Seniors Network

A first treatment might be bulk laxatives such as Metamucil alone or in combination with a stool softener such as Colace or Surfak. If these do not work, Milk of Magnesia, Dulcolax or several other agents may be prescribed. An enema may be needed to keep the constipation from causing serious damage.

Facial pain and other painful syndromes can be treated with anticonvulsive medications such as carbamazepine (Tegretol), phenytoin sodium (Dilantin) or Valproic Acid (Depakote). Elavil, originally manufactured as an antidepressant, also helps treat pain originating in the nervous system, as in multiple sclerosis.

As a last resort, if severe pain persists and interferes with such basic functions as speaking or chewing, some people may have a section of the nerve surgically removed or blocked. People who undergo this procedure will have numbness over part or much of the face.

A surgeon can first reversibly block the nerve to give the patient an idea of the numbness that will be produced. For some, the loss of feeling may be as disturbing as the pain they had before surgery.

Exercise can cause problems for people with multiple sclerosis because the resulting overheating can make neurological symptoms worse. But because cold temperatures increase the velocity of electrical impulses in nerves, which are slowed in multiple sclerosis, exercising in cold water may temporarily help relieve symptoms of multiple sclerosis.

The ability to dissipate heat in cold water, combined with the buoyancy that people have in water, allows patients to maintain fitness through swimming without suffering the side effects of overheating that they would experience if they exercised in more conventional ways.

In addition, an experimental drug, 4-aminopyridine, appears to increase the velocity of impulses in demyelinated nerves. This and/or related drugs are expected to become generally available to treat multiple sclerosis during the next few years.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation are important complements to drug therapy for multiple sclerosis. Physical therapists work with the patient on developing strength, coordination, balance, and stamina to perform activities without tiring.

Occupational therapists concentrate more on coping with daily living and have introduced several devices that help people function more easily, for example, with dressing and eating. One of the most useful innovations is the motor scooter, a vehicle that has allowed people to maintain their jobs long after they would have had to retire on disability.

The device is useful not only for people who can no longer walk, but also for ambulatory people who tire easily due to the disease.

In addition, vocational rehabilitation has taken on greater emphasis. People who can no longer physically perform their jobs can learn new skills in an increasing number of vocational programs, including many sponsored by local chapters of the Multiple Sclerosis Society.