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Medication issues

2014, diagnosed with RRMS

1ST TREATMENT (TECFIDEIRA) MADE MY BLOOD SUGER LEVELS RISE, I STOPPED THIS MEDICATION AND BLOOD SUGER LEVELS QUICKLY RETURNED TO NORMAL, NO CHANGE TO DIET, EXERCISE OR INSULIN INJECTIONS, I AM TYPE 1 DIABETIC SINCE 2012.

2ND MEDICATION STARTED IMMEDIATEY AFTER STOPPING TECFIDEIRA WAS PLEDIGRY, AFTER 9 MONTHS I HAD TO STOP DUE TO TERRIBLE AND CONTINUED FLU SYSTEMS AFTER INJECTI8N, GOOD THING WAS MY BLOOD SUGAR READINGS WERE GOOD THROUGHOUT.

3RD MEDICATION I AM CURRENTOY USING IS CAPAXONE, BEEN ON IT FOR 3 MONTHS BUT OVER THE LAST 10 DAYS MY BLOOD SUGAR IS ON THE RISE, NOT AS BAD AS WITH TECFIDEIRA BUT I AM ALS8 BEING LAID LOW WITH TIREDNESS.

ANY THOUGHTS ON A MEDICATION THAT WILL KEEP FLU/TIREDNESS TO A MINIMUM WHILE NOT AFFECTING  BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS (IF IT IS THE MEDICATION I HAVE USED THAT CAUSES THIS), IT IS MY ONLY EXPLANATION.

JAZ
3 Responses
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Avatar universal
Wow and thanks, the replies open a whole new world of meeications for my RRMS.
I forgot to add, my diabetis is type 1, first diagnosed at the tender age of 52, four years ago. Thenconfirmed RRMS in 2014, but seems likely MS present in 2012 and perhaps before.
Finally, just to add to my complete health circle, way back sone 30 years ago I had a major op due to ulcerative colitis,  full blown end result a stoma, happened quick and op saved my life at the time.

In case u are wondering, apart from this, my health is good, hardly ever off work (op and recuperation of about 2 months apart).

Still just cant quite sort out my present issue, I am pretty confident if I stop my MS meds (capaxone) like the other (plegridy) my Blood sugar readings would be back to what they have been with less insulin intake (currently 15 units twice per day normally 10) until what I believe to be the Capaxone effect.

If only I had a specialist who dealt with not just one or the other on its own, no one appears to have this capacity, just a view on their own subject, but then some of the posts suggest there is more medical options out there ..
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Avatar universal
The comment received so far are very helpful.  So this reply is further thoughts, I really appreciate any further views/comments.

After 2 weeks of increased insulin, my blood sugar readings, while slightly improved are still high, my sore back is not disabling but more frequent during the day and probably worst of all, my mood swings are just not fair on the person most supportive and just there for me all tue time, my wife.

I am a competitive personl, I enjoyed keeping my blood sugar under control, looking tomeat a balansed diet, good exercise and recoding my blood sugar which for 4 years since being diagnosed has been good to excellent according to diabetic specialist.

I realise I am probably repeating myself, but following the same route with my RRMS, I want to follow doctors/neurologist orders, which at this juncture appear in (my words) appear to be:

No point to another MRI scan.
I am benign,  therefor medication is working, the side effects are just a side issue for me.
My choice, stop Capaxone medication or keep going.
Apparently, there is only one other form 8f medication I have not tried - Aubagio- which is apparently known to effect blood sugar, so is not recommended.

So my real question/ debate, take a risk of an increased likelihood of a relapse by stopping, however this somehow increasingly feels the right thing to do if it returns my blood sugars back to where they were and takes away some of the feelings I have with MS meds, if only there was a compromise on the 3 meds I have tried, Tecfidera def increased my blood sugar wihin to weeks of starting, as soon as I stopped, back to normal. Plegridy, blood sugar okay, but boy did it make me feel terrible (flu like after every injection, that was when I was awake) and now capaxone, blood sugar , while not good, not terrible, post injection, while not as bad as Plegridy or Tecfidera, it does effect blood sugar and does make me tired coupled with sore back, minor bladder issues and worst of all the return of mood swings, I was and still should be a fairly laid back positive person who still considers himself lucky in everything about my life/family/career even my health given the support I have had/receive.

