There are many medications in use in varying parts of the world to moderate some of the effects of MS. Here is some general information on some of the more common medications and links to sites with further detail. As in all things with regard to YOUR medical care, PLEASE CONSULT WITH YOUR PERSONAL PHYSICIAN before deciding on the course of treatment that is right for you.
There are now six drugs available to people with MS in the United States that can actually moderate the disease's progress:
Avonex (Interferon beta-1a)
http://www.avonex.com
Betaseron (Interferon beta-1b)
http://www.betaseron.com
Copaxone (Glatiramer acetate) Teva
http://www.copaxone.com
Rebif (Interferon beta-1a)
http://www.rebif.com
Novantrone (Mitoxantrone)
http://www.novantrone.com
Tysabri (Natalizumab)
http://www.tysabri.com
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Acute Exacerbations
An attempt to treat acute exacerbations is sometimes made with either oral or IV steroids at varying levels. Some of the common names are Prednisone, Solu-Medrol, Depo-Medrol, along with an entire list of variations and trade names.
Improve Walking:
- AMPYRA: http://www.ampyra.com or http://www.acorda.com
Fatigue:
- Amantadine
- Cylert (Pemoline)
- Provigil (Modafinil)
Pain:
- Elavil (Amitriptyline)
- Neurontin (Gabapentin)
- Tegretol (Carbamazepine)
- Dilantin (Phenytoin)
Spasticity:
- Lioresal (Baclofen)
- Zanaflex (Tizadine)
- Klonopin (Clonazepam)
- Valium (Diazepam)
- Neurontin (Gabapentin)
- Dantrium (Dantrolene)
Bladder Dysfunction:
- Detrol (Tolterodine)
- Ditropan (Oxybutynin)
- DDAVP Nasal Spray (Desmopressin)
- Tofranil (Imipramine)
- Ditropan (Oxybutynin)
- Ditropan XL (Oxybutynin) extended release formula
- Pro-Banthine (Propantheline bromide)
- Vesicare
Constipation:
A mild stool softener/laxative such as Metamucil, Phillips Milk of Magnesia or Pericolace is often used. Glycerine suppositories are also an alternative.
Depression:
- Prozac (Fluoxetine) - This drug is also sometimes recommended to help with fatigue problems.
- Wellbutrin (Bupropion)
- Pamelor (Nortriptyline)
- Paxil (Paroxetine)
- Zoloft (Sertraline)
- Effexor (Venlafaxine)
Mental Help Net is the largest online catalog of mental health, psychology and psychiatry resources, listing over 7,000 such items in Web pages, mailing lists, IRC discussion groups and newsgroups. You can access their catalog of information directly from the search box contained on the linked page above. Type in the dialogue box, the area of mental health you would like infomation about. Example: depression. Then click the search button.
General drug information can be obtained online at www.NMSS.org
