I know a lot of people that have been on it and are worse off for it. Solumedrol which is a high dosed steroid is used for major flare ups of MS. My advice to you although not a doctor would be to get a second opinion I would hate for you to not be able to fight off flare ups because your body is resistant to steroids. My cousin takes 600 miligrams of ibuprofen 2 hours before the shot and 4 hours after.
Lenny, it is very common for Avonex to cause flu-like symptoms. You should read all the information that came with your shipment of Avonex. You can also talk to your doctor about this.
I do my shot before bed, and take an Aleve at the same time. That's a long-lasting pain reliever you can buy anywhere. Then I sleep through the Avonex effects nearly every time. If I don't, I take another Aleve after 12 hours (what the package says is safe).
Try this or something similar.
If I remember correctly, Avonex is titrated (each dose bigger than the last) until you get to the full dose, but the prefilled syringes you get are filled with the full dose amount. There should be some leftover until you get all the way to the full dose.
I've not been on Avonex, but for some reason that sticks with me.
My doctor offered me AVONEX for that and I used AVONEX for almost 1 year. But about 6 months back, I felt some slight disability on my left side. I cannot move my left leg properly after about 15 minutes walk now. I don't now it is again symptom for MS or not. Is there any body here to help me. I really appreciate any answer. BTW, I am right handed.
I think the number is as high as 40%. Rebif is the next most likely with something like 23%. Avonex is the least likely with an incidence of NA's of less than 10%. The problem appears to be dose-related. Betaseron is the highest dose, Rebif next and Avonex the lowest.
Once you have neutralizing antibodies to one of the Interferon-beta meds, you have it to ALL of them.
If JohM is around, he has doen the most research into this problem, if I remember right.
Excellent news Francy!!!
Happy for you :) I hope Avonex is the one for you :) And, your MS is stopped in it's tracks!
For all you Avonex users can you share on how long these lumps last after injection. When I used copaxone my nickname was lumpy. Their injections are daily so constantly stayed lumpy. I thought I would get a break with Avonex since it's weekly. The lumps are still there. My legs are actually sore.
I don't know if ice or heat would help. I'm open for suggestions......
Thank you, Francyna.
ve been on Avonex for the past two months. The side effects have been minimal for me. My problem is now my liver enzymes are elevated. Dr. said I may have to try something else if my elevated liver enzymes continue.
I don't like the idea of a daily shot with Copaxone, but I'm also concerned about the side effects of the oral medications. I won't consider Tysabri at this point because my MS diagnosis is fairly new and I want to try other treatments first.
I had forgotten that Plegridy even exists, so I looked it up for more info. Turns out it is made by Biogen Idec, who also make and market Avonex and Tysabri. It is a kind of interferon, and is administered via injection every two weeks. The doses are stepped up, with full levels reached after several weeks.
The Disease Modifying Drugs have been widely used for only about 15 years. So we know that there is not any damage seen for a decade and a half. That's pretty good longterm data. We'll all feel more comfortable when we can say that after 50 years there is not evidence.
The DMD's (contrary to what some people will tell you) are not "just like cancer chemo drugs." I say that because I have heard people call them just that.
I know diagnosing MS is difficult and neurologists make mistakes. But what are the EXACT requirements for a definite diagnosis in 2003 and what is the EXACT diagnostic criteria for beginning Copaxone? Should my neurologist have used the McDonald criteria for diagnosing MS on 2003? I know today pharmaceutical companies say the sooner the better but what happens to a body that takes Copaxone for 4.5 years and never had MS? Did I have experimental allergic encephalomyelitius?
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.
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