Say ‘hello’ to Monica. Some of you may know her on PatientsLikeMe as msajstall. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) back in 2005 and has been a member of the PatientsLikeMe community for 6 years now. She recently took some time to talk with us about her diagnosis, finding the right healthcare coverage and the importance of connecting with others.

When were you diagnosed with MS and what changes did you have to make in your daily life?
I was diagnosed in January 2005 after numerous complaints about not being able to feel my legs. I noticed the sensation changes primarily when I walked up stairs. I also noticed that I had lost sensation when I used the bathroom. That particularly scared me, so I went to the hospital and stayed there for 5 days. That’s when the doctors came in and gave me the diagnosis.

I was actually very scared of the diagnosis and I didn’t know much about MS at the time. The doctor did tell me that I would be in the hospital about 5 days more before he would discharge me. At that time, I was not working but I was searching for employment. After finding out, I researched MS along with continuing my job search. After discharge, I noticed how much information was available online dealing with MS and it overtook my job searching.

After you decided to stop working, what challenges did you face continuing your healthcare coverage?
I did not decide to stop working until 2 years after the diagnosis. I decided to get approved for disability through the Social Security Administration prior to leaving the workforce. My neurologist was my number one advocate. Once I applied and the process started, I got approved in 82 days. To me, that seemed like confirmation that I made the right decision. Although I didn’t have long to wait to be approved, it did not make it better for me to accept that Medicare would be my healthcare coverage from age 35 on out. The system was not created to care for 35 year olds and I knew there would be challenges. And boy was that a TRUE thought.

How has an online community like PatientsLikeMe helped you along the way?
PatientsLikeMe has helped me tremendously. When I was diagnosed, the MS community was much smaller than it is today. The forums always seem to really help me. If I have a question, it most likely has already been asked on PatientsLikeMe. I can truly say when I decided to change my disease-modifying drug, there was a whole forum talking about the drug and it really convinced me.

What is one thing you think every MS patients should know?
MS patients must realize that they are not in this fight alone. Besides predominate non-profit organizations dedicated to MS (National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Multiple Sclerosis Foundation, and Multiple Sclerosis Association) there are so many self-help groups that help with things. PatientsLikeMe gives us a voice that can help us to face our problems. PatientsLikeMe makes us feel that we are being heard. I truly appreciate the moderators of the forums and PatientsLikeMe as a whole.

In our “Spotlighted Blogger” series, we’re talking with people who are sharing their personal health experiences to help raise awareness of disease and change healthcare for good. For our latest interview, we’re talking with Tricia who’s writing about her journey with multiple sclerosis (MS) on her blog Love My MS Life. Some of you may know her on PatientsLikeMe as jakesmama. Check out her full interview below where she talks about the impact of connecting with others and why it took 11 years to get a diagnosis.

Why did you start blogging about your journey with MS and how has the community reacted?
I started blogging about my journey with MS last year. I’ve had MS for over 20 years and have been an avid fundraiser, MS Champion and MS Advocate ever since. My goal was/is to share my experiences with others living with MS to hopefully inspire and encourage them, while “telling it like it is.”

The reaction has been wonderful! When I hear people tell me they relate to my experiences because they “get it,” it makes me feel like I’m doing something good for others that share this disease.

In one of your posts, you mention that your first symptom started 11 years before you were officially diagnosed. Can you tell us about that?
When I was 13 years old, I had the virus mononucleosis. One afternoon the vision in my left eye became blurry but I disregarded it. The next morning I woke up and the vision was basically gone in my left eye. I was dizzy, nauseous and was taken to the hospital. The doctors called my bout of optic neuritis a “fluke thing” and I went home. During my high school years I would have bouts of optic neuritis in my good eye and would be given oral prednisone to bring the swelling of the optic nerve down. It wasn’t until my son Jake was nine months old that my ophthalmologist sent me for an MRI. This was 11 years later and when I was diagnosed with MS.

What’s it been like to connect to others with MS on PatientsLikeMe?
A friend of mine told me about PatientsLikeMe years ago. It’s a great way to connect with others living with MS, to compare symptoms and offer suggestions. I use it as a helpful tool to track my disease progression, keep notes, and learn from others.

