Can I stop taking Tecfidera? What happens if I do?
Yes, you can stop taking Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) abruptly without precipitating any rebound disease activity (unlike some other drugs used for MS such as Tysabri or Gilenya for example). One study reported that most patients who started treatment with Tecfidera at a Swedish clinic had either discontinued it or switched to another treatment within two years.
The reasons for the low persistence rates were thought to be a lack of effectiveness of lack of tolerability. The average time to discontinuation was 366 days and the average time to switching medications was 372 days. Only 43% of patients were still using Tecfidera at two years.
Tecfidera is rapidly eliminated from the body; the half-life of its active metabolite MMF is one hour meaning that no circulating MMF is present at 24 hours. However, side effects caused by Tecfidera, such as low lymphocyte counts, may persist until your body makes more white blood cells.
References
- Eriksson, I., Cars, T., Piehl, F. et al. Persistence with dimethyl fumarate in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis: a population-based cohort study. Eur J Clin Pharmacol 74, 219–226 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00228-017-2366-4
- Healthcare Journey. Virtual MS Center. 2020 https://www.healthcarejourney.com/q--a-for-virtual-ms-center/what-happens-if-tecfidera-is-stopped-abruptly
- Tecfidera (dimethyl fumarate) 02/2020 Biogen Inc. https://www.drugs.com/pro/tecfidera.html
Read next
Is Tecfidera an immunosuppressant?
Yes, Tecfidera does suppress the immune system. Although experts are not sure exactly how Tecfidera does this, Tecfidera has been associated with reductions in lymphocyte counts, and several serious opportunistic viral infections, such as progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy and herpes zoster, as well as uncommon fungal and bacterial infections. Continue reading
How do Vumerity and Tecfidera compare for multiple sclerosis (MS)?
Vumerity and Tecfidera are administered in the same way and used to treat the same condition, multiple sclerosis (MS). They also have the same active metabolite, which means that they have the same therapeutic effect - work the same way - in people with MS.
However, Vumerity and Tecfidera do have different chemical structures and Vumerity is better tolerated and causes fewer gastrointestinal problems compared with Tecfidera. Continue reading
What causes flushing with Tecfidera?
40% of people report flushing as a side effect of Tecfidera and although experts aren’t sure how Tecfidera causes flushing they suggest it may be due to one of the pathways affected by Tecfidera called HCAR2. When the metabolite of Tecfidera, MMF binds to HCAR2, it induces prostanoid-forming enzymes in different cell types. These enzymes form prostaglandins which, in addition to other effects, signal capillaries to open, which causes flushing. Continue reading
Related medical questions
- Can you drink alcohol while taking Tecfidera?
- Gilenya vs Tecfidera. How do they compare?
- How long can you take Tecfidera?
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- Does Tecfidera cause weight gain or loss?
- Can Tecfidera cause low lymphocytes?
- How long does it take Tecfidera to start working?
- Can Tecfidera cause progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML)?
- What are the new drugs used for multiple sclerosis (MS)?
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