Great question! I agree with Barbm , only you can make that decision with your doctors advice. I wish you lots of luck !
August 6
I think that's something only you and your doctor can decide. I stopped mine at 68 or 69 but I was only on a DMT for a couple years. Some people get stressed about stopping and they probably shouldn't stop, since we all know stress is not good. I was not one of those people. My MRIs have been stable for at least 5 years. When my doctor mentioned stopping, I told her ok. I'm 72 now and age is causing me more problems than MS
August 6
What a great question to be asking at this stage of your MS journey — 18 years in and stable is something to feel good about! This is actually one of the most debated topics among MS specialists right now, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer.
Here's what current guidelines suggest for someone in your situation:
- At Show Full Answer
What a great question to be asking at this stage of your MS journey — 18 years in and stable is something to feel good about! This is actually one of the most debated topics among MS specialists right now, and there's no one-size-fits-all answer.
Here's what current guidelines suggest for someone in your situation:
- At age 70 with stable RMS, discontinuing a DMT may be worth discussing with your neurologist
- Guidelines suggest that people over 60 with no relapses and no new lesions on MRI may consider stopping their DMT
- Older adults may experience more side effects from DMTs and are often managing multiple medications
- DMTs can become less effective as the immune system naturally changes with age However, there are important cautions to keep in mind:
- Even one relapse at an older age can significantly increase the risk of worsened disability
- The ability to recover from relapses declines with age
- People with RRMS who stop DMTs have a lower chance of staying relapse-free compared to those with progressive MS
The decision really comes down to a shared conversation with your neurologist. Reviewing your recent MRI results, your disability score, and how well you've tolerated Ocrevus are all key parts of that discussion. If you do stop, regular follow-up MRIs would be essential to monitor for any returning activity.
Never stop a DMT without talking to your healthcare team first — but this is absolutely a conversation worth having!
August 5
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