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mangohealth · 7 years ago

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Is It Time To Switch To A New Medicine? 5 Tips To Help You Decide

New medications and therapies often take time to be effective. So how do you know if they’re working … or if you should switch to a new medicine? Multiple sclerosis advocates Dan and Jennifer Digmann share some considerations to help you decide if it’s time to try a new therapy.

It’s important to stay informed about available options and to be your own best advocate when it comes to making treatment decisions—especially if it involves changing your medication.

When we watch TV each night, we’re often faced with advertising spots for prescription medications. The same is true as we flip through our favorite magazines. The commercials usually don’t pertain to us or our medical condition. But every now and then, they do. And we can’t help but take notice.

“Maybe one of us should try this new drug,” we wonder. “What if it would be more effective than the ones we’re currently taking?”

There is much to consider when determining what medicine or therapy is the best one for you. Having lived with multiple sclerosis for nearly 20 years, both of us have changed prescriptions several times.

So how do you know when it’s time to change medicine or therapy? Here are five ideas to help you to determine whether now is the right time to talk with your doctor about changing how you treat your chronic illness — or if it’s best to stay on your current course.

Cause and (side) effects

Think of the previously mentioned drug advertisements, and how much of them focus on the possible side effects. You know, things like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, dizziness, headaches, and so on. If you find yourself with such misery-inducing side effects, talk with your doctor about whether another drug could achieve your objectives with fewer side effects..

No medication will work if you don’t take it consistently, so consider whether a particular medication regimen works with your lifestyle.

The proof is in the pudding Don’t delay switching treatments if your medicine is clinically failing you -- perhaps even making your health worse. Dan, for instance, was taking one MS medicine for nearly a year. But when his MRI showed an alarming increase in lesions on his brain, his neurologist immediately switched him to a new medication.

Sometimes you don't even need test results, though. The proof is right in front of you: you can clearly see the medicine is no longer working. When Jennifer began to have difficulty walking, as an example, she chose to switch to a more aggressive treatment in hopes of slowing her disease progression.

More than the next, new thing

New drugs consistently are being introduced and approved, and there always is the thought, “What if this is the one that will make a difference?” We’ve been thinking about this a lot following the FDA’s approval of Ocrevus. It’s the first medicine approved to treat progressive forms of the disease, which Jennifer has, but it’s also approved for relapsing forms, which Dan has.

When we were diagnosed with MS, there were only three disease-modifying drugs available to slow the progression of our MS. Now, nearly two decades later, there are at least 13 from which to choose. As with any medicine, do your homework and consult with your doctor to determine if the new drug truly is “the one” for you.

Annual costs for most MS medicines are around $80,000. Yikes! … For some medicines, the out-of-pocket costs just aren’t worth it.

Show me the money Prescription medications, especially new ones, can come with very high price tags. For example, annual costs for most MS medicines are around $80,000. Yikes! Thankfully, many insurance and pharmaceutical foundations help to make these important treatments more affordable.

But for some medicines, the out-of-pocket costs just aren’t worth it. Jennifer is taking a medication that is supposed to enhance and sustain her energy levels, for instance, and it does. Sometimes. But with mixed results and a monthly bill of $75, she wonders if it’s worth the cost.

Make sure it fits your schedule

No medication will work if you don’t take it consistently, so consider whether a particular medication regimen works with your lifestyle. A member of our MS self-help group, who was consumed with being a high school English teacher, mother of two teenagers, and loving wife found that taking a disease-modifying injection every other day was a struggle. After looking into other options and consulting with her doctor, she is now taking a daily oral pill to fight her MS. It better suits her schedule.

Vigilance is key to fighting your disease. Medication often can help in this battle, but it only can do so much. It’s important to stay informed about available options and to be your own best advocate when it comes to making treatment decisions — especially if it involves changing your medication. Your treatment won’t work, after all, if you don’t take it.

About the Authors

Dan and Jennifer Digmann met at a National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) event in 2002, were married in 2005, and have dedicated their lives to advocating for MS ever since. Since their wedding, Dan and Jennifer both earned graduate degrees from Central Michigan University and have shared their inspirational stories as guest speakers in cities throughout the United States. In 2015, they were inducted into the NMSS Volunteer Hall of Fame for Advocacy. They also write a nationally recognized blog and co-wrote the book, Despite MS, to Spite MS.

If you liked this post, you might also like: • Is It Time to Find a New Doctor? 5 Red Flags to Watch For • 12 Ways to Save Money on Health Care • Why It’s Important Not to be Shy at the Doctor’s Office

The posts on this blog are for information only. They are neither intended to substitute for a relationship with your doctor or other healthcare provider, nor do they constitute medical or healthcare advice of any kind. Any information in these posts should not be acted upon without consideration of primary source material and professional input from one’s own healthcare providers.

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