What’s one bit of knowledge no MS patient should be without?
One of my favorite quotes is, “Never, never, never give up,” by Winston Churchill. I believe all patients living with MS struggle daily whether we can see it or not. I choose to have HOPE for my future and HOPE for a cure!

If you’re living with MS, find others just like you in our growing community of more than 31,000 MS patients on PatientsLikeMe. Learn what they’re doing to manage their condition with symptom and treatment reports and share your own experience with a personal health profile or in the community forum.

“The benefit of sharing on PatientsLikeMe is the support.  For me, it doesn’t matter what I’m going through, there are people there that understand.  They’re not judgmental.  They get it.  They’re there too.  I get lots of emotional moral support.”

– Multiple Sclerosis Patient Marcia

Back in June, we shared with you a video interview with PatientsLikeMe member Lissa that was conducted by our partner Patient Power.  Today, we’re pleased to present a second Patient Power interview with another member, Marcia Hirst.  A wife and mother of 11 children, Marcia, 52, has been living with multiple sclerosis (MS) since she was a young girl – although she didn’t know it at the time.

Check out her moving interview below to find out about the lifelong adjustments she’s made due to MS and learn why “the puzzle pieces are coming together” now that she’s discovered a community of 28,000+ MS patients at PatientsLikeMe.

Marcia Hirst: Don’t Let Multiple Sclerosis Take The Joy Out of Your Life from Patient Power® on Vimeo.

Enjoying these Patient Power interviews?  Stay tuned for others as the series continues.

As we get deeper into summer, there are disease-related walk/run events happening almost every weekend.  What they all share is an opportunity for patients, friends and family to come together in solidarity and raise money for research and patient services.

For inspiration, please meet multiple sclerosis (MS) patient barneyhouse and her “Walking Warriors,” who took part in a recent Walk MS event in Ormond Springs, Florida.  By signing up for our PatientsLikeMeInMotion program, the team was able to score bright blue PatientsLikeMe t-shirts and a monetary donation towards their fundraising goal. “My sister, who is six years older, has had MS for over 30 years,” writes barneyhouse.  “So although this is new for me, it is not new to me.”

Congrats to the Walking Warriors team as well as all of our PatientsLikeMeInMotion-sponsored groups for your efforts to raise funds and awareness for your condition. We’re honored to support you in your journey.  For more PatientsLikeMeInMotion team photos, check out our growing Flickr collection.

Thinking about organizing a team for this summer or fall?  Learn more about the PatientsLikeMeInMotion program today.

It’s Men’s Health Week, and we’re featuring the perspectives of – you guessed it – men.  Following tiredoftired’s guest post about depression on Monday, we are pleased to present this poignant essay by longtime PatientsLikeMe member and mentor Rick N, who has lived with multiple sclerosis (MS) for 23 years.

I am a 58-year-old man with MS.  It has often been a long, bewildering, and lonely journey, which has taken me to the valleys of sorrow and to the pinnacles of success. MS is not a death sentence, as some would say. Rather, it is an opportunity to inspire and show to the world that an incurable disease can be transformed into a blessing, an enduring promise that life can go on.

MS is a slow and debilitating disease. It creates new challenges daily. Some days I forget that I even have the illness and can do most tasks and chores. The next day may find me with a trembling heart begging for mercy. Sometimes I think that the worst of MS is the unknown. I am currently diagnosed with primary progressive MS (PPMS). I awake with fears and anxieties. What is MS going to give me today? It is the challenge I must face. However, I will tell you how the monster can be defeated!

I do not perceive MS as burden, I see it as an opportunity to overcome. MS had me in a wheelchair for over two years. I was resigned to the fact that the rest of my life would be in this wheelchair. My first thought was simply, “Okay, if this is my life now, I am going to compete in the Paralympics.” So I climbed every hill in my wheelchair as my challenge, until I developed neuritis in both elbows requiring surgery.  That was the end of that goal.

