Potentially all patients with this disease can benefit from Rilutek , and I believe it is important to use it as early as possible in the course of the disease. In addition to increasing an ALS patient's chance of survival, Rilutek is also well-tolerated. The most common side effects of Rilutek are fatigue, nausea, elevated liver enzymes and headache. ALS is a devastating disease affecting the motor neurons of the brain and spinal cord. The disease effectively kills the nerve cells that control voluntary movement.
Patients lose the ability to dress and feed themselves, sit up, walk or even speak.
Because ALS does not affect sensory neurons, sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch remain. In the vast majority of cases, intellect and memory are also unaffected by the disease. Thus, patients are fully aware of the inevitable progression of the disease and deterioration of their functional abilities. The age of onset is usually after 55 and the speed and pattern of disease progression vary widely. Initial signs include muscle weakness, loss of balance, difficulty in swallowing, changes in voice, slurred speech and muscle cramps.