MS symptoms gone after taking antivirals
Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2025 11:22 am
Social media is not the place to get health advice, and you should be very sceptical of what follows. But Multiple Sclerosis is a brutal disease that robs people of their abilities and self. If what has worked for me, works for others, I have to share. I have been taking a high dose of antiretroviral medication, off label, for over three years now, and all my MS symptoms have resolved.
Thankfully there are hardworking researchers in this field and more literature is coming out in support of taking antiretroviral medication to target Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) causing MS. Unfortunately medical research is slow and the incentives for drug manufacturers don’t align with those of people suffering with MS.
See the following dropbox for a number of scientific papers that have informed my understanding that EBV is the cause and driver of MS disease activity, and on potential antiretroviral therapies.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/1qutcgme ... 2k7ww&dl=0
I include some information from these papers below, and outline the treatment that has worked for me. If you want additional information, in a non journal format, regarding MS and EBV please read the MS researcher and neurologist Gavin Giovannoni’s blog. https://gavingiovannoni.substack.com/
Multiple Sclerosis is caused by EBV. The risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV. Serum levels of neurofilament light chain increased only after EBV infection. These findings suggest EBV as the leading cause of MS.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj8222
EBV may cause MS through the below mechanisms. If EBV is a driver of MS then elimination of EBV would be a rational therapy for MS.
https://www.science.org/stoken/author-t ... T-413/full
https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S ... 8/fulltext
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04432-7
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61751-9
https://rupress.org/jem/article/219/11/ ... fic-T-cell
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/P ... 8872v1.pdf
Looking at antiretroviral therapies (ART) to treat EBV, there is a reduced risk of developing MS in HIV positive patients taking ART. There are also several cases of patients who presented indefinite remission or resolution of MS symptoms after induction of antiretroviral therapy.
https://neurolrespract.biomedcentral.co ... 019-0030-4
Case Studies
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29510325/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 482030643X
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/1 ... 0521999577
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 4823008969
The patients in the above case studies are taking tenofovir prodrugs. Tenofovir may be particularly effective as an inhibitor of EBV lytic reactivation, and clinical studies are warranted.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2002392117
The below chart is very important. Fig 5G indicates that the standard dose of Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF) would reach a concentration needed to block ∼40% of DNA replication (EC40) mediated by the EBV polymerase after 40 min in their in vitro assay. This indicates that the standard dose of TAF is too low for EBV, as the EC90 is a typical therapeutic target.
https://www.pnas.org/cms/10.1073/pnas.2 ... fig05.jpeg
Descovy is a fixed-dose combination antiretroviral medication of Tenofovir Alafenamide / Emtricitabine, used for HIV PrEP and HBV infection, and is considered very safe.
https://www.descovy.com/side-effects
Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) and Tenofovir Alafenamide Fumarate (TAF), are both tenofovir prodrugs that improve the absorption and delivery of tenofovir, which gets converted into its active form (TFV-DP) inside cells to stop viral replication. TAF is a newer generation prodrug designed for better tissue targeting, allowing for lower doses.
You get a higher Tenofovir concentration in your lymphocytes taking a 25mg dose of TAF vs a 300mg dose of TDF. People have been taking 300mg doses daily of TDF for PrEP for over a decade now. This makes me optimistic that I would be okay taking up to 300mg of TAF indefinitely.
https://www.descovyhcp.com/taf-pharmacology
I took a standard dose of Descovy (25mg of Tenofovir Alafenamide daily) and quickly noticed an improvement in a number of symptoms. Despite significant improvements in many symptoms after starting on Descovy, other symptoms remained.
Taking the above into consideration I started taking 250mg of Tenofovir Alafenamide daily, 10x the standard dose. A few weeks after starting this high dose all my MS symptoms started improving and have almost entirely disappeared for the last 3 years. I took a 250mg dose for a year and then cautiously dropped my dose to 150mg of TAF with no problems. I plan to take 150mg of TAF until additional data comes out regarding an optimal dose, it has given me my life back.
It is worth noting that those without private insurance will only have Truvada (TDF) covered and not Descovy (TAF). Truvada was studied in women but Descovy was not, because the drug manufacturer felt the female market was too small, so it is harder for women to get a Descovy prescription. The monitoring is the same regardless of whether you are taking TDF or TAF. It is possible to do monitoring for whatever you are prescribed and then find alternative ways to get a more effective dose. PrEP clinics prescribe to those at high risk of contracting HIV and list those requirements on their websites.
This paper created a good list of therapies with anti-EBV effects from existing reviews. They assessed these candidates for potential usefulness and possible harm in MS.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39792343/
Below are some ongoing clinical trials looking at TAF for MS.
https://mstrials.org.au/fatigue-in-rela ... ent-trial/
https://www.helse-bergen.no/en/neuro-sy ... /taf-ms-2/
A clinical trial for Tenofovir Alafenamide as an add-on to anti-CD20 therapies is cancelled due to lack of funding. Patients on B cell depleters could follow their design.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04880577
TL;DR I’m taking 150mg of Tenofovir Alafenamide daily, 6x higher than the standard dose, and have seen near complete resolution of all MS symptoms for close to 3 years. Read the above papers, be sceptical of health advice from social media.