But today, in spite of that setback, I am walking because of a positive attitude and a strong faith in miracles.

My faith in God’s will and guidance for me was ever clear. I made the best of my life as an example to all that “it’s not what happens to you, it’s what you make of it.” Never did I pity myself in that wheelchair. I went out and about under all circumstances. Until one day something of a miracle happened. Whatever it was, I will never know for sure, but I was able to get up and begin to walk. It wasn’t pretty, but I put one step in front of the other and suddenly I was walking again. Then I used my lawn mower to stabilize me. Before long I could walk longer and longer distances. That was almost two years ago and I walk normally today. We all must believe that God’s healing miracles happen everyday. I am living proof.

Attitude is everything, regardless of your afflictions. MS is powerful. So much that it can lead one to believe it is impossible to live a healthy and happy life. Nothing must ever stand in the way of true HOPE. With hope and faith, mountains can be surmounted. However, this does not come easily.

Where does my unshakable attitude come? I often sit quietly, restful and calm. The physical realm becomes in some way a dwelling place for my spirit within. Time well spent in the calmness provides rest from the physical aches and strains. My pain level is always high. It is just the world I live in now. What I have cultivated from MS is the spirit of adventure and conquering the unknown. Acceptance means much.

In 2008, I came across PatientsLikeMe. It was like finding a great pearl in the oceans. Suddenly, the loneliness of MS could be understood by some 150,000 members with the same vague symptoms that I have. To explain what life is like with this disease, there are no words to do justice. But PatientsLikeMe gives me the opportunity to chart all of my symptoms, medications, conditions and treatments. It also offers daily journaling, and most of all, a forum in which I can read and comment with members that are in need of compassion or solutions to their current problems. This is a resource where I can find the answers to all of the confusion that goes along with most chronic illnesses. I have most definitely found it a haven of comfort.

I want to thank all who have read this. I am not a writer nor have I the talent for words. I only wanted to express my feelings about MS and the values that the disease has brought me. Should there be a cure today, I would much rather opt for the continuance of this illness. Reward and treasures are mine that I could obtain nowhere else.

We are pleased to present a guest post by PatientsLikeMe member Jasmine (Jazz1982), who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in her mid-twenties.  Don’t miss this beautiful essay about the commonalities between all patients who have lost functionality – regardless of how different their conditions might seem.

I recently met someone that happened to be just like me but not in the way that I expected. I’m currently doing my master’s thesis and was interviewing an occupational therapist who had had a stroke herself. Her name is Lena, she’s 55 years old and not only has she had one stroke, but four of them. You might think this had made her “disabled,” but as with a lot of people I meet that have a chronic illness, it has only enabled her even further and made her more determined. The interview was supposed to last a maximum of 30 minutes but lasted three hours. We just couldn’t stop talking.

At this point I think I should introduce myself. My name is Jasmine, I’m 29 years old and I have multiple sclerosis (MS). To a layman’s ears, this would mean that on a random basis I lose one or more functionalities, and with medication, I might gain one or more functions back or maybe not. I’ve been one of the lucky ones, and I’ve gained almost all functionality back. A big thank you to my neurologist and rehabilitation team for helping me reach this point, and it’s a very happy point.

I’ve always been on the look out for someone just like me, give or take a few symptoms, only I was never been able to find that certain someone. That is, until Lena. I can’t say for sure how it all started but we started asking about each others’ symptoms, and I found out that she was on an MS drug for fatigue. This at first took me by surprise, an MS drug used for people who’ve had a stroke? What is this black magic that she speaks of? She went onto say that it has worked wonders for her and has made it possible for her to continue working. Then it hit me like a meteor:  we might have different labels that cause our symptoms, but what difference does it make if I’m fatigued or she is? It’s all listed under the category of fatigue, and if the medicine works for me, why not for her?

The more we shared, the more fascinating the other became. We first started off with similar symptoms and then diverged into our more “unique” ones and between the both of us there were a couple of doozies! I’ll give one of mine as an example – a time came where I could not recognize faces and explaining that to people was an impossible task as they could not relate to it so I simply avoided people altogether. She has never been through it, but the basic understanding of losing a functionality that is invisible to everyone else but you is a loss that once experienced makes it familiar. Basically, monkey suffers, monkey feels.

