Aisen Slack, 65, from Eastbourne, decided to pay for the pills privately as soon as she heard about them.
She said fampridine “worked well for me” but was “significantly expensive and I couldn’t keep doing it forever” so she had to stop.
Slack said it was “great news” the drug was coming to the NHS and she would “definitely like to try” again.
“My mobility has decreased significantly, and even in my apartment I now have to use sticks,” she said. “If I could improve my walking, it would make a huge difference in my life.”
More than 120,000 people live with multiple sclerosis in England. However, only about 5,000 people a year will be eligible, depending on the extent of their difficulty walking.
Patients will try the drug for up to a month, and only those who demonstrate “clear benefit” will be able to continue taking it.
Professor Frankie Swords, national medical director for the NHS, said: “Difficulty walking can have a huge impact on the freedom and independence of people with multiple sclerosis, so this signal-boosting tablet could change the lives of thousands of patients.
“Even modest improvements can mean you can move around your home more easily, go outside with more confidence and live more independently.”
Keri Smith, from the Multiple Sclerosis Society, said they were “delighted” by the news as the drug could be “life-changing” for many, allowing people to “live more independently or remain in work”.