Evaluating Your MS Treatment

For many people, managing MS is a continuous process. Change is in the very nature of multiple sclerosis. Relapses may come and go, bringing different symptoms and severities.

One thing to remember is that everyone's MS is different, and you are the expert on how your MS affects you. It's up to you to tell your healthcare provider about your symptoms and how they change. A close partnership with your healthcare provider can help you take a more active role in managing your MS.

A few positive reasons to reassess your treatment with your healthcare provider:

• If you're doing well, it will only make you feel better about your therapy decision.
• If you're not doing as well as you'd like, it's important to let your healthcare provider know as soon as possible.
• The more active you are in your treatment decisions, the better you'll feel about your MS therapy choices.

Reducing the number of relapses you have may help delay permanent future disability. That's one reason it's so important to find the MS therapy that is most effective in reducing MS relapses for you.

MS and Your Quality of Life

Staying on some form of MS treatment is essential to your health and quality of life. The term "quality of life" involves your ability to perform your daily activities. MS symptoms can affect your quality of life by causing memory problems, making it more difficult to pay attention, concentrate and process information. The physical symptoms of MS may also affect your quality of life by causing you pain, fatigue, and making it more difficult for you to move around.

Maintaining Your Quality of Life

Since MS is an ever-changing condition, the way your body responds to a treatment may change over time. That's why it's important to be open to other treatment possibilities. Remember, it's never too soon or too late to think about how your MS treatment is working.

If you feel that your quality of life has changed for worse, talk to your healthcare provider. It may be time to consider other MS treatment options that can help.

More about talking to your doctor