MS treatment: OK to Avoid Multiple Sclerosis Medication?

I was recently asked if it's ok for a person with Multiple Sclerosis to avoid taking an MS Medication. To hear my response, please watch this video: "MS treatment: OK to avoid Multiple Sclerosis Medication?"

The Boster Center for Multiple Sclerosis accepts all major insurance carriers and accepts consults from around the globe, both in office and via telemedicine. www.BosterMS.com or call 614-304-3444 to schedule!
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COMMENT with your thoughts and questions below! I look forward to reading and responding!

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NOTE: Make sure to talk to your provider before ANY treatment decision. We hope to educate, empower and energize those impacted by Multiple Sclerosis. This channel consists of a collection of formal lectures and informal video clips about MS to help education others. These videos do not provide medical advice and are for informational/educational purposes only. The videos are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen in any of our videos. They are just to help educate you about the condition guys!

[maggiemae]

It's playing Russian roulette to not be on a med. I stopped my med a few years ago.and did very well for about a year. I ended up with optic neuritis and new lesions. I'm on my fourth med and all of them offered$0 copay.

[gillhollingsworth]

It's amazing to watch a Dr so passionate about helping his patients, you truly are 1 of a kind Dr B x

[meloneyparker]

I am recently diagnosed with MS and you are the best thing about this adventure. I do not want to imagine starting this MS journey without your YouTube channel which provides information in a manner that is easy to understand. Thank you for putting so much effort and time in educating us folks with MS who aren't even your patients. You are extraordinary!

[joshv]

I wish I could give this video a billion thumbs up. It's a shame that you would even need to make a video of this nature. I agree with you 100%. Thanks again for standing behind your passion and EDUCATION and sharing it with us all!

[MoistNasa]

My new neurologist has immediately started me on tysabri infusions as my first therapy. And my out of pocket was gonna be $10, 000 but I applied for financial aid ( which was criminally easy ) and the medicine has been fully paid for. You can do this guys. I know it feels like there’s always something that knocks you back but you got this. That’s why we’re called warriors. 🧡

[MichelleHotchkissArt]

I tried the natural route to treat ms, first because I was diagnosed before any ms meds were available, so I had no choice. After ms meds became available, I tired some but quit, going back to the natural route. I did well for a very long time, was a long distance cyclist and very strong and athletic. What I didn’t realize was the ms was still active, silent but active.

Then a decade later, things start to fall apart - slowly but the signs were there. Then the collapse happened what seemed like overnight.

Now I have permanent, disabling damage. No more cycling, no more working.

I didn’t understand the cycle of RRMS. I didn’t understand that it was the nature of the disease to get better - in its own - and it wasn’t actually the diet, etc, that did it. That’s just the nature of the disease, as it says right there in its name: relapsing-remitting.

And I didn’t understand it gets to a point where it progresses enough to where it no longer remits.

Hindsight is 20/20. I truly regret that I didn’t take a proven ms med that would at least slowed down the progression. I believe I would NOT be as bad off as I am no if I had been on an MS med.

You can’t “catch up” when it comes to MS. You can’t fix damage that’s been done, you can only prevent it from happening. MS is not just an “in the moment” disease, we must look at how life will be in 10, 20 years and more. I thought i was doing good if I was good in that moment. MS was saying, “Just wait a few years and I’m going to bitch-slap you to the ground. You won’t even see it coming.”

I also believe it is critical to be as healthy as possible, which can only benefit and absolutely will not hurt - but it’s not enough on its own to keep the dragon caged in the long run.’

Now I’m struggling to find an MS med that my body will accept. Tysabri almost killed me, and Tecfedera burned my intestines, yeah, no fun. But these meds work very well for almost people, just not for me. My neurologist is holding off on O infusion because of the reaction I had to Tysabri and my intestines are still healing from Tec. If you can tolerate an MS med, you are fortunate. At this point, I feel kind of hopeless about a treatment for myself and hate the thought of ms having no restraints at all.

Stay healthy and take action to be as strong and healthy for both now and for your future.

[luisavaz]

Hear a doctor say that you have to take a medicine for the rest of your life isn’t easy, but then I realised that with that medicine I did not get worse. That is fine for me. I rather make what it takes to keep walking than do nothing and wait. Great video..

