I'm 45 yrs and I feel like I have achieved absautely nothing. To get to the point////// the best years of my body looking good is over!!!! Since I been injecting copaxone in my thighs the have truly taken on a whole new shape...not the most flattering....my neuro said I don't have that deformity that is associated with copaxone, I gueas with my weight gain, from the differnt x's of using prenisone, zoloft, and I'm not sure but copaxone has steroids in it as well ???
I have only been on the Avonex for a month and a half. It kicks my butt for about 24 hours. Pain in every muscle in my body down to my fingertips. Shivering/shaking. Like clockwork, I get pain three to four days after the shot in the injected muscle. It feels like I severely pulled the muscle. Hard to exercise. I also have headaches and muscle aches pop up during the week. I know it's the Avonex, because nothing else feels quite like it.
Take some ibuprofin before injection. It helps alot! I still take it on injection night after a year and half or I get achy and chills. Good luck today!
I'm just wondering if I'm the only 1 who feels like Avonex is destroying my immune system. Shortly after starting the injections a yr. and half ago, I've been getting sick a lot, & each time is a big deal. I've never in my life been on so many meds., such as antibiotics & steroids, and with little relief. I've decided to stop the Avonex. My m.s. (which I believe is mild) is fine, mri's are unchanged from the 1st one. I want to see how the next mri's look.
So strange (to me) that an insurance company would take issue with the titration dose as it would be smaller. I'm glad you're now approved. I've been having a similar problem finding a manageable dose on a new (non-DMD) medication I'm on. At full dose, the nausea was really impacting my quality of life, and I went back to a half dose. I know I'll be titrated to twice as much soon and, given my past experience, I'm nervous as all get out!
They might be able to ship you some Avonex so you can get started again, or they might give you tips about dealing with life in the interim. They do not want an Avonex patient to get sicker, because it reflects poorly on the drug even if it’s not the drug’s fault, so they will do what they can to keep you well.
The longest I’ve gone without Avonex is seven weeks … although I did use Gilenya for the first three of those weeks. I had no indications of any relapses during that whole episode.
DX on 2/14...started Avonex last week with nurse helping and did fine. This week I thought I did okay but noticed the plunger did not go completely down. It was the 1/2 dose. Since I am inclined to over analyze, trying not to panic. Figure I'll be taking more next week...but since you all seem like you know your stuff...thought I'd ask the experts. Thanks.
First, contrary to what maxthecat wrote, this is from the Avonex medication guide: "AVONEX PEN should only be injected into the muscle of your upper, outer thigh."
Anyway, I hate the shots too, so I completely know how you feel … although I’ve been taking them only half as long as you have.
If you stay on the Avonex I would ask your doctor to check your liver function and other levels with a blood test every 3-6 months for the first year to make sure your body is handling it well. Are you having any side effects now from the Avonex, such as depression, flu-like symptoms, etc?
I am on Avonex now and the website is helpful. Also, did you get an info packet when you started? I found that helpful, too.
Why do your doctors think its MS? Have you seen an MS specialist?
t even remember the name of. Anyways, I started taking Avonex. This coming up week will be my 5th injection. I have suffered through the fever, the body aches, let me make that severe muscle pains, abdominal pains, and the list goes on. The one side effect that is really worrying me is the depression. I have never been so depressed in my life. In fact I have never been what I would call depressed. I've have some really hard times but I've always been able to push through.
Recommended
