Ampyra

[tomas2729]

Hey everyone,
I was wondering if anyone who has taken ampyra would be willing to share their overall experience with me. I would just like to know what I am getting myself in to more than anything. It would sure be nice to walk normally again but I don't want to trade it for a whole slew of other problems. Thanks,

Tom

[tomas2729]

Thanks Kyle.

[kwarendorf]

Hi Tomas-

I've been taking Ampyra since the end of June. I have not had any side effects. As Tracy and Norm have mentioned, I feel that the a lot of the heaviness has gone out of my legs.

As far as dosing is concerned, I take it only once a day, in the morning. It is a timed release medication that lasts 12 hours. Ampyra does not need to be maintained at specific levels in your blood to be effective. It starts to work as soon as you take it and stops after 12 hours.

At the end of 12 hours most days, I'm home and not doing much walking. There is no need for me to take the second daily dose.

All in all I like what Ampyra does for me. It can be pricey. My original co-pay was quoted @ $300/month! If you balk, either your insurance company or you can get in touch with Acorda, the distributor. They have programs in place the cap your monthly outlay at $40.

Kyle

[tomas2729]

Thanks Tracy. I will let you know.

[Jacksmom516]

I have been on Ampyra since December and definitely see an improvement.  It helps with the heaviness and just the speed with which I walk.  I have been very happy with it and can tell a huge difference if I should miss a dose!
I have also not had any side affects!

Let us know if you decide to go on it and how your experience is.

Tracy

[tomas2729]

Thanks Norm.

[NormanG22]

I've been on probably 8 months now, the biggest thing it has helped me is with the heaviness feeling I would normally get in the right foot if I tried to walk too much.  I just saw my neurologist week, he has been timing me to so how quickly I can walk (hobble) a 25 foot span, I have improved on his test, but I couldn't keep it up for any length of time, and I have let him know that every time he does the test.

I also have an alarm set on my cell phone, one for am, and one for pm to keep me straight.

Hope this helps,

Norm  

[tomas2729]

Thanks Deb.

[debgen]

Hi Tom,

I stayed on Ampyra probably way longer than I should have but I so wanted to start walking better again. Although I never had any negative side effects, I never had any progress either. I have read that Ampyra only works for about 30% of people trying it.

I don't see any reason not to try it and hopefully it will work for you.

You need to take the pills twice a day 12 hours apart. To make it easier on myself and not forget or mix up the times I set an AM and PM alarm on my cell phone. It worked great!

Good luck to you!
Deb