Do you feel treatment burn out?
Sooner or later many people get fed up with their injections. It is really understandable how hard it is continue treatment and possibly not to feel or see any improvement.
If you feel something we call “a treatment burn-out” you may want to talk to other people with MS, who are having possibly the same problem. You are right here!
What can you expect from your treatment?
Even though researchers made quite a step forward to improve treatments of MS, there is still no cure for this condition.
Betaferon® reduces the frequency and severity of relapses. One of the big trials in MS research with Betaferon® found that relapse rates are reduced under this therapy for about one third.
That means you will still experience relapses, but they won’t be that frequent and heavy as they might have been before. Realistic expectations in your treatment secure you from disappointment.
If you feel fed up, disappointed or sad, seek face-to-face contact to a health care professional you trust, e.g. your doctor, a MS nurse or talk to other people with MS at the communication platform of this website.
Do you believe your treatment does not work for you?
Your doctor has tried to find the right treatment for you. If you think your prescribed drug doesn’t work properly, we need to look at two issues:
1) your expectations in the drug effect of your medication, and
2) what is a drug treatment in fact able to modify in your MS.
Regarding the issue “Expectation” you may want to go to the question above
Regarding the second question: it is in fact difficult showing something what is NOT there, what does NOT occur. With an interferon therapy the number of relapses is reduced as well as their severity.
Unfortunately that implies that you still will experience relapses. This might be the reason why you have the feeling your interferon treatment doesn’t work properly.
We have to admit: to date there is no cure of MS, but research in the field of neurological diseases, e.g. in the field of MS, goes on and companies are having interesting drug development candidates in their pipeline. There is hope the situation for you will improve.
Do you believe you don't need treatment any more?
You seem to be stable. This is great for you!
To answer your question: there is data of an Italian team of specialists who found out that it is not a good idea to quit therapy or even reduce dose of it although you are stable and feel great. There is a negative impact on clinical and MRI disease activity parameters (i.e. the number of lesions on a MRI scan) after doses of interferon beta were lowered. also in people with prolonged stable phases. Be lucky you are stable. It is exactly due to your treatment!
