All eight disease-modifying medications that are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat MS have been shown to be effective for people who experience relapses.So, as long as you continue to have relapses, you’re still a good candidate for most, if not all, of these medications. However, the evidence is pretty strong that these medications have their greatest impact early in the disease, primarily by reducing inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS) and reducing the number and severity of relapses.

Whether you've recently been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) or you've been living with this chronic illness for years, you want to live your life as fully and comfortably as possible. The good news is that you can! The symptoms of MS are manageable with medications, and rehabilitation strategies and treatments can reduce disease activity and slow progression.

Depending on your multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms, the kind of work you do, and the environment in which you work, you’re bound to run into challenges along the way. Some of these challenges may be related to your symptoms, and others may have more to do with attitudes (yours and other people’s) about your MS.

Avonex, Betaseron, Extavia, Rebif, and Copaxone are the five injectable medications available for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Each of them primarily targets inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS). Avonex, Betaseron, Extavia, and Rebif — which are all interferon beta medications — are approved for any person who experiences relapses — whether he or she has relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), secondary-progressive MS (SPMS), or progressive-relapsing MS (PRMS).

A small percentage of people taking then drug Tysabri as a treatment medication for multiple sclerosis (MS) may develop progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy – commonly referred to as PML. PML is a rare but rapidly progressive and often fatal viral infection of the brain. PML is thought to be caused by the John Cunningham (JC) virus, which many people (a little more than half of people) are exposed to in childhood and carry in a dormant state without ever becoming ill.

Some — but not all — multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who take one of the interferon beta medications (Avonex, Betaseron, Extavia, or Rebif) develop a form of antibody known as a neutralizing antibody (NAb), so called because it interferes with the biological activities of the interferon. When they occur, NAbs typically develop 12 to 18 months after the start of treatment.

Tysabri (natalizumab) is a laboratory-produced monoclonal antibody used for treating multiple sclerosis (MS). It works by preventing potentially damaging immune cells in the bloodstream from crossing the blood-brain barrier into the brain and spinal cord. The FDA approved it in 2006 to treat relapsing forms of MS.

In 2009, Dr. Paolo Zamboni — a vascular surgeon in Ferrara, Italy — introduced a phenomenon called chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) to the MS world. Following a study of 65 people with MS, Dr. Zamboni proposed that an abnormality in blood drainage from the brain and spinal cord may contribute to nervous system damage in MS.

Research studies on cognitive function in MS have demonstrated that as many as 50 to 66 percent of people will experience some cognitive changes over the course of the disease. Even though the severity of these changes can vary from mild to quite severe, the majority of these changes are in the mild-to-moderate range.