New to Lemtrada

Hey all, my dr first brought up switching me from Tysabri to Lemtrada yesterday when I was at my typical check up. He said I had tested positive for the JC virus and that after 8 years it was time for me to try a different treatment. I can’t lie though the more I research the more I’m nervous about the switch. I have a family friend that has ms as well and was put on Lemtrada only to later be diagnosed with melanoma. My biggest question is anyone that is on Lemtrada are the positive effects enough to out weigh the negative?

Hey, I don't check in here very often and I just saw your post. Lemtrada changed my life. I now am way more active than I was before. If you look in the history you'll see where I and many others have documented our progress.

As far as your concerns over melanoma are concerned, they are valid. It is very important to get a skin check every year after you have had Lemtrada. Also, don't slack off on getting your monthly labs done. If you stay up on all the monitoring then you will probably be fine. Good luck and I hope you find a DMT that you're comfortable taking after Tysabri!

Many people do well on Lemtrada but I don’t think your neurologist’s reasonings are sound. If he/she is not giving you a choice I would definitely get another opinion if that is possible in your region.

Where I live the neurology group avoids Lemtrada at all costs because of the risks. The most common serious risk is thyroid damagae.

Although, when people report dramatic improvement in their MS, it makes me wish for such an improvement. My opinion (that is humble) is that our biggest enemy is the disease itself.