This week I am going to write about about Gilenya which is the first pill that you can take for MS. This is super exciting because up and til now the only treatments were shots or an infusion. This is a pill that you take once a day. I have been looking for information on the drug but it is hard because it is so new that there isn’t tons for information out there yet. I did find on WebMd the following information:
Gilenya can have severe toxicity. In clinical trials, side effects linked to Gilenya included:
- Elevated liver enzymes
- Macular edema (swelling of the central portion of the retina, causing distorted vision)
- Elevated blood pressure
- Shortness of breath
- Bronchitis
- Diarrhea
- Bradycardia (slowing of the heartbeat, seen only upon first treatment. The FDA panel recommended that patients be required to receive their first dose under medical supervision).
I can’t really say that this is any worse side effects than the drug I am on. All the new treatments are going to have scary side effect that go along with them. I also found that two people had fatal herpes infections. They were being treated at 2.5 times the dosage that FDA approved though.
Here are a few other sites that have information on them if you are interested. I hope this was helpful!
http://www.msrc.co.uk/index.cfm/fuseaction/show/pageid/1309
http://www.drugs.com/gilenya.html
2 Comments on MS Tuesdays-First Pill
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My mom was talking to me about the pill the other day. It seems like a big breakthrough in the MS world.
sounds awesome! will you start on it? or are you already on it? will you still have to do the infusions? or will the pill take care of it?