Copaxone is the weakest and he did not recommend it for me. Betaseron, Rebif and Avonex are essentially the same drug, Intefereon beta, administered in different doses.
My Neuro is a big believer in Neutralizing antibodies.
Avonex NAB rate is around 5%
Rebif around 10-15%
Betaseron 25-30%
NABs can bind to the active side of the interferon molecule rendering it useless. So naturally (if you believe in NABs) you would likely pick the one with the lowest NABs.
The drugs with the longest safety data are the injectables (Copaxone, Rebif, Avonex, Betaseron), but there are three oral drugs these days too (Gilenya, Aubagio, Tecfidera), as well as a monthly infusion (Tysabri). There is also at least one "off-label" option with growing positive data (Rituxan is used by a couple of our members). Some of us (me!) are also volunteers on drug studies and are taking drugs that aren't out there yet.
Also, the type of interferon used is different than that in Betaseron. Betaseron is interferon beta-1b NOT interferon beta 2-b. These little points are important.
Also, in discussing male sperm counts and motility one must consider many, many factors - not just the most notable med the person is on. A man's sperm count and activity may be affected by things we don't even think about like temperature, alcohol, depression, meds like anti-depressants or antihypertensives.
I've been on Betaseron since a year after I was diagnosed in 2000. On August 20th, I quit taking Betaseron cold turkey when I finally received my new oral medication Tecfidera. For the last few days I have been dealing with horrible body aches, diarrhea, cold sweats & the inability to eat (not feeling sick, just not being hungry or interested in eating). I do not have a fever, a cough, allergies or anything else I can conclude to be at fault for these annoying symptoms.
My Neuro wants me to switch from Rebif to Betaseron. I have been taking Rebif since March 09 and have had to do one round of Solu Medrol in May and will find out tomorrow if I have to do another. I also have pretty bad injection site reactions which is why the Neuro wants the switch. I guess Rebif has acid in the injection and it makes the site reactions worse?
My question is, I am under the impression that Betaseron is not pre mixed and also that there is not an auto injector?
Started out on Avonex for 12 of those years. Had an attack a couple of years ago and my neurologist wanted me to start taking Betaseron. Have had a decent run with Betaseron except for low white blood counts. The last blood test they were so low that he pulled me off. I am on nothing at the moment. M\y doctor wanted to make sure the blood cell count came back up. It did come back up and he mentioned he wants to put me on copaxone. I don't know if I can do an injection every day.
I have been taking Betaseron for over 14 years, with no substantial side effects. I was told I would have to switch over to Extavia after the first of the year. ???????????
I have a couple problems with the Extavia, One being it looks to me that Extavia may be trying to save some money ,[[ At the patients expense ] one--a possible cheaper syringe???
The specialist at UCSF is switching me to Tysabri and has told me to go ahead and stop my Betaseron. It has now been 2 shots that I missed (well didn't take) and for the past 2 days I have been feeling like someone beat the crud outta me.
My husband is insisting it is cuz I am not taking my shots. I don't see how that can be. We went to UCSF Monday night (4 hr drive), had my Dr appt Tues which took 4 hrs.
Hard to answer your question without more information. Why do you have only those four choices? Avonex (which I’ve used for 11 years) and others are notably absent from your list. Avonex, Rebif, and Betaseron have been around longest and have the strongest safety profiles. If your MS is more aggressive, then you may be more inclined to consider Gilenya, Tecfidera, Aubagio, or Tysabri. All of the DMDs are discussed from a neutral perspective at the link below:
http://www.nationalmssociety.
I have been on Betaseron since 1995. I have not had an attack since I started using the Betaseron. 3 1/2 year ago I slipped on the stairs and landed hard on my tailbone. A pain shot up through my back and gave me a terrible headache. Over the next few days, my leg started going numb. Went to the doctor and he sent me for x-rays and gave me muscle relaxants. Nothing on the x-ray. Sent me to my neurologist. He examined me and said it was MS and had me take three courses of solumedrol.
could help with a disability claim. I have a betaseron kit and a rebif kit, which I was urged to research. I'll follow up in December, at which time we will discuss my options. He highly recommends that I begin treatment and explained that today's treatment will be my hope ten years from now.
Opinions, experiences, advice, wisdom . . . all coveted. Please share.
I started on Betaseron within a month of the diagnosis. I have symptoms from the old lesions but never had another clinical exacerbation. I stopped taking the Betaseron after 6 years (two months ago). Two more MRIs after diagnosis showed no new lesions. The second MRI (a year after diagnosis) looked like "classic M.S." (I was told by an M.S. specialist). The third MRI (last year) showed some of the lesions were smaller. Question: by whatever criteria is being used now, is this M.S.?
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