How can we support people with MS to manage their medications?
As well as taking disease modifying therapies, many people with MS take several different prescription medicines to manage their varied MS symptoms. In fact, more than half of people with MS take five or more medicines each day.
These are often prescribed by different doctors, with no one overseeing the full picture. And some medicines can cause side effects or worsen symptoms. For example, amitriptyline, commonly prescribed for nerve pain, can cause constipation and sleepiness.
Many people also use vitamins, supplements, or complementary treatments, which don’t always come with guidance on safety, like how they might interact with other medications.
This can lead to complex medication routines that are difficult to manage, particularly in the fact of symptoms like fatigue or cognitive problems.
About the project
We need to better understand how medicines are actually used in everyday life by people with MS, and what they find difficult or helpful. So we can help people with MS manage their medicines more safely and confidently.
In this project, Laura and her team are exploring what’s needed to design a programme to help people with MS manage their medicines.
Laura and her team will:
- Use anonymised health records from across England to look at which medicines people with MS are prescribed, how often multiple medicines are used together, and which groups are most affected.
- Review studies that help people with other long-term conditions, especially neurological conditions, to manage their medications, to see what approaches might work for MS.
- Visit 100 people with MS to talk about how they understand and use their medicines in everyday life, including prescribed medicines, over-the-counter products, vitamins and supplements.
- Interview people with MS, carers and healthcare professionals to understand their experiences, concerns and ideas about medicine use
- Bring these findings together in workshops with people with MS, carers and professionals to design a new medicine support programme
How will it help people with MS?
The findings from this project will help researchers design a programme that considers what matters most to people with MS and that can be delivered on the NHS. They hope to then test the programme in a future project.
An effective programme to help people with MS manage their medicines would give people:
- Clearer understanding of the benefits, risks and interactions of different medicines, including supplements
- Greater confidence in discussing medicines, supplements and side effects with healthcare professionals
Ultimately, the researchers hope this will improve quality of life for people living with MS.
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Join the Research Network
Our Research Network make sure all the research we fund reflects the needs and interests of people living with MS. And they help us talk about it in a way that’s accessible to everyone.
Anyone who lives with MS or cares for someone who does can get involved. It doesn't matter where in the UK you live or how much research experience you have.