The repercussions of this had a larger than life effect on me and saved me many a session on the therapist’s couch. Amazingly, through the exchange of our uniquely individual symptoms that were incomprehensible to the rest of the world, and after years of feeling like an outsider, I suddenly felt “normal.” Imagine that, me normal!

I’ve always been the outsider, and now I suddenly felt like I wasn’t alone.

We have this idea that only someone that has the same disease knows what we’re going through, and I can not find that to be true anymore. I believe that we are on this Earth to connect with one another, despite age, color, race or disease. Being sick is merely another factor added to the matrix of connecting with others. We’re all people bringing our unique mix of genes, environment and strategies to the table of life. It sounds like it makes things more complicated, but to me, it has widened my net and simplified things. I don’t need to categorize and filter people and go through a checklist. All of that melts away into one question: “Does he/she get it?’” Simple, tried and tested on many a person, and I would highly recommend you try it as well.

So, the take-home message would be: talk to others. They don’t have to have the same disease to know what you’re going through, they just need the basics and the understanding. And I know that everyone out there can find someone out there that is just like you. Happy hunting!

These words are dedicated to Lena, thank you!

A big thanks to Jasmine for sharing her poignant revelation with all of us.  Stay tuned for more guest posts by our amazing patients!

In Part I of our interview, we learned how Dee came to write The Dumbest Things Smart People Say to Folks with MS, how PatientsLikeMe’s MS Community was a critical part of her research and, most importantly, her “top three dumbest things” not to say.

Today we find out more about Dee’s personal journey with multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as what it’s like to be a life coach to MS patients.  Don’t miss this insightful interview with an MS patient who has focused her life around other MS patients.

You’re a life coach with a specialty in MS patients.  Tell us what kind of obstacles you see your MS clients facing – and ultimately overcoming.

I’ve always found it comforting, as do my clients, to know that we face similar obstacles. Since there are a lot of similarities I’ve developed a three-stage program to give us the structure we need to overcome the obstacles and live our best lives with MS: Regroup, Realign and Reinvent.

First, we’ve got to regroup. Consider Laurie. After her diagnosis there was so much happening: her grief, her family’s grief, recovering from optic neuritis and the steroids, learning how to give herself injections, deciding who she should and shouldn’t inform about her illness, trying different medications for different symptoms, dealing with the Dumb Things people said to her.

For Laurie, for most of us, this was a traumatic, overwhelming time. We dedicated an entire coaching session to regrouping. In other words, understanding every new obstacle in her life and creating a plan to take care of it. It wasn’t easy, but I’d been through it too, so Laurie knew she could depend on me to see her through. For my clients it’s a kind of “getting your feet back on the ground” stage, where I teach them how to move out of “overwhelm” to a sense of control. It’s a skill they can use for the rest of their lives.

In the first stage we’ve made a conscious effort to understand what living with MS means for us. In the second stage we realign to our new reality. The sooner, the better. When your car starts pulling or drifting away from a straight line, you know it’s out of alignment. When we begin learning to living with MS, we’re out of alignment. Without realizing it our minds drift to the dreams and the expectations we’ve always had. We’ve got to realign the way we look at the world, to let go of all our dreams and expectations in order to clear a space for stage three.

For Dave this was particularly challenging. Like Dave, often my client’s “story” has blocked his or her ability to realign. When Dave and I began coaching he focused on how this was “not where I’m supposed to be at 40 years old.” He focused on all the terrible things his ex-wife had done to him since the diagnosis, on all his mistakes, on everything that had already happened. He needed to realign. Simply put: don’t look back. I guide my clients to make a seismic shift by taking power away from their past.

When my clients have regrouped, they understand their disease and what needs to be done. When they realign, they let go of the past. In the process of realigning they learn that the quicker they let go of yesterday, the faster they can reinvent their new lives with MS…and the faster I help them create their new dreams and plans for a great life. This is much more an opportunity than an obstacle. And there is one tool my clients either love or hate but either way they’re always amazed at how well it works. They start living by this rule: “Don’t complain.  Ask for what you want.”

