Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Does Tysabri Cause Multiple Sclerosis?
Question: my son was recently diagnosed with MS his MRI shows 11 lesions and the Dr is saying it is aggressively active they want to start him on Tysabri. after reviewing all of the possible side effects of this drug, I feel that there are other drugs available with lower risks than this one. My family has a history of autoimmune disorders and we have had three family deaths due to medications. He has had the JC virus test and it was negative but this drug still terrifies me and we are wondering if a less risky drug would work almost as well?
Brief Answer:
Oral drugs are second option and can be discussed with treating doctor
Detailed Answer:
Hello xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
I have gone through your question and understand your concerns.
Multiple sclerosis is immune mediated demyelinating disorder of brain requiring expert management , life long treatment and constant follow up.
Various treatment modalities are present in both injectables and oral forms.
There are some poor prognostic indicators like male sex, more lesion load.
All the drugs have one or the other side effects and final mode of treatment is decided by discussing with patient.
At present injectables drugs like interferon beta, natalizumab(tysabri) is good for intravenous therapy.
Oral drugs like fingolimod and dimethyl fumarate are other good options.
Actual risk assessment is difficult and varies with patient to patient.
The best way is to be in strict follow up and monitoring of treating doctor.
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Do get back to me for further queries.
Regards
Dr Neeraj Kumar
Neurologist
Oral drugs are second option and can be discussed with treating doctor
Detailed Answer:
Hello xxxxxxxxxxxxx,
I have gone through your question and understand your concerns.
Multiple sclerosis is immune mediated demyelinating disorder of brain requiring expert management , life long treatment and constant follow up.
Various treatment modalities are present in both injectables and oral forms.
There are some poor prognostic indicators like male sex, more lesion load.
All the drugs have one or the other side effects and final mode of treatment is decided by discussing with patient.
At present injectables drugs like interferon beta, natalizumab(tysabri) is good for intravenous therapy.
Oral drugs like fingolimod and dimethyl fumarate are other good options.
Actual risk assessment is difficult and varies with patient to patient.
The best way is to be in strict follow up and monitoring of treating doctor.
Hope you found the answer helpful.
Do get back to me for further queries.
Regards
Dr Neeraj Kumar
Neurologist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Sonia Raina
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
