copaxone effectiveness

I just started Copaxone five days ago so can't comment personally on its effectiveness. In terms of side effects, I have had some site reactions (post injection pain/sting; mild redness; swelling/lump at injection site) but no other problems thus far. Copaxone is reported to be about the same effectiveness as the interferons, for reducing relapses. It is not yet clear whether it is effective in delaying disease progression and disability.

m so annoyed with myself, I realized tonight that I completely forgot to do my Copaxone shot yesterday. My DAILY Copaxone shot that I have been so conscientious about doing on a DAILY basis for the past 10 months. I blame the recent change in my routine - the whole 90 minute workout thing every evening. Not to mention my cr*ppy memory of late. So, can't turn back the clock, but wondering, how big of a deal is it? This is assuming I actually have RRMS and not Devic's.

I am terrified of needles, but all the other medications side effects scare me away from them, to where I am more inclined to go with the injections. I was drawn to Copaxone, because of the seemingly lack of side affects and the fact that it has been around forever without PML, or other scary things. My neuro suggested Copaxone, and also, Plegridy. Any input on either of these? I apologize if this is rambling on, but I'm confused. Thanks for any input you might have!

ve kicked around the CRABs here, a lot. Copaxone, Rebif, Avonex, and Betaseron are the primary four. Your doctor didn't offer Tysabri as your fifth, did he? I like the Decision Maker tool in the uk that walks you through the drugs and helps you figure what is important for you. You can access this at http://www.msdecisions.org.uk welcome to the world of drugs aand bills. I'm glad to hear you are getting treatment for your CIS. Congrats on that one.

I had a serious flu like side affect from Copaxone after 8 injections. Stopped injecting and after 20 days had courage enough to inject again. Had another milder flu like reaction. Have not tried since. I am about 100 lbs. Would a smaller dose be helpful or is this an accumulative result? Copaxone doesn't even acknowledge a flu like side affect while the interferron drugs mention it quite easily. Would I be more likely to experience a maybe even more severe reaction to these?

My friend reduced her dose of Copaxone to 10mg instead of 20, a day about a month ago to try and save money. I told her I thought that was playing with fire and she might come to regret it down the road. Will this hurt her in the long run or is half a dose sufficient? She's been on Copaxone for at least 5 years.

Hey everybody - I saw my neuro for my follow-up and he confirmed my MS dx because I have two lesions on my c-spine. He wrote me a Rx for Copaxone and I am just waiting for the approval, etc. I am self employed and go under my husband's insurance. He has one of those crazy plans with the high deductible, then we pay 20% co-pay until we reach an out of pocket max. I know that our monthly payment for Copaxone is going to break the bank.

I was only on one medication before starting on Gilenya. I had been on Copaxone for 22 months when my doctor made the decision to stop Copax and go to a new drug. I had 2 exaccerbations while on copaxone and 3 new brain lesions in my relapse in January. We talked about Tysabri but decided to keep it in our back pocket if I need to come off gilenya for any reason.

The faster you start DMDs the better off you are. It is your choice. I'm not sure that there is a "relative effectiveness" of the different interferon drugs. I take Copaxone and manually inject every day. It really isn't that bad. I picked my DMD based on the risks of the various side effects. The needle was about the last thing I was going to worry about.

Paul O’Connor (University of Toronto) and colleagues reported results of the BEYOND study, evaluating the effectiveness of high and low doses (500 mcg vs. 250 mcg) of Betaseron® (interferon beta-1b) and Copaxone. Participants numbered 899, 892, and 448 in these groups, respectively. No differences were found in the risk of relapse, the primary endpoint, or secondary endpoints such as MRI findings.

ve noticed that most people are concerned about the side effects (which I am as well) however, what about the effectiveness. Has anyone noticed if any of these medicines are slowing the progression of these lesions? When diagnosed last week I had 24 lesions. I'm praying to stop the progression.

The MS Society is calling for the scrapping of a scheme set up in 2004 to provide Betaferon, Copaxone, Avonex and Rebif to patients at an approximate cost of £8000 each a year. The price paid by the NHS was supposed to fall if the drugs proved not to be cost effective but htis has not happened even though research haws shown that 10000 recipients would have been better off with a placebo.

My sister started Tysabri about 2 months ago, and she had some tingling in her foot (the foot that has foot drop). I've heard really good things about this drug--things like 60% effectiveness rate (compared to the 30% rate of the ABC drugs). She's complained, so far, of having a headache on the day of her infusion and then it goes away. I've not heard any other complaints. She's wanting me to go on it, but I was just diagnosed and haven't given Copaxone a fair shake.

If I'm not mistaken, DMD prevent (or prolong) the period between exacerbations and prevent the development of disabilities. Many people on DMDs continue to increase their lesion load. According to the prescribing information, Copaxone does not prevent the development of lesions.

Since Immune System Modulators (interferon, Copaxone, monoclonal antibodies) effect the course of the disease, I'd say there is an obvious link to the immune system. Metabolic Disease may be a "trigger," just like EBV, etc., but I'm not sure it will make much of a difference in the treatment of the disease once someone has it. I am of the opinion that MS is a "spectrum of diseases.

While I sympathize with the problems you are having with the Copaxone, I agree with your neuro that you should continue on some form of treatment. This is a gamble - and if you lose it could be a serious problem for the rest of your life. I will hope that doesn't happen to you. The oral drugs do have side effects - just because they are a pill and not an injection doesn't mean they don't pose their own set of problems.

I was dx w RRMS last year August 2010. In that time I have gone back to my neuro three times for follow up's and my GP twice for my annual and a follow up on bloodwork. Making my most recent appt with my neuro last week was the hardest b/c I knew he wanted to do more brain and spinal MRI's to check the effectiveness of the copaxone I am on. Any more lesions? Any new ones? This terrified me, not only the prospect of it coming back not the way I wanted but the MRI itself.

From what I know, Copaxone is the Mildest of all of the drugs. The downside is its a shot everyday. The list of side effects of Copaxone seem way more managable than the interferon 1a and 1b meds. I hope everything goes well with your scan.

Hi! If you were my patient, I would advise you that your age alone protects you from pregnancy. That combined with the tubal ligation should approach 99.9% effectiveness. I wouldn't ever give 100%. If you are that concerned you could use condoms as well, but really don't need to . Good luck!

Copaxone effectiveness

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