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Do you start Riluzole on all patients diagnosed with ALS?

Are there any reasons you avoid therapy?
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Do you start all your patients with newly diagnosed ALS on Riluzole?

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2 Answers
Mednet Member
Mednet MemberInvited Expert
Neurology · University of Minnesota
Answered on

No. I discuss riluzole with all patients and explain that it prolongs survival in ALS by a variable amount of time, usually around 3-4 months- therefore, if the patient wants to use anything available to prolong their life, they should take it. I also explain, however, that riluzole will not stop di...

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Mednet Member
Mednet Member
Neurology · Yale
Answered on

I do. My personal experience has been that it is well-tolerated and generally not a financial burden. It is often difficult to explain the expected benefit other than that it may slow their course, but given that all courses are different, I'm generally hesitant to give specific expectations (e.g. i...

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