Hi,i have type 1 diabetes and have just found out that i have ms(found out on my birthday in sept 2013).it has really thrown me.i have been taking beta interferon 1a i think 3 times a week,it has led to a lack of energy and a general feeling of lack lustre and my sex drive has gone!which dosent really matter as so has my girlfriend.i havent spoke to anybody else with ms and everything i read on it is depressing and i am thinking about stopping the rebif and taking my chances??they diagnosed it early on,i had numbness on the side of my face which lasted a 2-3 mths,it still pulls a bit when i exercise(which i havent done for a few weeks mostly due to a lack of energy).i go bk next tuesday for my second visit with the neruro.has anyone tryed naltraxone? thanks for any help
Hello and welcome 
A diagnosis of MS followed by starting meds and losing a partner is bound to make anyone depressed / lose their get up and go for a while 
However, I think that depression / low mood can be a side effect of Rebif - you’d need to check though. Depression can also be caused by MS itself though. All in all, you need to talk to your MS nurse or GP about it. As far as erection problems go, it can be caused by some meds (eg antidepressants which are used to treat neuropathic pain) and it can be an MS symptom in its own right. Do talk to your GP or neuro about it - it’s nothing they haven’t heard hundreds of times before. If Rebif is causing bad side effects, then your neuro can switch you to another DMD, but it is generally worth persevering for a while as most side effects are temporary. Do speak to your neuro though. Naltrexone is used by some people with MS in the Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN) format. It does not stop relapses - there have been plenty of posts on here to show this. It has never been properly trialled and the only evidence in its favour is anecdotal / personal stories. This is poor evidence because there are no controls, many people try other things at the same time, MS is unpredictable and it is very biased because people who get no or bad results do not tend to preach about it. However, some people say that LDN helps with symptoms (especially mood, which is unsurprising given that it boosts endorphins) and some people believe that it helps with progression (which is a separate process to relapses). Some people use LDN on top of disease modifying drugs and it is fine to take with Rebif. It is not normally a good idea to take a new drug until settled on the current one though so please give yourself a good six months on Rebif (or whatever) before adding LDN, if you decide to try it. Btw, not exercising could be a factor in your lack of energy. It’s a vicious cycle - feel down / fatigued, don’t train, feel worse! Exercise is good for MS and it’s been shown to help with fatigue. Hth. Karen x
Hi Granit, just want to say hi.
Karen has given you some great advice.
It does take a while to get your head round having MS but with time it does get easier and that initial panic lessens.
You need to remind yourself that MS is different for every single person… so when you are reading about symptoms it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will get those symptoms. After a while you get to know your own MS and it gets easier to manage.
In meantime, there are some really great antidepressants now that can really help you through a hard time… so seeing your GP and getting something to help is well worth it. Doesn’t mean you’ll be on them for rest of life… just something to help you for now.
This is a great place to come for help and support and to realise that MS is NOT the end of the world… and you are certainly not on your own.
Pat x