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Home » Articles » Ask the Babe
A reader asks: Which drug should I take for relapsing-remitting MS?
Editrix's Note: Ask the Babe is written by members of our Babe Advisory Board, who field questions according to their experience. The Babe Advisory Board is made up of real women with real experiences as ChronicBabes - not medical experts.
A reader asks:
How do I choose which drug I should take for relapsing-remitting MS?
The Babe responds:
This is something that you're going to have to seriously discuss with your neurologist. I personally use Avonex, and decided on it when the choices were only Avonex and Betaseron. The marketplace has expanded since then, with Rebif. Both of these seem to have slightly better effect on relapse and progression than Avonex, although the court is pretty even. Despite this, I've decided to stay on the Avonex in the short-term because the for me, the side-effects are significant, and I much prefer dealing with them once a week rather than 3x a week.
Another major difference is that Rebif and Betaseron are subcutaneous injections, while the Avonex is intramuscular. So, the needle is significantly smaller for the SQ shots, but the shots are more frequent. The frequency and SQ nature of these shots also means that injection-site reactions are more likely. If I had to do it over again, I think I'd take the Rebif, and switch to Avonex if I couldn't handle the drug reactions. (They do get better over time.) But again, it's your decision, and it's something your neurologist should be willing to discuss in detail. Besides, there is so much research going on right now that there could be new drugs hitting the market very shortly.
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P.S. - a disclaimer: We do our best to provide accurate information, but ChronicBabe.com is not meant as a substitute for professional medical care, diagnosis or treatment. Please consult your health care provider before embarking on any new treatment. Read our whole disclaimer here.
Posted: 6/27/2005 in Ask the Babe
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