Tysabri vs CRABS

[Camsue]

I'm better

I may not exactly understand how it all works, but I do know I'm better now than before I started on meds.

Is it the Beta? am I in remission? Is there such a thing as 'remission" in M.S.?

I do appreciate the simplified versions you supplied 0485c10 and Redwings...and the banter back and forth...very entertaining

[Equi]

Ikoiko's right

I would just add two amplifications of what she said:

1. It's important to be clear on what the 30% figure is that everyone throws around. It's the reduction in the number of exacerbations for the average person in the clinical trials. Some people had a bigger reduction, some smaller. It's not the probability that it will help, or anything like that.

2. The immune system does not attack interferon, nor vice versa. Interferon is a part of the immune system. The reason interferon makes some people feel fluish is that when you have the flu, your body produces interferon to fight it. I was just reading that when you have a cold, the cold viruses are not very harmful. It's the interferon that makes you feel sick.

For some reason, one kind of interferon, beta interferon, makes the immune system less likely to attack myelin. (Another kind, gamma interferon, seems to make things worse.)

Copaxone is not an interferon, and in most people has fewer side effects, though people are still arguing about whether it's as effective or not. (I take it. I didn't tolerate interferons well.)

[Ikoiko]

Thanks, Equi. I am shocked at the amount of misinformation posted here at MSWORLD.