Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Guide: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments
Comprehensive information for you or a loved one — including treatment options and discounts on popular medications.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects your central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). It can cause many symptoms, like vision changes, balance problems, and weakness.
When you have MS, your immune system mistakenly attacks your brain and spinal cord. This damages the protective coating on your nerves, called myelin. It can also cause scarring (sclerosis). These changes make it hard for your body’s nervous system to work properly.
Multiple sclerosis is a common condition. Nearly 1 million adults in the U.S. have MS.
There are four types of MS, which are related to how your symptoms change over time:
Relapsing-remitting: This is the most common type of MS. People with this type of MS have attacks, which last days or weeks, followed by periods of recovery.
Secondary progressive MS: This is similar to relapsing-remitting, but with more limited recovery between periods of attacks.
Primary progressive MS: With this type of MS, symptoms steadily get worse over time — with no recovery periods.
Clinically isolated syndrome: This is where you have only one episode of MS symptoms. It often (but not always) progresses to one of the other types of MS.
The exact cause of multiple sclerosis is unknown. But like most autoimmune disorders, it’s likely that MS is caused by a combination of genes and environmental triggers.
There’s evidence that MS is linked to:
Living in a Northern area (farther from the equator)
Having a family member with MS
Having a low vitamin D level
Having excess body weight in early life
Smoking cigarettes
Having had a previous viral infection, like Epstein–Barr virus
MS can affect anyone, regardless of age, race, or gender. But certain groups of people are more likely to be diagnosed with MS, including:
Women
Young adults (The average age of diagnosis is 32 years old.)
Compare prices and information on the most popular Multiple Sclerosis medications.
MS can cause many symptoms — and they’re different for everyone. This is because your symptoms depend on which parts of your brain and spinal cord are affected.
Common symptoms include:
Fatigue
Vision changes
Eye pain
Balance problems
Weakness
Numbness and tingling
Bladder or bowel issues
Muscle spasms
Mood changes
Problems with memory or thinking
Difficulty walking
Symptoms often vary from person to person. And for any given person with MS, their own symptoms can be unpredictable.
Symptoms typically come on as attacks (also called “exacerbations” or “flare-ups”). Attacks start suddenly and last for a few days to several weeks. Between attacks, symptoms can get better or even go away completely.
Getting a firm diagnosis of MS can be a bit tricky. It’s best to start with a visit to a healthcare professional, who may refer you to a neurologist. A neurologist is a medical doctor who specializes in conditions of the nervous system. In most cases, they’ll start with an interview and physical exam. If you have MS symptoms, they might also suggest additional tests. These could include:
Lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
Magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI (a scan of your brain and spinal cord)
Blood work
To diagnose MS, your neurologist will be looking for:
Evidence of two or more attacks in your brain or spinal cord on the MRI
Evidence that those attacks happened at different times
They’ll also look for evidence that your symptoms are caused by another medical problem, which would rule out MS.
Unfortunately, there’s no single test that can diagnose MS. This makes it challenging to tell whether the first symptoms are due to MS or another condition. It can take months or even years to be sure you have MS.
Though there’s no cure for MS, medications can help you manage your symptoms and live a full life.
Prescription medications can:
Modify (change) your disease: Disease-modifying therapies (DMT) are medications that keep your immune system under control. They’re available in oral, injectable, and intravenous (IV) forms. DMTs can protect you against symptom attacks and long-term disability.
Treat attacks: Steroids (or corticosteroids) can block inflammation in your body which can shorten an attack and make it less severe. Steroids are only used short term (3 to 5 days). They don’t change the course of your disease, and long-term use can cause side effects.
Manage symptoms: There are many different prescription medications to help manage whatever symptoms you’re having, including bladder problems, fatigue, pain, sexual problems, spasticity, and more.
Some people with MS also use other therapies for managing symptoms like:
Over-the-counter (OTC) medications
As mentioned, everyone is different, so it’s important to be honest with your neurologist about your symptoms and their effects on your life. Your neurologist can help you figure out which options are right for you.
In addition to medications, other treatments can help improve function, mobility, and quality of life for people with MS.
For severe attacks, some people can benefit from plasmapheresis (plasma exchange). Plasma exchange works by removing immune factors (which cause inflammatory attacks) from the blood.
This is typically reserved for people with highly active disease who don’t respond to disease-modifying treatments. A procedure called autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) replaces dysfunctional immune cells in the body. So far, this has shown promise for relapsing MS, but it comes with risks, and research is ongoing.
Rehabilitation specialists help people with MS maintain or bring back their mobility, balance, daily functioning, and independence. Specialists include:
Physical therapists
Occupational therapists
There’s some evidence that complementary and alternative therapies might be helpful for MS symptoms. Options include:
Yoga
Mind-body therapies
Making changes in your daily life can also help you control your symptoms and manage attacks. This means:
Getting at least 7 hours of good-quality sleep per night
Eating lots of whole foods and avoiding processed ones
Making sure your vitamin D levels are normal
Exercising regularly
Learning to manage stress
Living with MS can be challenging. So, it’s important to keep other parts of your health and wellness in mind. For many people, this means:
Building a strong support network
Learning to advocate for yourself in clinical settings
Learning to manage stress
Engaging in mental health therapy
Connecting with others in the MS community
It’s also important to create a care team that you feel comfortable with. A strong care team can support your overall wellness — both mentally and physically. Your care team may include all (or some) of the following:
Primary care provider
Neurologist
Rehabilitation specialists
Mental health specialists
Pharmacist
Having MS can also bring financial challenges. If MS is affecting your ability to work, get healthcare, or provide for yourself or your family, help is available. Check out the resource list from the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for more information.
Most people are diagnosed with MS between ages 15 and 45. It’s rare for young children and older adults to be diagnosed with MS, but it can happen.
Often, people won’t recognize their first symptoms as MS, usually because early symptoms aren’t very specific. This is why there’s often a delay between when people get their first symptoms and when they get a diagnosis.
Most people are diagnosed with MS between ages 15 and 45. It’s rare for young children and older adults to be diagnosed with MS, but it can happen.
Often, people won’t recognize their first symptoms as MS, usually because early symptoms aren’t very specific. This is why there’s often a delay between when people get their first symptoms and when they get a diagnosis.
There are lots of promising treatments for MS that can help maintain a high quality of life, but there’s no cure — yet. Older research found a shorter average life expectancy for people with MS. But, with improving treatments, people with MS are now living longer than ever.
Research suggests there may be some environmental triggers for multiple sclerosis attacks. Examples include:
But it’s important to note that triggers may not be the same for everyone, and you may experience a relapse without any identifiable triggers.
American Academy of Neurology. (n.d.). What is a neurologist?
Arji, G., et al. (2022). Complementary and alternative therapies in multiple sclerosis: A systematic literature classification and analysis. Acta Neurologica Belgica.
Prescription savings
Stop paying too much for your prescriptions. Compare prices, get pharmacy coupons, and save up to 80%.
Find expert answers to your health questions so you can make the best decisions for yourself and your family.Health conditions
Medications & treatment
Access & affordability
Our monthly healthcare membership can help you save thousands on your prescription costs.Resources
