Severe Demyelination In Non-MS Patient After TNF-a Blocker Treatment

[jamilea]

https://multiplesclerosisnewstoday.c...n-ms-patients/

But I thought TNF inhibitors were a good thing?: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TNF_inhibitor

[jreagan70]

Hi jamilea:

Demyelination with anti-TNF drugs is actually old news. The TNF blockers have been contraindicated in known MS patients for years. And that's not great for people who have MS and rheumatoid arthritis or other condition that generally responds well to that class of drugs, because it limits their pool of available treatments.

TNF blockers are effective for most people who take them, but all drugs come with risks and side effects.

Not all cases of demyelination are autoimmune, and most people who develop demyelination after being on an anti-TNF med heal and recover after they stop taking the med. Researchers are still investigating why some cases of anti-TNF demyelination do go on to become auto-immune or MS-like.

So anyone with MS who has another autoimmune condition like RA should consider a TNF blocker only as a last resort.

[jamilea]

Hi jamilea:

Demyelination with anti-TNF drugs is actually old news. The TNF blockers have been contraindicated in known MS patients for years. And that's not great for people who have MS and rheumatoid arthritis or other condition that generally responds well to that class of drugs, because it limits their pool of available treatments.

TNF blockers are effective for most people who take them, but all drugs come with risks and side effects.

Not all cases of demyelination are autoimmune, and most people who develop demyelination after being on an anti-TNF med heal and recover after they stop taking the med. Researchers are still investigating why some cases of anti-TNF demyelination do go on to become auto-immune or MS-like.

So anyone with MS who has another autoimmune condition like RA should consider a TNF blocker only as a last resort.

Oh I see. I didn't know that part was old news. I'm finding all kinds of research that I didn't know existed. Some is considered fringe, but it seems that other countries are way ahead of us on a lot of things, but maybe not. I've only begun to scratch the surface.

I was put on Welbutrin as a teenager and as an adult. I took it for about a year each time.

It also seems that cannabis acts as a TNF inhibitor. When I have a definitive diagnosis, I should keep that in mind. I was actually considering consuming some for symptom management rather than getting meds with more side effects. What do you think?

[jreagan70]

It also seems that cannabis acts as a TNF inhibitor. When I have a definitive diagnosis, I should keep that in mind. I was actually considering consuming some for symptom management rather than getting meds with more side effects. What do you think?

I can see two problems with that line of thinking.

First, you're automatically assuming that symptom meds you might take have more side effects than cannabis/marijuana and that cannabis/marijuana has fewer side effects. What is that based on? Drugs affect different people differently, so unless you've been on all of them yourself, there's no way to know which will give you more or less side effects. So that's an unfounded assumption.

Along with that, it's important to note that prescription drugs and prescription cannabinoids are of known quantity and purity. Anything you grown on your own or buy is an unknown and will affect the amount of effectiveness vs. side effects. Side effects are also determined by whether the cannabinoid is inhaled, ingested, or delivered another way. I haven't found any meaningful research about the harmful effects of ingested cannabis/marijuana. That's a large area of unknowns, and assumptions can't be made about it.

Second, which might be influencing the first, the majority of proponents and proponent groups of cannabis/marijuana spend inordinate amounts of effort trying to discredit and shout down any scientific evidence that cannabis/marijuana also has harmful side effects. That's misleading and dishonest. They would have more credibility, and do their cause more justice, if they acknowledged -- admitted -- that cannabis/marijuana is like any other drug with good and bad effects, and that the benefit vs. risk profile has to be weighed in every case, and the choice to use or not must be made accordingly and appropriately.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (nmss.org) has several well-balanced web pages about marijuana and cannabinoids, and the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America site (mymsaa.org) has numerous articles. A good web search will bring up scientific information about adverse effects the proponents of cannabis/marijuana want to downplay. All the information has to be viewed in proper perspective, without baseless assumptions.

[jamilea]

I can agree with that. I understand that life needs to be balanced, including what we put into our bodies.

I've only just begun to research cannabis. I haven't done it yet because I barely know much about it.

Oy . . . There's so much to learn. I do know though that I'm tired of living a life of pain and I don't want to take Tramadol anymore. Even though I don't take it regularly and only take small amounts, it affects me mentally in a bad way. I've tried other meds. I have a paradoxical reaction to opiates. They wire me and then I experience low moods when they wear off. Not only that, but it wipes me out because the surges of energy causes me to do more life tasks than my body can handle. They give me a false sense of self.

I figure a little cannabis (higher cbd ratio to minimize psychoactive effects) in my tea will not harm me. I guess I won't know until I try it. I don't plan on growing my own. I'd rather buy it from a reputable place. Thanks Reagan for giving me that information.