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| Return to: OCREVUS (ocrelizumab) | |
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| #Post#: 2491-------------------------------------------------- | |
| My doctor thinks I should start taking Ocrevus | |
| By: ewizabeth Date: April 26, 2019, 3:27 pm | |
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| I've been off Aubagio for six months and my leg weakness seems | |
| to be getting worse. My energy levels are worse as well. I'll be | |
| getting a new MRI of the brain next week and the neuro is giving | |
| me EMG tests in my legs as well (not sure what that's for) but | |
| I'm still having a lot of back and leg pain too. It will be | |
| interesting to see if Medicare approves the Ocrevus. They denied | |
| my injectable B12 last week and that's only $8 per month. I | |
| guess I'll find out. | |
| #Post#: 2492-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: My doctor thinks I should start taking Ocrevus | |
| By: agate Date: April 27, 2019, 8:03 pm | |
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| I always have a problem with wondering about MS drugs when | |
| people say they stopped taking one and then got worse, whereas | |
| while they were taking the drug, they seemed stable. | |
| I wonder about them because MS can have that kind of course even | |
| without any drugs. It can be stable for years and then suddenly | |
| it starts getting worse. How to know whether the worsening these | |
| people notice after stopping an MS drug wouldn't have happened | |
| anyway? | |
| The MS drugs have been shown to be helpful for a fair percentage | |
| of people with MS, particularly if they're still having | |
| relapses. If you aren't having relapses any more, it looks more | |
| and more as if no MS drug will be nearly as likely to benefit | |
| you. | |
| About Medicare coverage, there should be a number to call to | |
| find out about whether your situation would include coverage for | |
| Ocrevus, but getting information about any medical coverage can | |
| be an involved process. It may be one you'll need to go through | |
| unless the prescribing doctor's office is willing to help you. | |
| They might even find out for you and spare you all of the | |
| calling. | |
| Good luck with the MRI and the EMG testing!There is this about | |
| EMG: | |
| https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/treatment-tests-and-therapies/electromyo… | |
| #Post#: 2493-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: My doctor thinks I should start taking Ocrevus | |
| By: ewizabeth Date: April 28, 2019, 12:55 pm | |
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| I have noticed that there seems to be fewer people disabled now | |
| than there was years ago, largely in part because of treatment | |
| availability. | |
| My neurologist is a local guy with two offices and he's very | |
| busy. He doesn't make a lot of money from the drug companies | |
| like my first one did. Dr Wynn, the first one was making about a | |
| million dollars per year from the drug companies the last time I | |
| checked (though he conducts clinical trials too.) Dr Ta, the | |
| current one made around twenty thousand. I don't think he's | |
| pushing people to take medicines unless it really seems | |
| necessary. He was ok with me stopping meds until I started | |
| getting worse again. My fatigue is pretty bad, my walking is | |
| worse and legs weaker (might be related to my back?) and I had | |
| to add another AD for my mood. I suppose the MRI will tell us | |
| something? | |
| I've been looking at some Ocrevus groups online, those not | |
| managed by the drug company, and most seem to be doing pretty | |
| well without side effects. | |
| I guess I'll wait and see what the MRI shows and then think | |
| about it some more. | |
| #Post#: 2494-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: My doctor thinks I should start taking Ocrevus | |
| By: agate Date: April 29, 2019, 1:45 am | |
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| Dr. Ta's twenty thousand is still a lot of money but looks | |
| paltry alongside the other doctor's million. I hope the MRI | |
| will provide some answers. | |
| I have a neuro who is fairly young but she seems willing to let | |
| me decide, and she has a good sense for when to back off, I | |
| think. | |
| #Post#: 2586-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: My doctor thinks I should start taking Ocrevus | |
| By: ewizabeth Date: July 17, 2019, 10:52 am | |
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| I did a Google search for Ocrevus and your forum was one of the | |
| first pages of links Agate. :) | |
| Well I started Ocrevus a week ago. I had the first half-dose. It | |
| went well, better than expected. My only reaction was a slight | |
| headache and that was likely from the steroids. They gave me a | |
| 250 mg drip, a long saline drip, extra strength Tylenol and 25 | |
| mg of Benadryl. I felt tired the first night when I got home but | |
| I kept drinking lots of water to help flush my system. The next | |
| day I felt wonderful from the steroids. I had no pains, lots of | |
| energy and a good mood. I got a lot of little jobs done around | |
| the house. The second day I was wiped out, sat around all day, | |
| tired as usual, and the third day all of my pain was back, | |
| business as usual. | |
| Yesterday I had another good day like the day after the | |
| infusion. I even worked out in the yard for 90 minutes in the | |
| sun, heat, and humidity. I pulled lots of weeds and tended to | |
| the garden. | |
| I get the second half dose next Wednesday, two weeks after the | |
| first. After that I'll be on the six month schedule. I'm really | |
| hopeful that this might even make me feel better. | |
| I'm wondering if it has a whole body effect on inflammation when | |
| it wipes out the B cells. Because I've noticed an improvement in | |
| my IBS symptoms over that past few days. | |
| #Post#: 2589-------------------------------------------------- | |
| Re: My doctor thinks I should start taking Ocrevus | |
| By: agate Date: July 17, 2019, 11:02 am | |
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| Sounds as if this went well! Being able to do 90 minutes of | |
| yard work in the hot sun--that's amazing. | |
| I hope the second dose goes well too! | |
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