Lemrtrada Risks Were Worth It For One Recent Patient

One Lemtrada patient journey is indicative of why patients are willing to risk their lives when taking Lemtrada treatments

Wednesday, April 14, 2021 - Relapse Remitting Multiple Sclerosis is so insidious a condition that people are willing to risk their lives to find relief. Multiple Sclerosis News Today interviewed a Lemtrada patient to get his perspective on whether it was worth taking the drug. Lemtrada is to be given only to those relapse remitting multiple sclerosis patients in the most advanced stage and only after all other potent disease-modifying drugs have been tried and failed. Lemtrada carries life-threatening side effects of having a stroke or heart attack within 72-hours of the infusion, and also even more serious long-term side effects. Lemtrada is a form of chemotherapy that works by ablating B- and T-cells that make up the immune system intending to have them regenerate normally. If the cells mutate when they grow back they can attack healthy cells leading to catastrophic autoimmune system complications. According to MS Trust, "Lemtrada suppresses the immune system for some time after a treatment course so people will be more vulnerable to infections such as colds and viruses. To reduce the risk of herpes infections, antiviral medication should be taken starting from the first day of infusion and continued for at least one month." This is why patients a Lemtrada infusion can take up to six hours as the precautionary injections are allowed to take effect.

The Lemtrada patient reported experiencing severe complications such as fatigue that came and went for about six months after his second and final treatment. "I also had a bout of strep throat, a urinary tract inflection, and severe leg pain. A common cold that should have lasted about three days lasted three weeks.

Serious side effects also can occur, including thyroid problems, which are the most common," the patient told Multiple Sclerosis News Today. All in all, however, the patient was extremely pleased with the Lemtrada results. "My follow-up report three years after the second round of infusions is excellent," he said. The patient told MSNT that he stopped having brain legions, his finger dexterity improved, and that he was able to walk faster. He was experiencing less frequent bathroom interruptions and consequently sleeping much better, a full seven or eight hours per night. He also reported more regular bowel movements which he credited to adding to the overall quality of his days. "There's no doubt in my mind that despite the valleys, curves, and bumps of the past, my Lemtrada journey has been a trip worth taking."

While this particular Lemtrada experience was outstanding, it was the exception to the rule. Lemtrada patients may experience arterial dissection, a tear in the lining of an artery, leading to having a stroke or heart attack either immediately or shortly afterward. A cerebral arterial dissection can occur in the carotid artery in the neck and cause blood to clot and potentially cause a stroke.

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