Infusion Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that attacks your nerves, destroying their protective coating called the myelin. The progressive condition can lead to a host of debilitating symptoms
including:

• Numbness or weakness in one or more limbs
• Electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements
• Tremor, lack of coordination, or unsteady gait
• Partial or complete vision loss
• Prolonged double vision
• Blurry vision
• Slurred speech
• Fatigue
• Dizziness
• Tingling or pain in different parts of the body
• Problems with sexual, bowel, or bladder function

While there is no cure for MS currently, it is commonly treated with oral corticosteroids to help reduce symptoms, and adequate sleep and good nutrition are highly recommended as well; however, because corticosteroids can have damaging side effects, they are not a long-term solution.

This is where infusion therapy enters the picture and where Heartland Infusion Pharmacy can help. Physician-prescribed IV medications for MS may include:

• Lemtrada (alemtuzumab)
• Novantrone (mitoxantrone)
• Ocrevus (ocrelizumab)
• Tysabri (natalizumab)

The benefit of infusion therapy is that it relieves symptoms for longer periods of time by distributing medicine directly into the bloodstream. The medication is administered by an infusion pump that drips the medication through a catheter into a syringe. Treatment times vary depending on medication type, but most patients feel relief before their appointment is even over.

There also can be minor to serious side effects of IV therapy medications used to treat MS that can be discussed with your physician. However, if oral medications have seemed to run their course, infusion therapy might be a viable option. At Heartland Infusion Pharmacy, we can explain the details and work directly with your physician to get you started on IV therapy to help reduce many of the debilitating symptoms of MS.