Early treatment

Why is early treatment important in MS?

Taking a disease modifying therapy (DMT) can mean:

• fewer relapses
• less serious relapses 
• a slow down in how fast your disability and symptoms get worse

People on a DMT might see symptoms get better to some degree. These treatments can’t undo damage to nerves that’s already caused serious disability. But early treatment can stop this permanent damage from happening in the first place.

Starting MS treatment early is best but if you start later it can also have some benefits.

What did people used to think about treating MS?

When a person with MS has a relapse, they get new symptoms or old ones suddenly get worse. Symptoms then often go away (or ‘remit’). Afterwards come long periods of ‘remission’, when MS seems stable or no longer active. Doctors used to think that during these periods of ‘remission’, MS was no longer causing any damage. 

Thanks to MRI scans we can now see how MS can still be attacking someone’s nerves even when they’re in remission. 

This evidence changed our understanding of MS and how to treat it. Now people are offered a DMT within a few weeks of their diagnosis. Doctors no longer wait for more relapses to happen. Instead treatment now begins quickly. This helps stop a build-up over time of damage to the body. 

What does this mean for me?

If you'd like to explore your treatment options, speak to your neurologist or MS nurse. They’ll help you decide what's right for you.

If you don't have a neurologist or MS nurse, speak to your GP. They can’t give you a DMT themselves, but they’ll refer you to a neurologist who can.

Talking to your MS specialist about treatments

Official guidelines say you should be seen by someone who's a specialist in MS at least once a year. This is to talk about your care and treatment. This annual review is usually with a neurologist. But for some people it might be with an MS nurse. If it doesn't happen, ask your GP or a member of your MS team if you can have this annual review. 

When you see your MS specialist, it’s easy to forget questions that were on your mind. We've developed a checklist. It will help you get the most from your appointments.

Use our talking about treatments checklist

Newly diagnosed?

When you've recently been told you have MS, there's a lot to take in. Our newly diagnosed emails can help you go through it and make sense of living well with MS.

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