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Suggest Treatment For Side Effects Of Tysabri
Question: My 28 yr old son was recently diagnosed with MS he has 11 lesions on his MRI they want to start him on Tysabri, the side effects of this drug are horrifying to me, I would rather he starts Gilenya but his Dr thinks he would be better with the other, I would like more opinions of the risk factors of Tysabri vs Gilenya
Brief Answer:
Its a patient doctor's mutual belief factor.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being on healthcaremagic.com.
I am Dr.Ajay Panwar,a neurologist,here to answer your query.
Tysabri is conventional and a very effective drug in reducing the lesion load and relapse rates.PML is the main side effect,which occurs in a small percentage of the people(less than 1%),after about 18-24 months of use. So,it can be given for less than 18 months.Further,initially patient should be screened for JC virus testing and if its negative,it is relatively safe to be on Tysabri.
Gilenya is newer as compared to Tysabri and found to be effective(reducing lesion load and relapses) as well in various studies.It is well tolerated and has lesser side effects.Cardiac arrhythmias can occur in some.
Some studies have shown that both drugs are equally effective but than many specialists are of the opinion that Tysabri is more effective than Gilenya.In my opinion,if the person is JC negative,he can be put up on Tysabri for upto 18 months and then can be switched on to another drug,may be Gilenya.
However,its the belief between the patient and the treating neurologist,that ultimately matters.
If you have any further questions,I shall be glad to have you in follow-up.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Its a patient doctor's mutual belief factor.
Detailed Answer:
Hi XXXX,
Thanks for being on healthcaremagic.com.
I am Dr.Ajay Panwar,a neurologist,here to answer your query.
Tysabri is conventional and a very effective drug in reducing the lesion load and relapse rates.PML is the main side effect,which occurs in a small percentage of the people(less than 1%),after about 18-24 months of use. So,it can be given for less than 18 months.Further,initially patient should be screened for JC virus testing and if its negative,it is relatively safe to be on Tysabri.
Gilenya is newer as compared to Tysabri and found to be effective(reducing lesion load and relapses) as well in various studies.It is well tolerated and has lesser side effects.Cardiac arrhythmias can occur in some.
Some studies have shown that both drugs are equally effective but than many specialists are of the opinion that Tysabri is more effective than Gilenya.In my opinion,if the person is JC negative,he can be put up on Tysabri for upto 18 months and then can be switched on to another drug,may be Gilenya.
However,its the belief between the patient and the treating neurologist,that ultimately matters.
If you have any further questions,I shall be glad to have you in follow-up.
Regards
Dr.Ajay Panwar,
MD,DM(Neurology)
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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