Tysabri and suicidal thoughts.

[ms man]

Hi folks,

I was diagnosed with MS approximately 5 or 6 years ago. I was immediately put on Avonex which I took for a duration of 4 to 5 months. During that time I seemed to self destruct emotionally and experienced very dark thoughts and suicidal ideas. I believe that this was a side effect of the medication. I also experienced a number of other side effects and in the end I decided to quit Avonex and try something else which I did. I moved to copaxone and thankfully I recovered mentally, but unfortunately I couldn't handle the awfull site reactions and gave that up also. I have been medication free for 4 years or so.

I had never thought of suicide before Avonex and I have never considered it since then.

Well here I am years later, now considering taking Tysabri and to my horror I see that this same side effect is not only listed as a possible effect of the drug but also one of the most common. The thought of going back to that dark place terrifies me and I just wanted to see if I could get an idea from the Tysabri users here of just how common this side effect is and if there is any way to combat it.

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

I did Rebif for about a year and it was horrible.I've been on Tysabri for about three years and it's been wonderful.I haven't had anything that resembles a side effect.

I hope things work out for you.Give Ty a chance and give it time.It's the best drug that they've come up with for me.

[AnnieRose]

I had my first infusion of Tysabri a month ago. The first week I felt fine but each week after that I felt worse and worse. I've been extremely exhausted and last week I was feeling depressed and suicidal. I'm due for the next infusion tomorrow. I'm going to give it another chance but if I still feel as bad as I do now, I'll stop. I have SPMS. I have a history of depression. My son committed suicide after taking Lyrica. I am going to ride these feelings out because suicide is devastating to the survivors. I made a promise to my son after his brother died that I would never take my own life. I can keep that promise. I know lots of people swear by Tysabri, but I also know some drugs can bring us to a very dark place. Tysabri is my last choice. I refused to try interferons because of this possible side effect. I was taking Copaxone for years with no side effects but it eventually destroyed the fat cells at the injection sites, so I gave it up.