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your own MS journey?

That I had to change my definition of success. Before I was diagnosed, I had a rather cookie-cutter definition of success, with my plans lined up like a stack of dominoes. I’d get married, have kids, live in my dream house and be a strong, independent woman. I’d be a great wife, mother and professor. I’d entertain, have lots of friends, stay in great shape, play tennis. I had so many dominoes lined up that I could have tiled the kitchen floor.

And in slow motion, each domino crashed into the next. I’d get so tired that if I were starving and a plate of food was across the room I wouldn’t be able to get it. No energy meant no children, no travel, no job and no dinner parties. My herb garden shriveled. No more tennis because after a MS exacerbation I couldn’t see the ball. Stay in shape? I was so depressed I ate myself into stretch pants and [my husband] Scott’s t-shirts. Not such a great wife, family member, or any other role I’d envisioned. For a long time I just tried to stay sane and protect my energy level. It was not pretty.

I had to let go of my dreams and redefine success. Now it isn’t about the destination, it’s about the journey. I have had to become more like a pilot. While the flight plan is essential, the pilot has to continually monitor the weather, wind direction, wind speed, and make corrections along the way. Eighty percent of the time it’s about gauging the situation and making corrections. Success for someone like me who is living with MS, an unpredictable and debilitating disease, involves a lot of corrections to bring myself back on course. It’s been one heck of a flight to get here.

We kicked off MS Awareness Month by sharing some key facts we’ve learned from our MS community (26,000+ members and counting).  Now, we are digging a bit deeper in honor of MS Awareness Week.  You’ve already heard about common MS symptoms as well as frequent topics in our MS forum.  But what it is really like to live with MS – and how does MS impact not just those diagnosed with the disease, but all of us?

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has put together a video showing all of the ways MS impacts individuals, families and society.  For example, did you know that MS costs the US economy $28 billion each year?   Or the average MS patient $69,000 per year?  Another startling fact is that the average person with MS leaves the workforce 10 years after diagnosis.  (Most are diagnosed in their 20s and 30s).  Check out the video above to discover more about how MS impacts you, even if you don’t know anyone with the condition.

As for an accurate picture of life with MS, the best descriptions come from those who know best – MS patients.  In a recent discussion in our MS forum, patients asked each other what one word they think best sums up life with this chronic, often disabling disease of the central nervous system.  What were their responses?  Here is a word cloud illustrating 30+ answers submitted by our community.

Putting words together in a full portrait, below is a poem by friendinflare, a three-star MS member who has lived with MS for 10 years.  Not only does she depict some of the issues MS patients face, but she also speaks to the relief that comes from sharing your experiences with others like you.  (At PatientsLikeMe, you can share treatment and symptom data, status updates, private messages, forum discussions and much more.)

In early November, I discovered a website.
A place where MS’rs can talk about our plight.
Our symptoms are as varied as our usernames.
There are threads for information, advice and even games.
We have legs of jello, vision that’s blurred,
And limbs that tremble from damaged nerves.
We still remain hopeful – but no one’s been cured.
“Daily injections will help” our doctors have reassured.
Our fatigue gets so bad we are glued to our beds,
We have cognitive issues from lesions in our heads.
Most don’t understand us, we’re a breed of our own.
We talk everyday without picking up a phone.
Our computers are a lifeline to hope,
Letting us talk with MS’rs from all over the globe.
Even though fights can break out at lightning speed,
Members always support those in need.
Here’s to everyone at PatientsLikeMe.

Getting a clearer picture of MS?  Good – but there’s even more to come.  Stay tuned for our two-part interview with an MS patient who authored a book called “The Dumbest Things Smart People Say to Folks with MS.”

March is National MS Education and Awareness Month (NMEAM), an initiative of the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation (MSF) to raise awareness for this chronic neurological disease affecting the brain, spinal cord and optic nerves.

