Are there amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drugs? What are the drugs that can help patients cope with their amyotrophic lateral sclerosis? This article aims to enlighten about amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and the drugs that can possibly be included in the treatment of patients with this disease just like if you have toothache pain your dentist will give you toothache medicine and give the right dental treatment like surgical tooth extraction.
What is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis?
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a rare neurological disease that attacks the nervous system and the brain responsible for controlling the movement of muscles.
Symptoms for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
At the time of this writing, there is still no test that has been developed to help physicians diagnose if a patient has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or not. Medical advice, diagnosis and getting checked by a doctor is the only way for a diagnosis to be made. The doctors will have to rely on looking into the medical history of the patient as well as analyzing the symptoms to make an accurate diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Here is a list of the possible symptoms that a patient can feel as their amyotrophic lateral sclerosis starts taking its toll on their bodies.
Muscle twitches
One of the main symptoms that a patient with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis has is the twitching they feel in their muscles. These twitches are usually localized in the patient’s tongue, legs, shoulders and arms. These twitches usually occur at the early stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Tight muscles
Tightness and stiffness in the muscles is also a common symptom for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This symptom usually occurs before a proper diagnosis is made. It also happens in the early stages of the disease.
Slurred speech
Some patients also experience slurred speech, because the nerves that control the movement of the mouth and tongue is usually affected by the disease. The speech of a person with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis usually sounds nasal. This symptom, along with a few others will help a doctor give medical advice, diagnosis and treatment recommendation to the patients.
Difficulty talking and eating
Since the tongue and mouth muscles are affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, talking, eating and swallowing will prove to be a challenge for patients of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
The cure for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
At the moment, experts have not yet discovered a cure for ALS. Unfortunately, there is also no treatment method that has been discovered to reverse the effects of the disease or totally stop it from progressing. There are only treatment methods that can help a patient cope with the effects and symptoms that they already have.
Treatment methods for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
There are several treatment methods that can help a person cope with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after they are diagnosed. The doctor will be the one to recommend what kind of treatment method would be best for the patient to use, and which one they would benefit from the most.
Medication
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drugs such as riluzole and edaravone are the two main drugs that are being recommended by doctors in the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drugs can help a patient prolong their life by a few months.
These medicines are meant to decrease the damage to the neurons that control the voluntary movements of a person. However, these amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drugs are not able to reverse the effects that the disease had already done on the body of the patient.
Physical therapy sessions
Physical therapy sessions can also help a patient cope with the effects of the disease. If taken alongside the medications, it will help a person reduce the pain and discomfort they feel because of the disease.
Speech therapy sessions
Speech therapy can also be give to a patient to help them overcome the speech problems that they have because of ALS.
Breathing support
Most patients in the advanced stages of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis will have compromised lungs. They will have trouble breathing, so they will most likely be put on breathing support to help them with this otherwise involuntary act.
Nutritional support
Getting the proper nutrition is crucial for any medical patient. Nutritionists are in charge of making sure that the patients get enough vitamins and nutrients while making sure that the food they eat is not too difficult to swallow.
