The MS doctor wants me to go back on meds. Been dx'd for 6 years and was on Avonex for four years. I went off it b/c it lowered my WBC too much and I was sick all winter with colds/flu.

I was wondering, how is tysabri different than an interferon?

I don't want something that is going to lower my WBC. Does tysabri do that?

Here's a few suggestions:

1) Read the tysabri sticky at the top of the forum, there's a ton of information from current Tysabri users. It's a monoclonal antibody. Not an interferon or a glatimer acetate.

2) got to www.tysabri.com

3) go to http://www.tysabri.com/en_US/tysb/pdf/TYSABRI-pi.pdf which is the insert for tysabri that lists all the clinical trial data, the adverse reactions and contraindications.

Most everything you want to know about Ty is listed there. You can read through it and all your questions will be answered!

Many people have talked about their experiences in the sticky above which is what it's for...to help you with your questions.

A quick run through the prescribing information showed no indication of a low WBC. But, that doesn't mean it hasn't happened.

Thanks Av8rgirl. I was reading some of the ty posts but my eyes got tired. From the other websites I've read it says it does lower the WBC. I don't want to go on something that's gonna lower my WBC and leave me open to colds/flu.

I wouldn't think with it being an antibody it would lower the WBC.

I'm anemic right now so I don't know if I could even go on it until they get my blood count up and keep it up.

Thanks for your response.

Hi Baxter,

I don't know how Ty would lower your WBC...

As for the anemia - I have always been low iron - but when I went for my pre-tysabri blood check (including liver panel, etc.), I was officially labelled "anemic" and it had/has no bearing on my ability to have the tysabri. Definitely ask your doctor, though.

Good luck.

~Keri

Hi Baxter,

I was placed on 70mg of chromagen to bring up my iron stores and Yaz to control the monthly issue and it worked great. I know 70 mg sounds like alot, but it still took a bit to raise.

Now I am on a multivitamin and my hemaglobin is 14.5!

All the current therapies seem to alter our immnune system one way or the other. I would get sick every 6 weeks on Beta and it was very discouraging.

However, just found a lesion is a bad location and I think it warrants going back on somehting. Ty was suggested for me too.

Av8 girl, thanks for the links about Ty!

The Ty link is great. It answers my quesions about statistics. I guess I need to question how liver values are monitored and what are the symptoms of liver problems that you can notice before the 3 month period after initiation of treatment.

It seems that one person had elevated levels within 6 days, so there must have been an obvious symptom that something was wrong to test that soon.

How quickly can damage occur and is any of it reversable by discontinuing treatment?

I am glad to see the risk for pneumonia is so low. I have had a pneumonia vaccination and I will have to see how long a go it was.

I also had lower WBC on the other DMD's. So much that my PCP kept testing them. So far, it hasn't happened on Tysabri and I've been on it for a year.