copaxone side effects

I'm wondering if anyone else here has had any issues with Copaxone concerning side effects other then the injection site reactions? I've been on Copaxone for 3 months now, I am agitated, frustrated, quick to anger. I've also been experiencing paranoia and mild visual hallucinations. I'm getting sick at least every 2 weeks, and have a general feeling of "un-well" or "ill".

those are definitely not listed among the side effects of copaxone - perhaps you really had some type of virus in your system making you feel bad? hope you feel better....

This is a weird question, but I see you live in NY. I live in ct. Can i ask what the doctors found to diagnose you? I have been having a he'll of a time getting a diagnosis and I used to live in hampton bays. I saw river head and got excited. Sorry for the off question but I was just curious tht there may behold for me yet. Would you be qble to send me the name of your neuro?

Hi Ali. I can tell you my experience with Copaxone. I was just diagnosed in Dec of 07. I haven't been on any other MS med. I was put on Copaxone. In those 3 months I struggled with depression, sleeplessness, gained 10 lbs and had terrible dark circles under my eyes. It completely changed my personality. I took myself off it and finally after 2 weeks am starting to feel like myself again and have dropped the weight and the circles under my eyes are gone.

Before Avonex I was on Copaxone. I have to disagree with Lulu about no side effects. The first month or so was fine, but after that I began getting hives, bumps, lumps, rashes and horrible itching. The bottom line is that I developed a severe allergy and had to go off it. Virtually everyone here who's on Copaxone is contending with bumps and itching to some extent, but far far less than I had. So everyone is different.

d rather inject daily then deal with the Rebif side effects and increase in depression! I have been on Copaxone for a week already and the ONLY side effect I have had is injection site stinging. No fever, No sweats, No fatigue, No muscle pain, and No other flu like symptoms. I hope things get better for you soon! Take Care!

It can take a few months to separate disease activity from treatment side-effects unless its something obvious like Copaxone welts. Be sure to mention this to your team when you go for the second infusion so this gets put in your notes and you get feedback from the pros. In the mean time, I'm so sorry you're feeling this wiped out.

in addition to a few flu side effects, my lip has started twitching and was wondering if this too could be a side effect?

You should be fine starting the Copaxone while still on IVSM. For most people, Copaxone actually has very few side effects. If you feel comfortable sharing more detail about your concern we can be more specific with help. Welcome to our MS community. We’re always happy to see new faces even though it’s sad we all end up gathering here to deal with MS. I hope you hang around and we get a chance to know you better and help you through the rough times as you start living with MS.

hi Marizzy, and welcome to the forum. I can say that since this is your first post! I'm glad you have decided to join in the conversation. I am also a heart patient - I had a heart attack last year at the age of 53. I am fine but do remain aware of all things cardio. Have you called the Rebif hotline and talked to them about side effects? I am on copaxone and very know little about the other DMD's and their side effects, but I will look and see if I can find some answers.

Tick, Please have a calm discussion about the side effects of copaxone with your doctors. Don't rely on the things you may read on line about copaoxne or any of the other drugs - we are finding so much is full of errors. As Q said, copaxone does not cause heart failure. If you are going to have a post-injection reaction to copaxone, it will happen immediately and not 30 minutes later.

I ended up with one of the few side effects of Copaxone. Just in case this ever happens to you. My saliva duct under my tongue swelled and got *****. I did not have money nor did I know whether to go to my PCP or dentist. I looked it up on line and found a home remedy of gargling with salt and hydrogen peroxide. I also packed it with salt with a q tip. It was better the next day. Today I was researching something else and found an independent list of adverse effects of Copaxone.

re confused and fearful. Have you looked up the side effects of progesterone? I was on that years ago and couldn't tolerate it, but for the life of me I can't remember what happpened. Like you, I too have been on loads of meds. In your place I would ask as much as you can during your biopsy, and would also bombard your PCP with questions. He or she should be guiding you through all of this. The stress factor makes things incredibly worse.

I'm not sure which is better, I think it depends on the person taking them. I've been using Rebif for just over 10 months now. The side effects slowly got less and less, and now as long as I take a couple Tytenol extra stength before injecting, I usually don't notice any side effects. I had an MRI a couple months ago that showed no changes from the one done a year previously. No matter which DMD you choose, the important thing is you're ARE choosing one.

I've been on Copaxone for 3-4 months now. I don't really have anything to add that db hasn't already said about the site reactions and effectiveness of it. I will say that from my own experience with it, I'm happy with it. My sister was on Rebif, and had flu side-effects. That's why I'm taking Copaxone. Other than the site reactions, and a very very mild post-injection reaction (face became hot and flushed), I've not had any problems with it.

I was leaning more towards copaxone, as well as my doctor.Has anyone been on this medication? What are the side effects like (if you had any) and did you notice a difference being on it? Any thoughts or comments would be much appreciated!!

I just started taking Copaxone, last Friday. The injection site reactions are the biggest side effects with Copaxone. I've had no other side effects other than a little bit of anxiety after a shot was given and a feeling of something being different--which has gone away. The injection site reactions looked pretty impressionable, at first. The first five days they were about the size of a baseball of red area with about a half-dollar sized fluid-filled middle area.

I've been on coaxone now for about 2 months and have had no real side effects other than a little burning or mild swelling. Saturday after my shot in my stomach I started getting light headed and hot and my heart started racing. I sat there trying to take deep breaths and looked up at myself in the mirror and my face was bright red! I felt like my heart was about to explode out of my chest! I gathered my composure enough to get to my bed and I went to sleep.

Does anyone know how long the 3x a week version has been out, and if it has different side effects than the daily? I liked the fact that Copaxone had been out for so long, which has given the most information on long term effects.

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?

I have a choice between copaxone or rebif injection. I read copaxone has more external side effects and rebif has more internal side effects. I would like to have feedback on this. Good and bad information would be great. Think I'm going with copaxone, but kind on fence a little.

You have just scared the h e l l out of me....I am due to start the drug for the first time on Friday. I am serious...you have really scared me. I am now going to spend the next hour finding out everything I can about this drug. I took Avonex several years ago and just couldn't tolerate the flu feelings for 4-5 days after my shot, so after 3 years, I gave up on it.

Copaxone has the potential for side effects just as much as any other DMD, although many of those side effects are different. It might come down to which ones you can tolerate and/or mitigate best. Side effects can vary greatly from one person to another, and you may not feel any side effects regardless of the DMD. If you find side effects intolerable, you can switch drugs.

My question is regardng side effects. I read the literature and the package insert, etc. Before the SS nurse arrived, unexpectedly, I had a headache. I get migraines but the was the garden variety type. Anyway, after the injection ,which was a breeze with minamal discomfort, my headache worsened. Took a long nap. Headache gone. When I awoke, I was lightheaded, actually felt more like orthostatic hypotension as I have a long history of hypertension. Anyway, took my BP and it was 156/110.

Worth nothing is that the flu-like side effects of Avonex often are less troubling after the first few weeks or months, but I've never seen anyone suggest that the mood-related side effects dissipate.

Copaxone side effects

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