Transcript

Dealing with M.S. Side Effects

Lisa Emerich
When choosing a treatment, certainly looking at the potential side effects is important, and it can help us in deciding which treatment we may want to choose over another one or if we're using a treatment that just doesn't seem to be working very well and we're experiencing really strong side effects that are effecting our ability to function in life or even take away from enjoying being able to do things, well then you have to sit back and think 'is this worth it?'

Amy Gurowitz
With 23 years of MS under my belt I have collected numerous medications for the symptoms of MS, and that can be a juggle especially in the context of side effects because there are so many different side effects from all the different medications I'm on and at each point you have to determine is it worth it to endure the side effects over the symptom they're treating.

Lisa Emerich
I try to balance between what I think the drawbacks are and what I think the benefits are. It's important to consider how it fits into your lifestyle and whether you can stick with it, whether the unpleasantness or potential unpleasantness is worth it and whether the benefit is truely, definitely worth it.

Amy Gurowitz
Many of the side effects that are listed for the medication never happen, they don't effect you, they effect everyone differently. And sometimes the side effects that scare you off are never an issue, and you don't really know that until you're willing to take the plunge. So I try not to let the list of side effects effect me in terms of my decision-making process because I have no idea whether it's going to be an issue.