If you have relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), it’s important to find a neurologist (a doctor who specializes in brain, spinal cord, and nervous system disorders) who can share accurate, up-to-date information about your treatment options. Whether your current treatment plan is effectively controlling your MS or you’re thinking about switching disease-modifying therapies (DMTs), you need to know which questions to ask your neurologist so you can work together to make informed choices.

This guide is designed to help you have a good conversation with your neurologist about your treatment goals and get the answers you need about your options.

What To Tell Your Physician: Your Preferences and Priorities

When you see your healthcare provider, it’s a good idea to help them understand if your condition is changing and what types of medication you prefer. When you meet with your doctor, tell them if you’re experiencing new symptoms or if others are getting worse.

Your preferences matter. Let your doctor know how you are most comfortable taking a DMT.

It may be helpful to bring another person to your appointments. Some people feel overwhelmed during their neurology visits, so a friend or family member can assist with asking questions and taking notes. “When seeing my doctor, it helps to have my husband with me, as he remembers better than I do what the doctor tells me,” one MyMSTeam member wrote. “He will also ask pertinent questions that I don’t think about at the time. My memory is not good, and I forget very easily.”

Consider the following aspects of MS treatment, and note which matter most to you so you can discuss them with your healthcare professional.

How Do You Prefer To Take Disease-Modifying Therapy?

• Orally (by mouth) at home
• By injection at home
• By intravenous (IV) infusion at a clinic
• Any of these ways

What Is Your Preferred Dosing Schedule for Taking a DMT?

• Daily or weekly
• Once every few weeks
• As infrequently as possible
• Any dosing schedule

Benefit vs. Risk

Which of these statements feels more true to you?

• Taking a highly effective DMT is more important to me than avoiding rare but serious risks.
• Avoiding rare but serious risks is more important to me than taking a highly effective DMT.

Newly Available vs. Long-Established Treatments

Which of these statements feels more true to you?

• I am interested in taking a newly available DMT.
• I prefer to take a DMT that has been available for many years.
• I’d like to learn about participating in clinical trials for new MS treatments.

Possible Side Effects

Which of these statements feels more true to you?

• I am most concerned about rare but serious potential side effects.
• I am most concerned about common potential side effects that might affect my daily life.

Be open with your doctor about any challenges you have in sticking to your treatment plan.

Do You Have Trouble Sticking With Your Current Treatment Plan?

Tell your doctor about any challenges you’ve faced in sticking to your current treatment plan. Do you experience any of the following issues?

• I sometimes forget to take doses.
• I dislike taking pills or injecting medication myself.
• I sometimes skip doses due to side effects.
• I sometimes skip doses because I don’t feel confident that my DMT is working.
• I have trouble affording or accessing my DMT.
• Other health conditions (or treatments I take for other health conditions) make it difficult for me to stick with my DMT.

14 Questions To Ask Your Doctor

These 14 questions can help you figure out what information you need to make the best choices for your MS treatment. Look them over, and make a note of any you’d like to bring up with your doctor at your next appointment.

My Current Treatment Plan

• Is my current DMT effectively treating my MS? Can you explain the criteria you use to determine this?
• Can you recommend ways to overcome challenges I face in taking my treatment?
• I experience side effects associated with my DMT. Can you recommend ways to prevent or manage them?
• What strategies do you recommend for managing my MS symptoms?

Switching DMTs

• Do you think I might benefit from switching to a different DMT? Why or why not?
• If you recommend against switching now, should we set a time in the future to discuss it again?

Considering a New DMT

• Why do you think a new DMT may be more effective for me than my current treatment?
• What are the potential benefits and risks of switching to this treatment?
• Will I need a washout period to get my current treatment out of my system before beginning the new DMT? Is my risk of an MS flare higher during the washout period?
• What is my personal risk of developing rare but serious side effects with this treatment?
• How (and how often) will my risk of serious side effects be monitored while I’m taking this treatment?
• What are the most common side effects of this treatment? How long are they likely to last? Is there anything I can do to avoid or manage them?
• How long will it be before my new treatment begins taking effect?
• Which treatments does my healthcare plan cover?

Managing Relapsing MS in Partnership With Your Doctor

MS is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks myelin, the protective layer around nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. The pattern of disease progression depends on the form of MS. Periodic flare-ups are the hallmark of the relapsing forms of MS:

• Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS)
• Relapsing-remitting MS
• Active secondary progressive MS (SPMS)

It’s important to remember that MS can progress even without flare-ups, new lesions, or noticeable symptoms. This is why it’s so important to form a partnership with your neurologist and have regular follow-up visits, get MRI scans and blood tests as needed, and communicate openly about your symptoms of MS and your quality of life.

A good neurologist can also help you understand relapsing MS and give you information about how to know if you’re experiencing an MS relapse, how long a relapse might last, and what remission will look like.

Talk With Others Who Understand

On MyMSTeam, the social network for people with multiple sclerosis and their loved ones, more than 218,000 members come together to ask questions, give advice, and share their stories with those who understand life with MS.

Do you have tips for discussing relapsing MS with a neurologist? What other questions should people with MS ask their doctor? Share in the comments below, or start a conversation with others on your Activities page.