rebif and avonex

have been on in order, avonex, rebif, avonex again, betaseron, copaxone and tysabri. Currently not on any, but will be on gileyna in january. Tysabri worked the best for me, but because of the very high risk for me to get PML, I decided not to chance it any more.

Hi, I was wondering if anyone who has taken both Avonex and Rebif could give some input here. I have been taking Rebif since this past June, but have started to wonder about how Avonex would compare side-effect-wise. As they are both interferons, I would think they would be similar, but I'm not certain. The idea of once a week sounds nice in comparion though, so I would like some actual first-hand knowledge. Thanks!

yes, it was the va neuro recently that mentioned rebif or avonex and suggested strongly i go with one of them versus the copaxone. this guy typically minimizes any symptom i have(my impression). can't talk to a nurse there until doc Rx's something. i don't even want to discuss that office.

When he heard about this he was adamant that the Interferons were off my possible list of meds. He would not re-prescribe Avonex and said that Rebif and Betaseron would likely (not definitely) be worse. As a physician, myself, this makes sense. When a person has a problem that is associated with a class of medications, they can be possibly have that problem with all members of that class.

I really am sorry to hear that you have become frustrated wtih Rebif. Perhaps you would do better on a lose dosage and Avonex may be for you. Hope you feel better and decide which treatment to use in the near future. Slowing down this disease is vitally important.

what MS shots copaxone, rebif, betaseron & avonex has the smallest percentage of blood fractions

s, and wanted to treat me aggressively. Rebif and Avonex are exactly the same type of interferon, but the dosage and type of injection are what differs. Avonex is 33 mcg once a week...Rebif is 44 mcg 3 times a week. (And it's made from Chinese hamster ovary cells - how hysterical is that??) lol! I have talked to numerous people on Avonex, and they said that they felt llike they had the flu for a day or two after their injection each week.

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.org/Treating-MS/Medications Choose a medicine that you can adhere to the dosing schedule.

Does Avonex cause a lot of leg weakness and aching? Or is that something more associated with MS itself?

It is definitely an individual choice and based on so many various factors..other conditions you are dealing with, etc. For me, copaxone was first choice because I have other autoimmune diseases I'm dealing with along with diabetes and copd, and supposedly has the least amount of side effects. I was able to stay on it for about a year before I began having bad skin reactions.

After at least of 5 weeks of worsening effects from Copaxone and 8 weeks total, it's all over between us. I truly tried. Almost went to counseling. Arbitration was an option, and so on. The bottom line is that I had terrible allergic reactions that snowballed. I tried several kinds of antihistamines, plus Singulair, and a bunch of different creams. All I got were hives, bruises, welts, rashes and misery.

The sole purpose of Copaxone, Rebif, Avonex and Betaseron is to slow the progression of the disease and reduce the number of relapses. If you look at the studies, people on these CRAB's still have relapses, they just don't have as many relapses as people who are not on a CRAB. So it should not be a surprise to any of us on a DMD when we do have a relapse. The CRAB should be making it less intense and shorter in duration, hopefully.

My neuro, who does a wartload of research on AVonex and Tysabri, told me that Avonex "hits its full effect around 6 months," and when I was having symptoms at that time (actaully for me it was 7 to 8 months) did not feel that Avonex had been given a full chance. I think 6 months is jumping the gun a little, just based on the words of one of the major researchers, but I can't tell you that I really know.

Hi Sam, Well, I'm just not sure. I'll tell you, I went on Rebif not long after being dx'd and I'm off of it now for a short time (for other reasons), and I'm curious to see how I feel after I restart. For me, I could not tell the difference between MS feeling like ****, or Rebif feeling like ****. I really did not have enough time w/MS to know the difference. Now that I've had this gap in time, I feel I will know the difference too.

If you are allergic to interferon (Rebif and Avonex), then you will be allergic to the Betaseron. You were allergic to Copax too? What type of allergic reaction did you have, and how long did it take to happen? If I end up allergic to Rebif, my Neuro told me my only options are Copax or Tysabri. Were the reactions different from med to med? Please describe if you can.

Hi there! Nice to meet you! I understand keeping it under his hat for work. When, or if it's time, he'll divulge. If he's doing well he may just take the add on of a DMD in stride and not notice a thing. While I can't speak to the side affects of Avonex, I am on Rebif and find them very tolerable. Went about my night to back to school night after the 1st shot and the rest is history.

I am an MS patient and I have recently started taking Avonex, (I have had two injections so far) and I have been having problems sleeping.Does anyone know if Avonex causes insomnia, at all? I have read all the possible side effects Avonex may bring, but sleeplessness doesn't seem to be in the list.

one of our long term members, essdipity, had the same problem with the itching and switched to either Rebif or Avonex. Good luck in your decision. Was Gilenya offered as an option or just the interferons?

I remember when I was on Rebif, I had the same issue, and Ibuprofen with the shot at bedtime did the trick. I took the Ibuprofen again in the morning, and by 10 am, I was feeling normal. Good luck, and I hope you feel better soon!

I had hair loss after starting Gilenya back in February and was very concerned about it. There's something about these immune modulator drugs that have hair loss as a potential side effect. I had to search and search the drug companies website to finally find it as it was an "uncommon" side effect and not on the packaging where mostly "common" side effects are only listed now days.

I inject manually now too but used to use the autoinjector which is easy to use and you dont even see the needle. Rebif has a similar device. The needle is so small, I rarely even feel it breaking the skin, it is whats inside that takes a bit of getting used to. The Copaxone gave me a stinging - burning sensation for a while till my body adjusted to it, as well as site reactions, but I rarely get these anymore.

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.

Hello. I have been on Rebif now for just over three years after nine and a half years taking Avonex. Have been very consistent in making sure to take my shots. Having a short term memory moment, realized the other day while taking my 2nd to last shot of my current distribution; This being true, tomorrow will be my last shot with a schedule to take the first of a new packet on Saturday, Dec 22nd. Many thanks if you can supply me with the appropriate phone number to order a next batch.

Hello! I've just been diagnosed with MS and am wondering which drug is better. I've read the material for Copaxone, Rebif, Avonex, and Betaseron. I've narrowed it down to two -- Rebif or Copaxone based mainly on side effects. Which drug is the best?

s known that some people on the Interferons, Avonex and Rebif have had no additional lesions, that have lasted years. That was my experience when I took Avonex. Since I now take Copaxone and have only been on it for a little over a year, I cannot give you a personal view of how well the drug is working for me. I am beginning to notice less relapses, though. How DMD's work is not fully understood.

Just a quicdk thought here. If depression occurs on one Interferon it would be expected to occur on all Interferons at the same dose or higher. Avonex is the lowest does and my reading on this problem says that the same side effect would be expected - and possibly worse - on a higher dose. So, I don't understand the switch from Avonex to Rebif AT ALL. In order of increasing Interferon dose it goes Avonex-> Rebif -> Betaseron.

Rebif and avonex

Common Questions and Answers about Rebif and avonex

rebif