There is no cure for multiple sclerosis (MS), but some medications can modify the course of the disease, manage symptoms and treat exacerbations. These drugs include the following:
- interferon beta-1b (Betaseron, Extavia)
- glatiramer acetate (Copaxone)
- mitoxantrone (Novantrone)
- natalizumab (Tysabri)
- fingolimod (Gilenya)
- teriflunomide (Aubagio)
- dimethyl fumarate (Tecfidera)
- alemtuzumab (Lemtrada)
- daclizumab (Zinbryta)
- ocrelizumab (Ocrevus)
Steroids such as methylprednisolone often are prescribed to treat acute attacks of MS, whether the person is taking a disease-altering drug or not. These drugs speed the recovery from the acute attack but do not stop disease progression. Long-term use of steroids also has many side effects, including ulcers, weight gain, acne, cataracts, osteoporosis and diabetes.
A process in which the antibodies are filtered from a person's blood called plasmapheresis may be successful, particularly when used in combination with immunosuppressants for short-term treatment of some progressive patients. However, its chronic use is controversial.
For symptom management, health care professionals have an arsenal of medications. For example, baclofen (Lioresal) and tizanidine (Zanaflex) are antispasticity medications often prescribed to relieve muscle spasms, cramping and tightness of muscles in MS patients. Each has varying side effects in varying degrees. A health care professional should be able to find one that provides comfort and relief for almost any symptom.
Botulinum toxin (Botox) also is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating specific MS symptoms, and a growing number of health care providers now use it as an effective short-term treatment option for certain types of MS-related problems, such as muscle stiffness and urinary problems, when first-line treatment is ineffective.
This content originally appeared on HealthyWomen.org.