This year’s theme is “At Your Best with MS,” encouraging the more than 2.5 million people with MS worldwide to seek the best quality of life possible.  This means different things to different people as MS varies widely in severity, with approximately 15% of those diagnosed becoming severely disabled.  It could include adhering to a treatment regimen, eating healthy, keeping fit, developing a support network and/or maintaining good emotional health.

It could also refer to nurturing hobbies and interests.  That’s why the MSF has launched the “Show Us Your Best” contest, which calls for creative submissions (such as poems, essays, photo collages, videos, songs and more) demonstrating how people are raising awareness of MS.  The deadline for entry is March 31st, and the grand prize winner will win a cruise for two on MSF’s 2013 “Cruise for a Cause” to Alaska.

With 26,000+ members, the MS community at PatientsLikeMe is one of our largest.  Approximately 80% of the MS community is female (reflecting the fact that MS is at least 2-3 times more common in women than men), and slightly more than half have the relapsing-remitting form of the disease (RRMS).  We also have 1,400+ patients with primary progressive MS (PPMS), 2,200+ with secondary progressive MS (SPMS) and 580+ with progressive relapsing MS (PRMS).

Some of the most commonly reported MS symptoms in our community include bladder problems, brain fog, excessive daytime sleepiness and stiffness/spasticity.  What are our members taking for these issues – as well as for MS itself?  From disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) like Copaxone, Avonex and Tysabri to steroids like Prednisone to symptom-specific medications like Baclofen and Modafinil, our members have submitted hundreds of evaluations for nearly all available treatment options.  (Click on each drug name above to find out how they rate the effectiveness, side effects, cost and more.)

Our members are not only sharing their experiences with treatments and symptoms on their PatientsLikeMe profiles – they’re also chatting about them.  A lot.  To date, the MS forum room has over 786,000 posts! Some of the most frequently used forum tags are CCSVI (“The Liberation Procedure”), Low Dose Naltexone (LDN), SSDI (Disability Insurance), Fatigue, “LimboLand” and Research.  (Click on each category to see what patients are saying about the topic.)

Piqued by all the knowledge found in our MS community?  This is just the the tip of the iceberg – and the kickoff of our MS coverage this month.  Stay tuned for more about what our MS members are sharing and learning during MS Awareness Week (March 10-17th), organized by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PatientsLikeMe Continues Report Series on Real-World Patient Experiences with Multiple Sclerosis Medications

CAMBRIDGE, MA – November 3, 2011 – In the second report of a series on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disease modifying therapies (DMTs), PatientsLikeMe reveals that MS patients perceive Copaxone as having comparable efficacy and tolerability profiles to the interferon therapies Avonex and Rebif.  However, all three medications are perceived as trailing in efficacy and tolerability to Gilenya, Tysabri and Betaseron.  In the report’s analysis of 3,200+ patient conversations about MS DMTs from January-June this year, PatientsLikeMe also finds that Copaxone is perceived as safer than other MS DMTs.

“Patients’ sharing of their Copaxone experience may adversely affect its demand as a first line therapy since patients are becoming more influential in their treatment decisions,” says David S. Williams III, Chief Marketing Officer at PatientsLikeMe. “What has become clear through these reports is that real-world evidence will have a major impact on relative pricing for MS DMTs and play an increasingly important role in access decisions.”

This 46-page report – entitled “Does Copaxone patient experience in the real world justify its value?” – quantitatively and qualitatively analyzes 4,100+ MS patients with experience using Copaxone.  Other report sections include:

• The Patient Voice in Treatment Discussions: Copaxone was discussed in 25% of all patient conversations about MS DMTs.
• Copaxone Efficacy and Side Effects: Of the 1,100+ MS patient evaluations on Copaxone’s efficacy and side effects, 30% reported experiencing “moderate” to “major” efficacy, while 26% reported “moderate” to “severe” side effects.
• Copaxone Price vs. Value: Is this medication appropriately priced compared to other MS DMTs given real-world evidence regarding efficacy and side effects?

The report is available for purchase at http://partners.patientslikeme.com/copaxone-report; a free abstract is available for download.