Just a dilemma,  what to do for the best, it seems there is no simple/straightforward answer, or is there?

Jaz
Helpful - 0
1 Comments
The thing is, diabetes is not a static condition. My grandmother controlled her non-obesity-related type 2 through diet and oral medication for a couple of decades, but as she got older, insulin became a must. And as time wore on, increased insulin also became necessary. All this to simply illustrate that diabetes and its treatment also evolves. It's just very bad luck that you're having to navigate two such tricky conditions in tandem.

There are loads of other medications you haven't yet tried for MS, but I understand your exhaustion of the medication merry-go-round. You don't mention having tried any of the monoclonal antibody treatments or interferon treatments. One is on the modern frontlines (monoclonal antibodies) and the other is the 'old standbys" (the injectible interferons).

I personally wouldn't feel satisfied with a medical team that presented my options as an "either/or" scenario. It is possible to find a way to treat BOTH your diabetes and MS simultaneously. That's not the same thing as me saying it's not tricky, but you deserve better than to feel you have to choose between the two when it comes to treatment.

Also, if you have a neurologist using the term "benign MS", I'd either fire them or have a very serious talk with them. There's no such thing as benign MS. You can have periods of "no evidence of disease activity", but the MS is still there and still slowly progressing.
5112396 tn?1378017983
It seems unlikely that glatiramer acetate (Copaxone) would be the cause of the blood sugar rise as this is a new observation after a couple of months of use. Usually side effects are there from the start and get better. And this medication does have the mildest side effect profile that I know of.

Have you spoken to your GP or endocrinologist about this? Perhaps it's unrelated to your MS medication and strictly related to needing to reevaluate your diabetes medication. They would be the best ones to assess that issue, I'd think.

You've hit on a very important issue, Jaz. It can be tricky to clarify the overall medical picture when you have more than one condition going on. I think a lot of people with MS have the same struggle, whether it's blood pressure issues, back issues, mental health issues, etc. It's hard to know sometimes where one ends and the other begins and what's causing which symptoms.

Hopefully your medical team can get to the bottom of it. Let us know how you get on!
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
Thanks, I have spoke with my medical teams (×2 - diabetic clinic and MS specialist doctor).
In short, I am gong to increase my insulin by a couple of units per day, I am on very low dosage and all agree that the MS meds (Capaxone) are unlikely to effect blood sugar.
However another question has arisen, since diagnosed with RRMS in 2014 I have not had a relapse. My MS doctor has suggested continuing the current medication or stopping, I do have, as I have had with other meds, side effects like continued flu like symtoms, urges for toilet without warning, blood suger issues (possibly now resolved, time will tell), sore back which eases as I stretch/walk.
In short, I could stop the medication, concerned that I might be increasing the chance of a relapse or  keep taking medication which stragely makes me feel worse.

Any other thought, to stop or not to stop MS medication?

regards Jaz
Everything is risk/benefit. The MS drugs slow progression of MS. MS progression can happen silently with or with out symptoms. There are many drugs out there now. There were only 6 when I was diagnosed. You and your doctor have decide which one to try next. If you do nothing you risk progression. None of the drugs can promise you will not progress. But with out them it is like going down hill on skis with out ski poles.

If you do quit you have to ask yourself if I end up in a wheelchair will I be able live with my decision to not take the drugs? Once you are in a wheelchair you can't reverse the damage. You can get back on a drug and it can slow other damage but once the damage is done it is done. There is no right or wrong answer. I made the desicion to go off. My story is different I have had MS since 1965 and most of my damage took place the first five years and nothing has progressed since then. I was going to go on Tecfidera but I got cancer and was on chemo for over three years.

Then I had to make the decision to go off chemo because it no longer worked. Again we all have to look at the risk/benefit of any drug. I had more risk than benefit with the chemo.

It is about being educated.

Alex
Rituxan is a another drug. It is chemo so people are afraid of it. You do not lose your hair or anything. It is an infusion but I think every six months. I would do it before aubagio which has many issues. Rituxan is not new and they know the long term risks.I have many friends who really like it. I would be on it if I were on any of the drugs.
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