Thankfully there are hardworking researchers in this field and more literature is coming out in support of taking antiretroviral medication to target Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) causing MS. Unfortunately medical research is slow and the incentives for drug manufacturers don’t align with those of people suffering with MS.
See the following dropbox for a number of scientific papers that have informed my understanding that EBV is the cause and driver of MS disease activity, and on potential antiretroviral therapies.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/1qutcgme ... 2k7ww&dl=0
I include some information from these papers below, and outline the treatment that has worked for me. If you want additional information, in a non journal format, regarding MS and EBV please read the MS researcher and neurologist Gavin Giovannoni’s blog. https://gavingiovannoni.substack.com/
Multiple Sclerosis is caused by EBV. The risk of MS increased 32-fold after infection with EBV. Serum levels of neurofilament light chain increased only after EBV infection. These findings suggest EBV as the leading cause of MS.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abj8222
EBV may cause MS through the below mechanisms. If EBV is a driver of MS then elimination of EBV would be a rational therapy for MS.
https://www.science.org/stoken/author-t ... T-413/full
https://www.msard-journal.com/article/S ... 8/fulltext
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04432-7
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-61751-9
https://rupress.org/jem/article/219/11/ ... fic-T-cell
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/P ... 8872v1.pdf
Looking at antiretroviral therapies (ART) to treat EBV, there is a reduced risk of developing MS in HIV positive patients taking ART. There are also several cases of patients who presented indefinite remission or resolution of MS symptoms after induction of antiretroviral therapy.
https://neurolrespract.biomedcentral.co ... 019-0030-4
Case Studies
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29510325/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 482030643X
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/1 ... 0521999577
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/a ... 4823008969
The patients in the above case studies are taking tenofovir prodrugs. Tenofovir may be particularly effective as an inhibitor of EBV lytic reactivation, and clinical studies are warranted.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2002392117
The below chart is very important. Fig 5G indicates that the standard dose of Tenofovir Alafenamide (TAF) would reach a concentration needed to block ∼40% of DNA replication (EC40) mediated by the EBV polymerase after 40 min in their in vitro assay. This indicates that the standard dose of TAF is too low for EBV, as the EC90 is a typical therapeutic target.
https://www.pnas.org/cms/10.1073/pnas.2 ... fig05.jpeg
Descovy is a fixed-dose combination antiretroviral medication of Tenofovir Alafenamide / Emtricitabine, used for HIV PrEP and HBV infection, and is considered very safe.
https://www.descovy.com/side-effects
Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate (TDF) and Tenofovir Alafenamide Fumarate (TAF), are both tenofovir prodrugs that improve the absorption and delivery of tenofovir, which gets converted into its active form (TFV-DP) inside cells to stop viral replication. TAF is a newer generation prodrug designed for better tissue targeting, allowing for lower doses.
You get a higher Tenofovir concentration in your lymphocytes taking a 25mg dose of TAF vs a 300mg dose of TDF. People have been taking 300mg doses daily of TDF for PrEP for over a decade now. This makes me optimistic that I would be okay taking up to 300mg of TAF indefinitely.
https://www.descovyhcp.com/taf-pharmacology
I took a standard dose of Descovy (25mg of Tenofovir Alafenamide daily) and quickly noticed an improvement in a number of symptoms. Despite significant improvements in many symptoms after starting on Descovy, other symptoms remained.
Taking the above into consideration I started taking 250mg of Tenofovir Alafenamide daily, 10x the standard dose. A few weeks after starting this high dose all my MS symptoms started improving and have almost entirely disappeared for the last 3 years. I took a 250mg dose for a year and then cautiously dropped my dose to 150mg of TAF with no problems. I plan to take 150mg of TAF until additional data comes out regarding an optimal dose, it has given me my life back.
It is worth noting that those without private insurance will only have Truvada (TDF) covered and not Descovy (TAF). Truvada was studied in women but Descovy was not, because the drug manufacturer felt the female market was too small, so it is harder for women to get a Descovy prescription. The monitoring is the same regardless of whether you are taking TDF or TAF. It is possible to do monitoring for whatever you are prescribed and then find alternative ways to get a more effective dose. PrEP clinics prescribe to those at high risk of contracting HIV and list those requirements on their websites.
This paper created a good list of therapies with anti-EBV effects from existing reviews. They assessed these candidates for potential usefulness and possible harm in MS.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39792343/
Below are some ongoing clinical trials looking at TAF for MS.
https://mstrials.org.au/fatigue-in-rela ... ent-trial/
https://www.helse-bergen.no/en/neuro-sy ... /taf-ms-2/
A clinical trial for Tenofovir Alafenamide as an add-on to anti-CD20 therapies is cancelled due to lack of funding. Patients on B cell depleters could follow their design.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04880577
TL;DR I’m taking 150mg of Tenofovir Alafenamide daily, 6x higher than the standard dose, and have seen near complete resolution of all MS symptoms for close to 3 years. Read the above papers, be sceptical of health advice from social media.