Treatments

Athough there's not yet a cure for MS, there are many effective medications to help you manage the disease.

Treatment Overview
1. Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Treatment Overview Athough there's not yet a cure for MS, there are many effective medications to help you manage the disease. Here's a rundown of your treatment options.
2. MS Medication Options These are drugs that have been shown to slow the progression of MS.
Drugs to Treat MS
1. Ampyra for MS Ampyra (dalfampridine) is a medication that helps people with MS who have trouble walking.
2. Imuran for MS Imuran (azathioprine) is used to slow the progression of MS by suppressing the body's immune system.
3. Cytoxan Therapy Cytoxan suppresses the immune system, which slows MS progression by keeping your white blood cells from attacking your central nervous system.
4. Novantrone for MS Novantrone (mitoxantrone IV) is an immune-suppressing medicine that can only be given by IV.
5. Tysabri Therapy Natalizumab (Tysabri) is a treatment for people with relapsing forms of MS. It makes flares happen less often and keeps physical disabilities from getting worse quickly.
6. Treating MS With IV Steroids IV steroids are sometimes used to reduce and control the symptoms of an acute attack of multiple sclerosis.
7. Interferon Beta Drugs Interferon beta drugs -- similar to proteins produced naturally by the body -- reduce the frequency of exacerbations and stabilize the course of MS.
8. Intrathecal Baclofen Pump Baclofen is a common treatment for spasticity associated with neurological diseases. A pump system can reduce side effects of the medicine for long-term use.
9. Glucocorticoids Glucocorticoids are medicines that fight inflammation and work with your immune system to treat a wide range of health problems.
10. Off-Label Drugs for Treating MS: Are They Safe? When doctors prescribe drugs for other conditions to treat MS, these drugs are called "off-label."
11. MS Treatment Research Roundup New technologies and insights are speeding the pace of discovery for the treatment of MS.
Additional, Alternative & Complementary Treatments
1. Alternative Therapies for MS Therapies like acupuncture, yoga, and herbal remedies may be helpful when you use them along with regular MS treatment.
2. Medical Marijuana for MS Medical marijuana may be an option to treat some MS symptoms if you live in a state where it's legal and your doctor gives the OK.
3. Deep Brain Stimulation Deep brain stimulation targets parts of the brain to control severe tremors.
4. Non-Standard Alternative MS Treatments Some people turn to unproven therapies like bee stings, cobra venom, and a gluten-free diet to help ease MS symptoms.
5. Stem Cell Therapies for MS Stem cell transplantation has been used to treat RRMS. But more research is needed to know how well this works.
6. Plasma Exchange (Plasmapheresis) for MS Plasma exchange, also known as plasmapheresis, is a way to "clean" your blood, similar to kidney dialysis.
Managing MS Pain
1. How to Manage Your Multiple Sclerosis Pain Each person with MS can have different levels of pain that can happen on different parts of the body.
2. Dysesthesia (Tingling Pain) Dysesthesia means "abnormal sensation." It's usually a painful burning, prickling, or aching feeling.
3. Controlling MS Muscle Spasms Many people with experience a condition called spasticity which is stiff muscles and spasms.
4. Relieving the Pain of the 'MS Hug' MS hug or "MS girdle" are terms to describe a band of pain in the torso that's associated with MS.
5. Botulinum Toxin for MS Botulinum toxin (Botox) helps people with MS who have spasticity -- stiff muscles and sudden, uncontrollable movements -- in their arms.

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