Ive been on Tecfedira for nearly two years. My lymphocyte count has been decreasing over the last year, from 1.5 to 1.0 currently.
If it continues then continued use of Tecfedira may be questioned. I adopted the “Overcoming MS” plan in December. This is a vegan + seafood diet (no meat products, no dairy and no egg yolks) with supplements of Linseed oil and Vit D3. The other tenets are exercise and meditation. The major benefit so far is that for the first time since dx I am no longer constipated. I have just bought a B12 supplement. I have taken D3 5000units daily since dx.
Ive discussed my results with my great MS Nurse and she has suggested I increase my supplements particularly Vit A & C, Magnesium and possibly a Multi vitamin.
My question is do any of you have useful advice re suitable supplements, good suppliers and anything missing
You may be OK to stay on Tecfidera so long as your lymphocytes stay at 1.0. It’s only when they go below 0.8 (the conservative view) or 0.5 (the absolute must come off 'tec now level) that you should be advised to come off the drug. The idea of Tecfidera is that it’s supposed to reduce your lymphocytes. That’s how it works. But when the lymphocyte level goes too low, you may become liable to opportunistic infections and you have to stop the drug. Some sources count a normal lymphocyte count as 1.3 - 3.5 and others 1.0 - 3.0 (then there’s a calculation of 10 to the power of 9 and something to do with white blood count, blah, blah).
What this means in practice is that some doctors take an extremely conservative view that a sustained lymphocyte count of less that 1.3 means you should come off the 'Tec. Most though would leave you on the drug unless you go under 1.0 for a period of a few months. Basically there’s really only a danger if you have extremely low lymphocytes for 2 years or more.
I actually really doubt that you can increase your lymphocyte count by dietary or supplemental means but I’m no expert so I could be wrong.
But the general view is that as you’ve already been doing, a high dose of Vitamin D is good, plus Calcium and Magnesium which I believe help the Vitamin D to be absorbed and B12 are pretty good for MSers.