Note to Editor:  All data cited from this report must be sourced as originating from PatientsLikeMe®

About PatientsLikeMe

PatientsLikeMe® (www.patientslikeme.com) is the world’s leading online health data sharing platform. PatientsLikeMe® creates new knowledge by charting the real-world course of disease through the shared experiences of patients. While patients interact to help improve their outcomes, the data they provide helps researchers learn how these diseases act in the real world and accelerate the discovery of new, more effective treatments. [Follow company news on www.twitter.com/PatientsLikeMe and http://blog.patientslikeme.com]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TWO OUT OF THREE PATIENTS REPORT DISCONTINUING TYSABRI WITHOUT DOCTORS’ ADVICE

PatientsLikeMe Releases First in Series of Reports on Real-World Patient Experiences with Top Multiple Sclerosis Drugs

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — September 22, 2011 — In the first report of a series on Multiple Sclerosis (MS) disease modifying therapies(DMTs), PatientsLikeMe reveals that nearly two-thirds (64%) of patients who report discontinuing the use of Tysabri (n=323) did not cite “doctor’s advice” as a reason. “Side effects too severe” and “did not seem to work” topped the other reasons cited by patients. The report goes on to reveal that patients stop Tysabri due to side effect severity less frequently than patients who discontinue other DMTs for that same reason.  The PatientsLikeMe report is the first of five in a series focusing on how patients are experiencing and evaluating DMTs in the real world.

“People with MS and other conditions have become much more than just consumers of prescription medications, they are now customers who wield a high level of influence on treatment decisions,” says David S. Williams III, Chief Marketing Officer at PatientsLikeMe. “The goal is maximizing health outcomes for patients.  Clinicians can use the real-world insights from this report to collaborate better with patients in treatment planning while manufacturers can use them to better design adherence programs to reduce inappropriate discontinuation.”

This 40-page report — titled “Does Tysabri patient experience in the real world justify its value?” — analyzes the experiences of more than 12,000 MS patients who are taking, or have taken, Tysabri or other DMTs.  In the report, PatientsLikeMe evaluates:

• Tysabri Price vs. Value: Is this drug appropriately priced given real-world evidence regarding efficacy and side effects?
• The Patient Voice in Treatment Discussions: Of the 4,083 patient conversations mentioning one or more MS DMTs from January-June this year, Tysabri commanded 27% share of patient voice.  What percentage of Tysabri-related discussions were focused on progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) or JCV (John Cunningham virus) antibodies?
• Efficacy and Side Effects: More than half (55%) of the 500 Multiple Sclerosis patients who have taken and evaluated Tysabri experienced “moderate” to “major” efficacy compared to interferon therapies which average 33% moderate to major efficacy.

The report is available for purchase at http://partners.patientslikeme.com/tysabri; a free abstract is available for download.

Note to Editor:  All data cited from this report must be sourced as originating from PatientsLikeMe®.

About PatientsLikeMe

PatientsLikeMe® (www.patientslikeme.com) is the world’s leading online health data sharing platform. PatientsLikeMe® creates new knowledge by charting the real-world course of disease through the shared experiences of patients. While patients interact to help improve their outcomes, the data they provide helps researchers learn how these diseases act in the real world and accelerate the discovery of new, more effective treatments. [Follow company news on Twitter and the PatientsLikeMe blog.]

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Do you suffer from nerve sensitivity – or a feeling akin to pins and needles?  Known clinically as paresthesia, this uncomfortable sensation if often described as a tingling, pricking and/or creeping feeling.  For some people with nerve sensitivity, it can be painful for clothing to touch your skin.  Although there is no objective causes, nerve sensitivity is usually associated with injury or irritation of a sensory nerve or nerve root.

At PatientsLikeMe, where more than 130,000 patients are sharing their experiences with all types of treatments including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs and supplements, 36 patients current report experiencing nerve sensitivity.  Their primary health conditions range from multiple sclerosis (MS) to fibromyalgia to complex regional pain syndrome type 1.  What can we learn from their experience?  Quite a bit, actually, thanks to PatientsLikeMe’s unique data-sharing platform.

