multiple sclerosis community | treatment part 1

BMJ Group Medical Reference

Introduction

If you have multiple sclerosis (MS), the nerves in your brain and spinal cord slowly lose their coating. Over time, they become damaged and may stop working properly. 

At present, there's no cure for MS. But you can have treatments to improve your symptoms, slow down the disease and help you keep living a full life.

Doctors can't say for certain what course your MS will take, so it's hard to know what treatments you'll need. A lot depends on which type of MS you have (for more, see Types of multiple sclerosis).

Key points about treating multiple sclerosis

• Some drugs slow down the progress of your MS and reduce the number of relapses you have. These include interferon beta, natalizumab, glatiramer acetate, and immunoglobulin.
• Other drugs help ease your symptoms during a relapse. These include steroids such as methylprednisolone.
• Some drugs are given for specific symptoms that may be bothering you, either during a relapse or all the time. These include amantadine for tiredness and baclofen for muscle spasms.

You'll probably need different treatments for MS during your lifetime. For more, see How multiple sclerosis is treated. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which advises the government on health care, has made recommendations about how MS should be treated. You can read their recommendations at http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG8. 

If you have the relapsing-remitting type of MS, it can be hard to tell when you should start taking drugs for it. For more, see When to start treatment.

Treatment of multiple sclerosis

Which treatments work best? We've carefully weighed up the research and divided the treatments into the following categories. You can find out more about each treatment by clicking on the links below.

For help in deciding which treatment is best for you, see .

Treatments to reduce relapses and disability

Treatments that are likely to work

• Glatiramer acetate: You might have injections of glatiramer acetate if you have relapsing-remitting MS. The brand name is Copaxone. More...
• Interferon beta: You might be given injections of interferon beta if you have relapsing-remitting or secondary progressive MS. The brand names are Avonex, Betaferon, Extavia, and Rebif. More...
• Immunoglobulin: You might be treated with immunoglobulin if you have relapsing-remitting MS. But it's only used if other treatments haven't helped. More...

Treatments that work, but whose harms may outweigh benefits

• Azathioprine: You might take these tablets if you have relapsing-remitting MS or secondary progressive MS. The brand name is Imuran. More...
• Mitoxantrone: You might be treated with mitoxantrone if you have very active MS. The brand name is Novantrone. More...
• Natalizumab: You may be treated with natalizumab if you have bad relapsing-remitting MS that is getting worse. Its brand name is Tysabri. More...

Treatments that need further study

• Methotrexate: This treatment isn't usually recommended for MS. But it's been tested for people with relapsing-remitting and secondary progressive MS. The brand name is Maxtrex. More...

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Last Updated: April 16, 2010

 

This information does not replace medical advice.  If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.

 

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