- Because MS is likely to progress without treatment, and irreparable damage can occur even early in the disease course, treatment should be considered for any person with relapsing MS even if a person is relatively symptom-free and "feeling fine."
- Early treatment improves a person's chances of reducing the attack rate and slowing disease progression over the long term.
- All of the approved treatments are beneficial; the evidence indicates that some may be stronger than others; together, your physician and you can determine the best treatment option for you.
- While every treatment may have side effects, 90% of people can learn how to manage the treatments comfortably. If you are having difficulty with your immune-modulating medication (or any other that has been prescribed for you), do not stop taking it without talking to your physician; most problems with treatment can be successfully resolved.
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| What Is The Treatment For Multiple Sclerosis |
Many people with MS use various types of alternative treatments in an effort to manage their symptoms - sometimes instead of mainstream medicine, but more commonly as an adjunct to the treatments prescribed by their physicians. Alternative therapies include a broad range of treatments (i.e., dietary supplements, homeopathy, chiropractic, and many others). It is extremely important that you let your physician know about any treatments you are using, including over-the-counter medications and nutritional supplements, so that he or she can alert you to potential drug interactions or other risk factors.
Bringing a family member or friend to your doctor's visits can often be quite helpful. People sometimes feel anxious while talking to the doctor and find that they have difficulty focusing on what is said, and even more difficulty remembering it afterward. You might ask your relative or friend to jot down notes for you during the appointment so that you can go over them again later. This person might also be able to remind you of problems or symptoms that have sipped your mind. A family member may have questions of his or her own pertaining to your symptoms or to family issues relating to the illness. In addition to, or instead of, bringing someone with you to the appointment, you might want to tape record the conversation for later review or to share with family members.
You may hear or read about a treatment that seems relevant to your MS or to a particular symptom you are having. It is appropriate to ask your doctor whether this treatment might be helpful for you. If your doctor is not familiar with the particular treatment, it is reasonable for you to ask that he or she look into it further and give you an opinion about it. Doctors who are not MS specialists should be willing to investigate possible MS treatments or make a referral to a specialist who might be more familiar with them.
No matter which topics are covered in a particular visit to the doctor, you should leave feeling that you have conveyed and received whatever information is needed for you to continue managing your MS symptoms and day-to-day activities as comfortably and effectively as possible. If, at the end of your visits, you wonder what has been accomplished, it is time to think about what needs to change in order for those visits to be more productive. If every visit to the doctor is a search for "the cure," the visit is not likely to be a fruitful one. If, however, you are working with your doctor to keep your life comfortable, active, and productive, you have a much higher likelihood of success. To find out more, you can check out What Is The Treatment For Multiple Sclerosis.