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Riluzole: a glimmer of hope in the treatment of motor neurone disease

Matthew C Kiernan
Med J Aust 2005; 183 (3) || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2005.tb06973.x
Published online: 1 August 2005

In reply: Henderson and McCombe describe a patient to highlight an issue raised in a recent editorial:1 that patients with motor neurone disease (MND) may develop abnormal liver function tests for reasons other than riluzole therapy. In their patient, riluzole was prescribed for a year and liver function test results remained stable. Deterioration in liver function coincided with the introduction of naltrexone. Ultimately, riluzole, an established MND therapy, had to be ceased.

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  • Institute of Neurological Sciences, Prince of Wales Hospital, Barker Street, Randwick, NSW 2031.


Correspondence: M.kiernan@unsw.edu.au

  • 1. Kiernan MC. Riluzole: a glimmer of hope in the treatment of motor neurone disease. Med J Aust 2005; 182: 319-320. <MJA full text>
  • 2. MacLennan A, Wilson DH, Taylor AW. Prevalence and cost of alternative medicine in Australia. Lancet 1996; 347: 569-573.
  • 3. Wasner M, Klier H, Borasio GD. The use of alternative medicine by patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. J Neurol Sci 2001; 191: 151-154.
  • 4. Dwyer JM. Good medicine and bad medicine: science to promote the convergence of “alternative” and orthodox medicine. Med J Aust 2004; 180: 647-648. <MJA full text>
  • 5. Dobson R. An exceptional man. BMJ 2002; 324: 1478.

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