[annemacnab]

My daughter was diagnosed 2 years ago, at the age of 19 😢, with MS, here in Scotland. She had had symptoms for a year before diagnosis and then started Gilenya. So far so good since then. But - she isn’t proactively engaging with understanding the disease, and how to reduce risk, at all - apart from taking meds. I have just discovered your YouTube Channel tonight and am so excited. I think she will relate to your passionate and clear style. I worry about her poor diet (processed and sugary foods) and not taking Vit D (she developed kidney stones whilst on it and won’t take it now). However she is very sporty (just ran a 1/2 marathon last weekend!) and does not drink, smoke or take drugs. I think your way of explaining stuff rocks - I will be a regular viewer, and hope I can get her to be too. Thanks much xx

[o.sfordia]

This video is great, but at the same time it worries me. I`m having trouble getting diagnosed (neuro taking me on wrong track). I will continue watching your videos and learning, hopefully the learning will help me be assertive with my conversations with my medical providers. Thank you for your channel, you are a blessing to us all.

[aprilandrews]

Love your analogies! Thanks for another informative video!

[sandranimmo]

When I was first diagnosed 11.5 years ago, I was young, uninformed, overwhelmed, and a new mom. I enrolled in a clinical trial because I couldn't imagine taking any of the (only 3) medications presented to me. Afterwards, I had no insurance, felt I had no options to afford the needed neuro visits, testing and medication so I went without for 7 years. I have returned to see a Neurologist, had MRIs and testing, and now will take whatever the most aggressive DMT my body will tolerate because I realize the stupidity of ignoring my diagnosis, and refuse to enable this disease to progress unchecked.

If I had seen this ONE video, 11 years ago after my diagnosis I would have taken a very different route and been much more proactive in fight against the progression of my disease.

[sarahskot]

You’ve helped me calm my mind tremendously during the first year of diagnosis. I was diagnosed last April at age 30 and my specialist at the Cleveland clinic put me on Ocrevus. I feel normal for the first time in years and I agree with the idea of being aggressive from the start. So, honestly, I would like to know your opinion on all the things they are doing with stem cells for MS.

[moonshelblu]

I was dxd 30 years ago and use supplements as my last MRI was viewed as “remarkable “ by my neurologist and I was told to keep taking the supplements and maintain my natural therapy. We are all different and what works for one patient may or may not work for someone else Listen to your body to each their own Take good care and no worries

[popcorn]

I agree with this. Brain damage is not cool. I don’t know why that person would ask a well-educated MS specialist to take down a common sense opinion post.

[kitkattt]

This is a really helpful reminder. It's easy to get discouraged with your treatment because you don't feel good, and want to quit. It's important to remember that it's not about feeling better now, it's about not feeling worse in the future.

[dianebosleytaylor]

I have had MS since 1996
I have never taken any meds to modify the disease.
I know I am not the norm
I am super lucky and have few symptoms of the illness.
I made a lot of changes in my life to reduce STRESS which I think was the main trigger for MS in me.
I know I still have the lesions in my brain.
But from my lifestyle choices
No meds have ever been taken

Btw thanks for all your work and these helpful videos. I spent 50 years of my 73 in west Michigan
Now I live in California.

[robertoreguenes]

Thank you so much. It's been scary as hell but I have found a great deal of comfort in your videos. Stay gold and this is so appreciated

[banjo]

Appreciate your passionate approach to patient compliance!

[kristinahuffman]

I have seen people say that they ARE NOT taking any meds. Thank you for clearing up what I believe should "NOT" think is smart. Thank you for explaining what I all ready surmised. I'm glad that I came across you and the way you've educated me more.

[benoitporlier]

Hi, im a 53 year old men from Quebec canada, i was diagnose MS in 1998, i took many drugs, Rebif 44, Copaxone and aubagio over a period of 14 years. i stopped aubagio 3 months ago because my liver and digestive system is messed up. Now my neurologist want me to take Gilenya but a friend who took it for many years had bad problems with it. Im tinking i have to give a break to digestive system so it can recover safely. I had a period of 2.5 years i took no drug and i felt great, even started training hard. then i started aubagio and 1.5 year later i went down again but pretty hard. So i think its better for me to not take drugs for a few years.