My Treatment

My Treatment

    On May 31, 2019, I started my first infusion medication. I was so scared, nervous and emotional, as the reality that I was sick, hit me like a ton of bricks. For the first five or six infusions, I was still emotional as I sit waiting for my "Juice" as some MS Warriors call it. For me, I felt more like it was a big dose of reality that my life will never be the same and that hurt deeply in my soul. My plans for the future are so off course now that I don't look beyond tomorrow. The infusion I'm talking about is listed below.

TYSABRI is a prescription medicine used to treat relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS), to include clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting disease, and active secondary progressive disease. TYSABRI increases the risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML). When starting and continuing treatment with TYSABRI, it is important to discuss with your doctor whether the expected benefit of TYSABRI is enough to outweigh this risk.

of people treated with TYSABRI had no progression of physical disability over a period of 12 weeks

of people treated with TYSABRI had no new lesions that showed disease activity on an MRI

of people taking TYSABRI remained relapse free

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is the most important information I should know about TYSABRI?

TYSABRI increases your risk of getting a rare brain infection—called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)—that usually leads to death or severe disability.

• There is no known treatment, prevention, or cure for PML
• You should not take certain medicines that weaken your immune system at the same time you are taking TYSABRI. Even if you use TYSABRI alone to treat your MS, you can still get PML
• Your risk of getting PML is higher if you:
  • have received TYSABRI for a long time, especially for longer than 2 years
  • have received certain medicines that can weaken your immune system before you start receiving TYSABRI
  • have been infected by the John Cunningham Virus (JCV). Before or while you receive TYSABRI, your doctor may do a blood test to check if you have been infected by JCV. JCV is a common virus that can cause PML in people who have weakened immune systems, such as people taking TYSABRI
• Your risk of getting PML is greatest if you have all 3 risk factors listed above. There may be other risk factors that have not yet been identied
• Patients who are anti-JCV antibody negative are still at risk for the development of PML due to the potential for a new JCV infection or a false negative test result. Therefore, patients with a negative test result should be retested periodically
• While you receive TYSABRI, and for 6 months after you stop receiving TYSABRI, it is important that you call your doctor right away if you have any new or worsening medical problems (such as problems with your thinking, eyesight, balance, or strength; weakness on 1 side of your body; and using your arms and legs) that have lasted several days. Tell all of your doctors that you are getting treatment with TYSABRI

* Information provided by https://www.tysabri.com/

Tysabri is a product of Biogen and more information can be found at the link above.