Treatments and Medications
Treating Relapses
MS relapses — also called attacks or exacerbations — are caused by inflammation in the central nervous system. Read about FDA-approved medications to help manage acute relapses in MS.
Ways to Manage Common MS Symptoms
- At least 80% of people with MS experience bladder dysfunction. If you are one of them, your healthcare provider can help you determine the cause of your symptoms and choose the right treatments and management strategies. These may include:
- Lifestyle changes
- Pelvic floor physical therapy and bladder training
- Nerve stimulation procedures
- Medication
- Bowel dysfunction can cause discomfort and embarrassment, and can aggravate other MS symptoms such as spasticity or bladder dysfunction.To improve bowel regularity, consider some simple lifestyle changes:
- Drink enough fluids each day. Talk to your doctor about what the right amount is for you.
- Include plenty of fiber in your diet. You can get fiber from fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and cereals, and dietary additives such as powdered psyllium preparations.
- Get some physical activity. It helps keep things moving.
- Establish a regular time and schedule for emptying the bowels (bowel training/retraining).
- Approximately 50% of people with MS will experience symptoms of depression in their lifetime. Mental health therapy is an effective way to treat depression. Your provider may also suggest a medication for the treatment of depression.Wellness strategies may also help. These include:
- Joining a support group
- Exercising
- Eating Well
- Avoiding addictive substances like alcohol
- Dizziness and vertigo are common symptoms of MS. Your healthcare team may suggest medication or occupational therapy to manage these symptoms.
- In addition to physical symptoms, you may experience emotional changes with MS. Depending on the cause, treatments can include:
- Mental health therapy with a therapist or a counselor
- Medications such as antidepressants
- Fatigue, one of the most common symptoms of MS, occurs in about 80% of people who live with the disease. Your healthcare provider can identify the factors contributing to your fatigue and work with you to develop a treatment plan specific to your needs. This plan may include medications, rehabilitation therapy, energy conservation techniques and dietary changes.
- MS hug is known medically as “dysesthesia.” It’s called “MS hug” because many people describe it as a squeezing sensation around the torso, like a tightened blood pressure cuff. No specific treatment or medication is available for MS hug, but some people find relief in:
- Relaxation techniques and meditation
- Loose clothing
- Warm compresses
- Exercises such as walking, stretching, yoga or gentle swimming
- Acupuncture
- Cognitive behavioral therapy with a pain specialist
- Muscle relaxants, antidepressants, topical lidocaine or anticonvulsants
- Numbness or tingling in the face, body or extremities (arms and legs) is one of the most common symptoms of MS. In cases of a new onset of severe numbness, associated with a MS relapse, your healthcare provider may prescribe a brief course of corticosteroids to accelerate recovery.
- Pain and itching are common in MS and can limit your ability to do things that you enjoy. These symptoms can be treated with both medication and with therapeutic interventions, depending on what’s causing them. Therapeutic interventions can include:
- Acupuncture
- Mindfulness and meditation
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
- Physical therapy
- Massage
- Application of cold or heat
- The physical and emotional changes you experience with MS can affect your sex life. A number of treatments can help:
- Medications, including injections and suppositories, to increase blood flow to the penis
- Penile vacuum pumps to increase blood flow mechanically
- Vibrators to increase stimulation and arousal
- Clitoral pumps, which suction around the clitoris and assist with vaginal arousal
- Liquid or jellied, water-soluble personal lubricants for vaginal dryness (avoid petroleum jelly — Vaseline® — because it is not water-soluble and may cause infection)
- Spasticity and muscle tightness are commonly treated with medications and physical and occupational therapy. Because spasticity varies so much from person to person, it must be treated on an individual basis.
- Tremor is a difficult symptom to treat. Your healthcare provider may suggest medication or rehabilitation therapy. An occupational therapist can recommend assistive devices to aid with activities of daily living that may be impacted by tremor, such as writing, dressing and cooking. Physical therapists can help when tremor of the body or limbs makes mobility challenging and increases your risk for falling.
- Three common vision challenges for people living with MS are optic neuritis, diplopia (double vision) and nystagmus. Each has different treatment options ranging from medications to patching one eye or using special eyeglass lenses known as prism lenses.
- Difficulty in walking — also known as issues with gait — is among the most common mobility limitations in MS. Most gait challenges can be helped to some extent by physical therapy, stretching exercises and the use of appropriate assistive devices. In some cases, your provider may prescribe medications for spasticity, fatigue and walking speed. A PoNS® device may also be part of your treatment plan.
- Muscle weakness, which is common in MS, can occur in any part of the body. The first step in managing weakness effectively is to determine what is causing it. Weakness in the legs, ankles and feet can interfere with walking. Management strategies in this case include exercise, rehabilitation therapy, assistive devices and medication. Weakness in the upper body and arms can interfere with activities of daily living and self-care. Occupational therapists can recommend appropriate exercises for your arms and hands, as well as tools and devices to assist with activities in the home and at work.
