Re: New MS Drug Exposure

[Guest guest]

I've been taking 4-AP (aminopyridine) for over two years without any problems.

This person doesn't know what she is talking about.

Art

My MS/LDN story/1988 - 2010

http://ldn.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=personal & action=display & thread=867

>

>

> Health Sciences Institute: Code Red Alert - Why am I getting this?

> FDA approves bird poison for MS patients

>

> Clearly, the FDA has it out for people with MS.

>

> Bird brains that they are, they just approved Ampyra, a drug to

supposedly help patients with multiple sclerosis walk faster. But here's the

catch... the drug (a form of fampridine) is also a commonly used bird poison.

>

> It's nasty enough to induce seizure-like symptoms in birds to

scare them away from crops. So this next fact should come as no surprise: Ampyra

can cause seizures in HUMANS.

>

> On top of that, the other so-far known common side effects of the

drug include relapse of MS symptoms, insomnia, dizziness, headache, weakness,

balance disorder, back pain, and burning, tingling or itching of skin... all of

which sound very bad for someone already struggling with MS.

>

> Keep in mind, these are the common side effects found among the

540 patients from the clinical trials. Just 540 people. Imagine what kind of

damage it can do with 54,000 patients. Don't be one of them.

>

> --Michele

>

[Guest guest]

Ampyra (or Fampridine) is the patented drug already known as 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP), which has been available for years. 4-AP is not a patentable medication, since it was discovered many years before its effects on MS were known. Many doctors were aware of its existence, but were not aware that it was available. The medication is available as the raw ingredient, your doctor can prescribe it, and a compounding pharmacy can put it into capsules.4-AP is a potassium channel blocker which can block the flow of potassium ions in nerve cells, which results in a more effective nerve impulse traveling down toward the muscles. As you probably know, the poor nerve impulses in patients with MS is the cause of most of the symptoms of the disease. The improved nerve conduction provided by 4-AP means that the muscles have a "louder signal" to tell them when to work and the stronger muscle contractions improve strength and fatigue in many patients. I have been taking 30mg - 45mg of 4-AP daily (15mg at 4 hour intervals) and have suffered no ill side effects. As I said in an earlier post, my mobility has not improved but my stiffness is lessened a little.I am curious to know what the cost of the "new" patented drug is compared to 4-AP. I doubt the pharmaceutical companies would have bothered to patent the drug if they weren't going to make a boatload of money from patients and insurance companies.I will continue to purchase the 4-AP out of pocket until I am insured by Medicare. I am one of the millions of Americans who has fallen through the cracks of our flawed health care system. Until I was forced to "retire" by my disability, I had excellent health insurance. I was able to continue that coverage through COBRA... until my former employer went out of business. Because my former employer went out

of business, I lost my COBRA sponsor. Because I lost my COBRA sponsor, I lost my insurance.I filed for Social Security Disability and was approved. But, there is a mandatory 2 year waiting period for Medicare from receipt of your first payment. Because I worked for many, many years before becoming disabled, and paid so much money to Social Security, I am not eligible for Medicaid. You see, the amount of money I receive monthly for disability, though isn't enough to live on, is deemed too much for Medicaid.By the way, did you know that 12% - 13% of disabled people in the 2 year waiting period for Medicare DIE before receiving benefits because they cannot afford health care? Just a little personal information for those people who don't believe we need health care reform in this country!CarolynFrom: JOYCE MARTINO <jam2006@...>LDN List <low dose naltrexone >; Very_Low_Dose_Naltrexone <Very_Low_Dose_Naltrexone >Sent: Mon, January 25, 2010 7:22:16 PMSubject: [low dose naltrexone] New MS Drug Exposure

Health Sciences Institute: Code Red Alert - Why am I getting this?

FDA approves bird poison for MS patients

Clearly, the FDA has it out for people with MS. Bird brains that they are, they just approved Ampyra, a drug to supposedly help patients with multiple sclerosis walk faster. But here's the catch... the drug (a form of fampridine) is also a commonly used bird poison. It's nasty enough to induce seizure-like symptoms in birds to scare them away from crops. So this next fact should come as no surprise: Ampyra can cause seizures in HUMANS. On top of that, the other so-far known common side effects of the drug include relapse of MS symptoms, insomnia, dizziness, headache, weakness, balance disorder, back pain, and burning, tingling or itching of skin... all of which sound very bad for someone already struggling with MS. Keep in mind, these are the common side effects found among the 540 patients from the clinical trials. Just 540 people. Imagine what kind of damage it can do with 54,000 patients. Don't be one of them. --Michele