Changing from oral medication to injections

Hi, !


I know the prospect of switching medications can be daunting, especially after investing significant time in one medication. The topic of switching meds comes up here a fair amount, as it's not uncommon for a medication to quit working well for a person or for a person to get needle fatigue or, in your case, pill fatigue.


Living with MS is hard enough. Any step that can be taken to make it a little easier can be considered.


I'm hoping you get some helpful feedback on the pills vs. injection question from other community members. Of course, it's a highly personal choice and in the end, you have to decide what's right for you.


I thought you might appreciate this piece on switching meds and the things to consider -- https://multiplesclerosis.net/living-with-ms/which-dmt. I know some of the issues or topics that come up with injectables is that you can experience pain and reactions at the injection site; also, transporting injection medications when you travel can be more of a challenge than just packing up your bottle or blister pack of pills. You may also experience needle fatigue, where the idea of sticking yourself one.more.time is enough to make you cry. BUT. On the other hand, some community members find injection medications to be a better fit for them, so please, don't be discouraged!


Has your doctor mentioned which treatment he might be considering switching you to?


Best, Erin, MultipleSclerosis.net Team Member.

I can truly relate to your experience feeling pill fatigued. It's a term that I didn't know existed until I was taking so many in one day. Many of them were supplements prescribed by my health practitioner, but it was a lot nonetheless. I felt like I was eating a meal of supplements. But the bottom line was they were working, so I had to recognize that. I spoke with my health practitioner and we were able to adjust the quantity of the pills, but I fully recognize that's not always an option.


While injections help to avoid this concept of pill fatigue, they do come with some disadvantages as well. As Erin pointed out they can create injection site reactions which aren't the most fun to deal with.


We obviously can't weigh in from a medical perspective which is the best or "right" option for you, only your doctor can do that. But I would certainly say that having a conversation with your doctor about the pros and cons of each and most importantly, which is going to be the most effective in managing MS would be really valuable.


I'm sure others will weigh in on this topic/debate as well!
- Alene, moderator