There are three main strategies involved in the treatment of MS:
Treating Attacks, Changing the course of the disease, and Treating symptoms
Treating attacks
The majority of MS patients have the relapsing-remitting form of the disease. This means they will experience periods without symptoms followed by episodes of acute symptoms that will last for at least 24 hours.
These episodes, or attacks, are commonly treated with steroids. These drugs reduce the inflammation that occurs during an attack.
Doctors prescribe steroids to reduce the intensity and length of an attack, and to cut down on any irreversible damage caused by the attack.
Some examples of steroids – which are known more formally as corticosteroids – used in the treatment of MS include:
- Deltasone (prednisone)
- Liquid Pred (prednisone)
- Medicorten (prednisone)
- Orasone (prednisone)
- Intravenous methylprednisolone (an injected form of the drug Medrol)
As steroids can cause long-term side effects like high blood pressure and an increased risk of infection, doctors usually prescribe a high-dose, short-term treatment plan.
Steroids have no long-term effect on the progression of MS. As such, the benefits of long-term steroid use do not outweigh the risks of other health problems.
Changing the course of the disease
While some patients may have very mild symptoms and require little treatment, other patients need strong drug treatment to save them from irreversible damage to their nerves and bodies.
Over time, MS can take a huge toll on your central nervous system. As the disease progresses, the nerves in your brain and spinal cord can become permanently damaged.
In order to prevent this permanent damage, doctors commonly prescribe one of eight FDA-approved drugs for the long-term treatment of MS.
These drugs include:
- Avonex (interferon beta-1a)
- Betaseron (interferon beta-1a)
- Extavia (interferon beta-1a)
- Rebif (interferon beta-1a)
- Copaxone (glatiramer injection)
- Gilenya (fingolimod)
- Tysabri (natalizumab injection)
- Novantrone (mitoxantrone injection)
Avonex, Betaseron, Extavia, and Rebif are part of a class of drugs known as betainterferons. These drugs slow down the rate at which MS gets worse over time. Asinterferons can cause side effects like liver damage, patients taking these drugs should get frequent blood tests to keep an eye on the health of their liver.
Doctors prescribe Copaxone because it seems to block the immune system’s attack on myelin – the protective layer that covers the nerves. This drug is taken through injection under the skin. Some patients have reported side effects including shortness of breath and flushing.
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