Guest guest Posted February 16, 2004 Report Share Posted February 16, 2004 Ivanhoe's Medical Breakthroughs - Attacking Multiple Sclerosis Alternative Health Arthritis Asthma & Allergies Breast Cancer Cancer Cardiovascular Health Children's Health Dental Health Diabetes Fertility & Pregnancy Men's Health Mental Health Neurological Disorders Nutrition & Wellness Orthopedics Seniors' Health Sports Medicine Vision Women's Health Awards About Us Contact Us Employment Ivanhoe FAQ Our TV Partners Useful Links Play It Again, Please E-Mail a Friend Order Books Online Marjorie Bekaert Publisher/President Bette BonFleur CEO Emeritus Click here for a print-friendly version Reported February 20, 2004 Attacking Multiple Sclerosis FREE! Download Windows Media Player DALLAS (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Spasticity is a condition in which muscles cramp so badly that a person can't even walk. It is one of the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis, but that may be changing. Here's promising research that gets some MS patients back on their feet. Kim Pullin enjoys visits to the park with her daughter. Not long ago, multiple sclerosis would have made this trip impossible. " The spasms appeared in my arm, in my leg, in my hands. I absolutely could not walk on my leg, " she tells Ivanhoe. Pullin's neurologist Kathleen Hawker, M.D., gave her levetiracetam -- a drug used to control epileptic seizures. " I was noticing that some patients were using it for pain, and I also noticed their stiffness, cramps and spasms were also improving, " says Dr. Hawker, of UT Southwestern in Dallas. Dr. Hawker says she was surprised the drug helped all 11 MS patients in the study. " The nice thing about the drug is it's very safe. It doesn't have effects on the liver, blood or kidneys, " she says. " It also has much less side effects than older drugs. " That wasn't the only benefit. Dr. Hawker says, " We could use one medication for pain, for their spasticity, rather than using two drugs, which can impact their functioning as well. " Pullin says, " What it had enabled me to do is not have to put off our activities but be able to really continue to play with her and not have to stop doing what it is that she and I love doing together. " She is off the drug now, but says she will gladly take it again if her spasms return. The study showed a few patients had mild side effects, including nausea and dizziness. Dr. Hawker has plans to do a larger, more detailed study to learn more about the benefits to ms patients. This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, who offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, go to: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/. If you would like more information, please contact: UT Southwestern Multiple Sclerosis Clinic Related Articles in Archives: a.. Multiple Sclerosis Drug Q & A b.. Protecting MS Patients -- Full-Length Doctor's Interview c.. New Hope for MS -- Full-Length Doctor's Interview d.. Combo Fights MS Dr.'s Q & A e.. Link Between Epstein-Barr and Multiple Sclerosis f.. Delaying MS Progression -- Full-Length Doctor's Interview g.. Multiple Sclerosis Drug h.. Life with Multiple Sclerosis i.. Waiting for a Diabetes Cure Part 3: What's on the Horizon? -- Full-Length Doctor's Interview IVANHOE EXTRAS For additional research on this article, click here. [ Back to Neurological Disorders Channel Home ] CHANNEL CONTACT Questions or Suggestions? Send e-mail to: Stacie Overton [click for bio] MEDICAL ALERT! Don't you want to be notified by e-mail every time there is a breakthrough on Neurological Disorders? This is the only Web site that will do this for you. Click here to sign up. BOOKSTORE Visit our bookstore for the Editor's picks on Neurological Disorders-related books. [ click here ] EDITOR'S CHOICE New Hope for MS -- Full-Length Doctor's Interview Delaying Parkinson's Progression Catching Alzheimer's Disease Early Home | What's New | News Flash | Discussion | Search/Archives | E-Mail Medical Alerts! Ivanhoe FAQ | Privacy Policy | Our TV Partners | Awards | Useful Links | Play It Again, Please Affiliates | Advertising/Sponsorships | Content Syndication | Reprints webdoctor@... Copyright © 2004 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc. 2745 West Fairbanks Avenue Winter Park, Florida 32789 P.O. Box 865 Orlando, Florida 32802 Denotes Premium Content in Archives We subscribe to the HONcode principles of the Health On the Net Foundation. Verify here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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