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Suggest Treatment For Rebif Chills

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Posted on Tue, 20 Oct 2015
Question: Rebif chills, What can I do about it. Is it possible to stop it or reduce it?
I have been on Rebif for approximately 4 years since I was diagnosed with MS. It has been working . My MRI does not show any new lesions, but I feel that I do get some minor tingles on my limbs once in a while. FYI A second opinion did not think I had MS and wanted me to wait on Rebif, but I took the conservative choice.

Can alcohol have adverse effect on condition like mine?
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Answered by Dr. Olsi Taka (43 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Read below

Detailed Answer:
I read your question carefully and I understand your concern.

It is great that on the MRI there are no new lesions. Such minor sensitive symptoms such as occasional tingling is to be expected due to the already installed plaques, hopefully they do not affect your wellbeing that much, otherwise I would call not having new lesions for 4 years a great success.

Flu like symptoms such as chills are a common side effect of interferon group of drugs like Rebif. There is not a measure which can make them go away for good, but they can reduced through taking an over the counter drug like acetaminophen or ibuprofen just before the injection, that can help.

As for the question regarding alcohol use. In itself alcohol doesn’t affect disease activity, it won’t change the course of the disease or cause new lesions. However because it is a substance which temporally depresses the central nervous system it can temporally worsen your symptoms, enhance the perception of an already present lesion, a lesion which was compensated for by the unaffected parts of your brain, but under the suppression of alcohol that compensation is reduced. After all even in in a person without MS when alcohol is taken in excess there is neurological dysfunction (balance and coordination difficulty, difficulty articulating words, confusion, tingling in extremities etc). A MS patient is more prone to that in minor doses, it varies from patient to patient some worsen with a single glass some tolerate more, but the risk is there.

I remain at your disposal for further questions.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Olsi Taka

Neurologist

Practicing since :2004

Answered : 3673 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Rebif Chills

Brief Answer: Read below Detailed Answer: I read your question carefully and I understand your concern. It is great that on the MRI there are no new lesions. Such minor sensitive symptoms such as occasional tingling is to be expected due to the already installed plaques, hopefully they do not affect your wellbeing that much, otherwise I would call not having new lesions for 4 years a great success. Flu like symptoms such as chills are a common side effect of interferon group of drugs like Rebif. There is not a measure which can make them go away for good, but they can reduced through taking an over the counter drug like acetaminophen or ibuprofen just before the injection, that can help. As for the question regarding alcohol use. In itself alcohol doesn’t affect disease activity, it won’t change the course of the disease or cause new lesions. However because it is a substance which temporally depresses the central nervous system it can temporally worsen your symptoms, enhance the perception of an already present lesion, a lesion which was compensated for by the unaffected parts of your brain, but under the suppression of alcohol that compensation is reduced. After all even in in a person without MS when alcohol is taken in excess there is neurological dysfunction (balance and coordination difficulty, difficulty articulating words, confusion, tingling in extremities etc). A MS patient is more prone to that in minor doses, it varies from patient to patient some worsen with a single glass some tolerate more, but the risk is there. I remain at your disposal for further questions.