Combining ABCr drugs w/ Alternative Therapies

[alwaysbelieve]

Does anyone have any experience taking any of the conventional ABCr drugs with any alternative therapy and/or vitamin/mineral supplementation?

I plan to begin taking Copaxone and wanted to know your experiences...

Thank you for your responses.

Alwaysbelieve

[xo++]

Hi alwaysbelieve,

I began with alternative therapies after my first exacerbation, and after my diagnosis I added Copaxone.

I adopted a very low-fat diet supplemented with fish oil (omega-3 fatty acids) which is similar to what you might hear called "the Swank diet".

I also take a number of supplements: acetyl l-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, and vitamin d3 in the darker months of the year.

I also take Lipitor -- but I had high cholesterol so I had a non-MS reason for the prescription.

I really have little confidence in anecdotes, but for what little it's worth, after over ten years with MS, I have no disability, and have had no exacerbations in over four years.

If I were doing worse I would take other supplements (e.g. vinpocetine, grape seed extract, ginkgo biloba, curcumin, nicotinamide looks promising, etc.) -- some of these I used to take.

Good luck.

Mark

[Virginia]

Hi AlwaysBelieve, I take Rebif and I also take Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Calcium,
Magnesium and Vitamin D3.

I have had MS for at least 35 years, but was not diagnosed until 2000. By the time I was diagnosed I had already become symptomatic and slightly disabled.

However, unless things began to change for me I do not care to change my regimen.

Virginia

[Matt]

I was taking glucosamine and vitamin D in addition to Betaseron for a while. I have run out. I was doing well, and I am still doing well without the supplements too. I have no idea if they were helping me.

[BBS1951]

I use Swank Diet. I used to take avonex and used Swank while I was on Avonex. My personal experience is that Swank has helped with fatigue.

I also swim a mile a day. Mayo told me that exercise has anti-inflammatory properties (and it helps non MS stuff too such as heart, lungs, mood and so on).

[bluesky63]

When I was first diagnosed, I looked at the info on prognosis and figured that I really needed to do everything I could to balance the odds in my favor. Even if you think your prognosis is favorable, I still think, why take a chance? It makes sense to address this disease in as many ways as we can when there is so much at stake.

Here are a few basic approaches:

* disease-modifying drugs (ABCRs, etc.)

* selected supplements with actual research to back them up (acetyl L-carnitine, etc.)

* lifestyle (exercise, yoga, etc.)

* specific diet with research and evidence to back it up (low saturated fat, etc.)

Everyone takes the approach that makes sense individually. There's a "sticky" thread above with good info about a lot of this. Good luck with whatever you decide. :-)