For example, this symptom has a major impact on daily life, as more than two thirds rate their nerve sensitivity as severe (12 patients) or moderate (18 patients).  What are they doing to cope?  Some of the commonly reported treatments for nerve sensitivity include Potassium, Gabapentin, Neurontin and Zonisamide.  (Click on each treatment name to see how our patients rate the effectiveness, side effects, cost and more.)

JOIN PATIENTSLIKEME TODAY

Are you living with nerve sensitivity?  Don’t go it alone.  Join PatientsLikeMe and add your experiences to our growing body of knowledge.  Then, stay to exchange advice and support, research common treatments and learn from other patients like you.

Looking for a place to research or share your experiences with InterStim Therapy side effects?  You’ve come to the right place.  At PatientsLikeMe, more than 125,000 patients are sharing their experiences with all types of treatments, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, supplements and procedures.

Manufactured by Medtronic, the InterStim Therapy System is surgically implanted device designed to help patients reduce the number of urinary and bowel accidents.  It is FDA-approved for patients with urinary or fecal incontinence who have failed to respond to, or could not tolerate, more conservative treatments.  How exactly does it work?  An implanted neurostimulator delivers an electrical pulse to the sacral nerve, which controls the bladder and anal sphincter.  This pulse is sent via a handheld programmer.

During the clinical trial that found InterStim Therapy could reduce bowel accidents by half (and in some patients, restore full continence of bowel movements), reported InterStim Therapy side effects included infection, pain at the site, “pins and needles” and the neurostimulator breaking through the skin.  But what about in the real world?  That’s where PatientsLikeMe comes into play.

According to the six treatment evaluations of InterStim Therapy submitted by PatientsLikeMe members (10 of whom currently report using the device), reported side effects included “bladder problems,” “annoying sensation” and “bowel incontinence.” Three patients rated the side effects as “Mild,” while three others reported no side effects.

Curious to hear more?  Here’s what three patients, all of whom report multiple sclerosis (MS) as their primary condition, had to say in the freeform section of their evaluation:

• “It has helped me! Aside from the surgery pain and the seizure I endured, I would have it implanted again.”

• “Taking the InterStim was an act of desperation. I was about twenty when my bladder started to fail. The leaking and frequency still continue to be a problem.”

• “The impact this device has had on my daily life is incredible. I truly feel this is the best thing I could ever have done for myself and my MS symptoms.”

JOIN PATIENTSLIKEME TODAY

Have you been implanted with an InterStim Therapy device?  Join PatientsLikeMe and add your experiences with InterStim effectiveness, side effects and more to our growing body of knowledge.  Then, stay to exchange advice and support, research common treatments and learn from other patients like you.

Solupred is an international brand of prednisolone, a widely prescribed corticosteroid that modifies the body’s immune response and decreases inflammation. It is used to treat a host of inflammatory and autoimmune health conditions, including multiple sclerosis (acute exacerbations), organ rejection, lupus, psoriasis, asthma and ulcerative colitis.

At PatientsLikeMe, where more than 120,000 patients are sharing their experiences with conditions, symptoms, treatments and more, two patients report using Solupred currently while 68 patients report using another form of prednisolone.  What can we learn from these patients’ experiences?  Quite a bit, actually, thanks to PatientsLikeMe’s unique data-sharing platform.  For example, the most commonly reported prednisolone duration amongst current users is two years or more, while the most commonly reported dosage at PatientsLikeMe is 5mg daily.

Wondering about Solupred side effects?  Some of the commonly reported side effects of prednisolone include weight gain, heart palpitations, insomnia, dry eyes and abdominal bloating.  Check out the 22 treatment evaluations of prednisolone (the generic form of Solupred) submitted by our patients to gain even more insight.

JOIN PATIENTSLIKEME TODAY

Have you taken Solupred – or another brand of prednisolone?  Join PatientsLikeMe and add your experiences to our growing body of knowledge.  Then, stay to exchange advice and support, research common treatments and learn from other patients like you.