Antihistamine for remyelination

[erash]

I used to rx this all the time...then I think it may have gone OTC

The 1 side effect of sleepiness might be wort it if the improvement continues after stopping Tavist. .???

Something to keep an eye out for more research

overcomingms.org/first-drug...

[bxrmom]

That is great news. Hope the studies continue. Maybe the sleepiness will wear off once your body becomes used to it? I know my bf's doctor increased his Gabapentain (anxiety/pain/anti-seizure) last year and he was told it could take a month for his body to get used to the new dose and that is what happened.

Jessie

[Juleigh21]

Seems like something worth watching!

[jimeka]

@erash do you think there is a danger of people buying the antihistamine and taking it themselves? I know I can't take it as it sets the restless leg off, blessings Jimeka 🦋 🌈

[erash in reply to jimeka]

jimeka I think that's certainly possible.

It's certainly tempting if you think it could repair your myelin and reverse some disability. It's a larger dose than already approved but the known side effects are perhaps better than other MS drugs. I agree with bxrmom . You likely build a tolerance to the sleepiness.

When there's not a lot of options, it's easy to hang hopes on anything that seems promising.

Me--I'll wait and see. Tomorrow there will be something else that could be the key

[Iona60 in reply to erash]

erash Is Tavist an anti cholinergic?

[erash in reply to Iona60]

Iona60 clemastine/tavist is an antihistamine and is antichoinergic

[Iona60 in reply to erash]

erash I figured that there was some catch.

[erash in reply to Iona60]

I don't think tavist is THE answer but the fact that they're looking at a variety of approaches is good news

[Yooper]

Good article. I will definitely talk to my neurologist about this. Thanks for the update. God's Peace

[kdali]

I picked up some today at Walgreens. Might as well swap out the Unisom now that I'm not pregnant.

[erash in reply to kdali]

Be careful kdali

I'm not sure if you are still breast feeding but it could be a concern to V if u r--not determined to b safe with lactation

[kdali in reply to erash]

No, that was a disaster.

[Nom_De_Plume]

@erash

Thank you. I had seen this in the past and have been debating trying it. I believe the clemastine is only in the Tavist-D formulation, not the other “Tavists” available, so please look for “D” if you do try it.

[erash in reply to Nom_De_Plume]

Hmmm.... Nom_De_Plume

Everything I'm seeing says tavist has clemastine in it...if not what's in it? The tavist d will have the added decongestant which is a stimulant that I'm certain positively impacts fatigue--as well as possibly heart rate, BP etc

[Nom_De_Plume in reply to erash]

erash

My apologies. Not sure why I was under that impression. Had hoped to add value to the discussion but ended up doing the opposite. Ugh!

Below is some general market (US and UK) info that may be useful:

Generic names (US and UK):

-Clemastine

-Clemastine Fumarate

ex. Walgreens Wal-Hist (US)

US Brand names:

-Tavist Allergy, Manufacturer: Novartis (US)

-Dayhist-1, Manufacturer: Major (US)

UK Brand name:

-Tavegil, Manufacturer: Novartis (UK)

[erash in reply to Nom_De_Plume]

Thanks! Nom_De_Plume

Actually made me go back to be sure Tavist did still contain clemastine. They're often keeping brand names and changing active ingredients esp. When stuff goes OTC

[kdali]

I tried it and it was not a winner over unisom/NyQuil in the snot or sleep departments.

I took one tablet and a second one an hour later when my nose was still running like crazy.

The study dose would be 8 tablets a day which is $5/day, judging from the one box I was able to find yesterday at Walgreens. CVS told me they had a few customers they special order it for, but I didn't ask the price.

[erash in reply to kdali]

The webinar I listened to yesterday kdali briefly discussed the UCSF tavist study. My feel from their comments was that it may not be a total winner but the idea of using drugs already in our arsenal is a winning concept

[kdali in reply to erash]

I totally agree! Like biotin, narcan, minocycline, estrogen; except none of these have been promised to repair damage. I need to go listen to that webinar!

[kdali]

multiplesclerosisnewstoday....

[dianekjs]

Hi erash , I saw the study in JAMA when it came out and also found it exciting. However, like so many whiffs of promise, it appears to be a long way from translating into an available treatment. Still, progress is progress, right? Hopefully it will light a fire under other researchers to follow up and advance the discovery. Thanks for posting it here. 😊