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The survey, which interviewed 220 people in the United States and Canadawho have been diagnosed with MS in the past five years, uncovered a number ofbarriers patients face to starting and staying on medication, including theaffordability of prescription medicine, injection-related issues and sideeffects, and the difficulty of maintaining a medication schedule.(1)
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"Studies have shown that starting effective therapy soon after a diagnosisof MS and continuing that therapy on a consistent basis may significantly slowthe progression of the disease.(2) This survey underscores the fact thatdespite their best intentions, many people with MS need help overcomingchallenges that keep them from fully committing to treatment," said Amy PerrinRoss, APRN, MSN, CNRN, MSCN, president of the International Organization of MSNurses. "The good news is there are several things that can be done to helpgive patients the best chance of starting and staying on therapy, includingexploring financial assistance programs, forming lasting partnerships with anMS nurse and other supporters and choosing an effective MS medication thataddresses a patient's personal hurdles. This can mean looking at attributesof a medication such as proven efficacy and safety, storage requirements, andthe availability of support programs and financial assistance."
According to Ross, newly diagnosed patients first must accept the factthat they have a chronic illness that requires life-long care. For many,anxieties about treatment can be overcome by the desire to limit the impact oftheir condition, and by understanding that early, effective and consistenttreatment may positively affect the course of their disease. In fact, morethan two-thirds of respondents in the survey agreed, "I would have startedtreatment earlier (after my first attack, even before official diagnosis) if Ihad known that it would better decrease the risk of disability.(1) But, Rossadded, many patients require ongoing support in order to maintain thatcommitment.
In the recent survey, patients cited various injection-related issues asbeing significant barriers to their committing to therapy. Four in 10patients (41 percent) named at least one injection side effect as an extremelyor very strong barrier keeping them from staying on medication, such as skinreactions (14 percent) and lumps in the skin (10 percent).(1) When Genelle,age 29, was diagnosed with MS, she experienced skin-related side effects withher first medication. "I was really unhappy with the painful and embarrassingside effects that I was experiencing," she said. "Once I switched to anothermedication called Betaseron(R)*, the side effects improved."(a)
Like the 21 percent of study respondents who reported not wanting toinject themselves as a barrier to taking an MS medication, Genelle also hadsome misgivings about the required self-injections. "With Betaseron, I notonly had to give myself far fewer injections, the BETA nurse assigned to mehelped me overcome my anxiety about injecting myself. I can call her any timeI need her, which has really given me the support I need to stay on therapy,"she said.(a)
For Jillian, age 19, the issue of staying on treatment had to do withaffording her medicine, a barrier also noted by 27 percent of peoplesurveyed.(1) "The day I lear
