamphetamine is psychologically highly addictive - go with the lowest effective dose and don't even think about increasing dosage without consulting your doctor. Trust this advice from someone who was hooked and so strung out on amphetamine in my college years that I had to detox from this powerful drug.

[dalechilders51]

Ty withdrawl

I agree completely with above, its can be a rebound effect. I would definitely call your Doc. Dale

[ADavid]

Before I started Tysabri I questioned my neuro about the rebound effect. He said it's real and they try to prevent it or at least lessen it by putting patients coming off Tysabri immediately on Solu-Medrol infusion, 1000 mg, daily for 5 days then transition to a prednisone taper pack for a couple of weeks. This immediate and aggressive steriod treatment is designed to counter flare-ups of MS; since Tysabri is so effective as an immunomodulator, once you come off it, your immune system can "reactivate" and trigger a MS flare-up. My doc. said he'd transition the patient to another MS drug after the steriod treatment and hopefully head off any rebound effect. Since I'm a new Tysabri patient hopefully this experience is way off in my future. I'm no doctor nor do I have any medical training, so I'm just expressing what my neuro recently told me about this.

[lindaincolorado]

I think I heard that the neuros at the RMmsC start you on Copaxone pretty immediately