Living
“Once I got diagnosed, I
realized that I’d been having
numbness and tingling for a
few years, especially in my toes
and feet,” Jackson explained.
“I bought so many pairs of
sneakers! I kept thinking they
didn’t fit and that they were
making my feet numb. I felt like
I was walking on two lollipops
made of cotton and I would
trip on nothing and go down.
Not only was it painful, but
after I learned the cause, it was
a reminder that I had MS all
along and what it might mean
for my future.”
“Neurologists separate
numbness from weakness, but
they can go together. Someone
can be numb and weak,” said
Dr. Krieger. “As for tingling,
it can be a weird sensory
feeling, the feeling you get
when Novocaine is wearing
off. The brain can’t quite figure
out what’s going on—it only
knows it’s not receiving normal
sensations. Tingling can also be
uncomfortable, and can evolve
into excruciating pain. We take
that seriously, because pain
affects quality of life.”
Treatment
According to Dr. Bowen, there
aren’t really any meds that
can push a signal through MS
numbness, but there are a lot
of ways to “lessen the jumble of
paresthesias,” with medications
listed below.
That’s why it’s important
for people with MS to
communicate clearly to their
health-care provider what
they’re experiencing, so they
can work together to decide
on the most effective course of
treatment. One good idea is to
keep notes on numbness and
tingling—when, how much and
where—to help the provider
understand the extent of the
condition. For more ideas, go
to
nationalMSsociety.org/
doctorsvisit.
Current possible treatments
include:
•;Antiseizure meds (Neurontin,
Lyrica, Depakote, Topamax)
•;Antispasticity meds (Lioresal,
Valium, Xanaflex, lorazepam,
Botox)
•;Antidepressants and SSRIs
(Elavil, Prozac, Zoloft,
Cymbalta), sometimes
prescribed at a lower dose
than used in the treatment
of depression. (These are
thought to help because
they modify how the body
perceives pain.)
•;Opiates and narcotics
(although these are not as
effective for nerve-related
pain as they are for tissue-damage pain).
