MS medications like Zinbryta could have a range of side effects of which multiple sclerosis patients should be aware.

Everyday Health reports that there are more than a dozen treatments for multiple sclerosis, which gives patients a range of options and an increased likelihood of finding something that is right for them. However, all MS medications can have unpleasant side effects.

Some of these side effects are mild, while others can be quite severe, to the point that a patient might not be able to use the medication.

How MS Medications Work:

Multiple sclerosis drugs are used to help prevent releases of multiple sclerosis and are used to slow the progression of the disease. Drugs like Zinbryta are known as “immunomodulators” because they affect how your immune system functions.

About MS Medication Side Effects:

Dr. Ari Green MD, assistant clinical director of the UCSF Multiple Sclerosis Center and director of the UCSF Neurodiagnostics Center in San Fransisco notes that in the case of many MS patients, effectively treating their condition is a matter of balancing the risk of certain treatments with the benefits of them.

Everyday Health notes that Dr. Green says that “stronger medications might be more effective at slowing progression of the disease, but they may also be associated with more risks.”

Reportedly, some side effects may go away as a patient continues to use a multiple sclerosis drug, while others may not go away.

Another challenge in treating MS is discerning what symptoms are side effects of a drug and what are MS symptoms themselves. In some cases, the same symptoms that may be caused by the medication could also be caused by the disease.

Possible Symptoms of MS Medications:

Infections: Some MS drugs that work to change how the immune system works (immunomodulatory medications) may increase a patient’s risk for developing common infections.

Flu-like symptoms: Feeling generally under the weather, or experiencing symptoms like those commonly associated with flu-like aches, chills, and fever — are commonly experienced after the injection of certain MS medications.

Irritation of injection site: If you take a medication that is administered via injection, like Zinbryta, the injection site may become irritated. Unfortunately, this is not likely to ease as treatment continues. However, applying ice before injection and a warm compress after injection may help ease irritation.

Heart problems: One MS medication, Gilenya (fingolimod) has been shown to slow a patient’s heart rate within the first six hours after the first dose. To make sure patients are safe during this possible occurrence, doctors often advise patients to have their first dose administered in a clinical setting, so pulse and blood pressure can be monitored.

Side Effects of Zinbryta (daclizumab):

Zinbryta, also known by its generic name daclizumab, is an MS injection drug that has been associated with serious, life-threatening side effects.

In early March, the makers of the drug, Biogen and AbbVie are taking the drug off the market around the world because of concerns about the drug’s effect on human health. Medscape reports that this choice was made after there were reports of severe liver damage and immune-related conditions in people who used the drug. 

Reportedly, symptoms of these serious side effects include:

• abdominal pain
• clay-colored stools
• dark-colored urine
• loss of appetite
• nausea or vomiting
• unusual tiredness
• yellowing of skin or eyes (jaundice)

This withdrawal also comes on the heels of an announcement about the drug by the European Medicines Agency, that announced an “urgent review” of the safety of the drug in light of seven cases of serious inflammatory brain disorders were recorded in Germany. A similar case was reported in Spain.

Even before this announcement, the FDA expressed reservations about the drug, recommending that it be used only in patients who had not responded to at least two other treatments because the safety risk was serious. These side effects reportedly include possibly serious liver damage and immune conditions.