What’s interesting to me is that most trials for medications have a cut off at 55 years old. I would like for them to include older ages . Unfortunately, they can’t risk it because our immune systems get weaker and cannot handle the immune suppression from strong DMTs as well. I think that plays a role in why doctors recommend people stop after a certain age .

Here's why

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) does not have a predictable or guaranteed "natural" slow-down point based purely on time or aging. Instead, clinical research shows that MS progression often shifts or changes character later in life due to broader immunological shifts, though overall disability can continue to accumulate or plateau differently depending on the individual.

How MS Changes With Age and Time

• Shift in Inflammation: Acute, immune-driven relapses (common in younger adults with relapsing-remitting MS) tend to decrease over time as the immune system naturally mellows (immunosenescence).
• Low-Grade Progression: Even as acute flare-ups slow down, a chronic, low-grade progression or "smoldering MS" (sometimes called progression independent of relapse activity, or PIRA) can persist or gradually take over.
• Age Milestones: Research notes that immunologic shifts toward chronic low-grade inflammation often become more prominent after age 45, and disability landmarks or steady transitions happen over multi-decade windows (with median timelines to significant disability spanning around 30+ years from initial onset).
• Not "Cured" by Aging: Older age does not automatically mean the disease stops; older-onset MS or long-standing disease can still accumulate functional changes, and age-related physical decline or other health conditions (comorbidities) can mimic or compound MS symptoms.
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Research on How Aging Affects MS | National MS Society
Immunological Changes: Shift from acute attacks in youth to chronic low-grade inflammation (immunosenescence) and progressive disability after age 45. Biologica...
Reddit·r/MultipleSclerosis
Will ms inevitably be progressive over time?
June 11, 2023 — Effectiveness of Disease-Modifying Therapies (DMTs): Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) are effective in preventing damage from relapses and new lesions, which ...
Overcoming MS
How Does MS Progress? Understanding MS Progression
Progression: Relapsing course follows chronic progression in 80% of cases within 20 years; men progress 38% more quickly than women; primary progressive MS (PPM...
Everyday Health
How Age Affects Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms and Progression
Aug 11, 2026 — How Age at Diagnosis Affects Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms and Progression * Age at Diagnosis and MS Progression The thinking used to be that MS progressed more q...

Ok, I get it . BasicallY due to your age , you look so young in your picture. I have read other posts from people who were advised to stop taking medication because of thar. The immune system weakens and the disease slows down. Good for you !!! You are awesome, you must be very happy with that news from your neurologist.

My neurologist, who has MS, put an 85 YO patient on Mavenclad. Personally, I think we all have smoldering MS that’s too mild to appear on an MRI. I think we smolder at different rates. That’s why we develop symptoms while having NEDA. Just my opinion. I was officially diagnosed in 2002 and I have yet to find a medication that fits me. Good luck in your decision.

I never went the dmt way. I decided I wanted to go the change in lifestyle. It was the best decision I’ve ever made. Got the best treatment with no side effects, thankfully!