Bizarre experience on Avonex - had to come off quick!

I might have posted about this but I don’t recall. A year ago or maybe a little more than that I began to have very severe head pains that rocked me. I had memory lapses and mental absence episodes. The day used to spin around me and I lived in a time warp. I collapsed at work seven times in a few weeks and talked gibberish. I said and did crazy things that I have no recollection of. My personality changed and I became intolerant and very aggressive. I had screaming blue fits and lost it many times in supermarkets. I walked out without paying for my shopping about five times from major supermarkets just as an eruption of intolerance and anger at the checkout. I was strangely never challenged. It ended with this causing trouble with my boss and she and I fell out big time. She never believed that Avonex caused the personality change. Then OH doctor did and the MS clinic confirmed this. I gradually recovered but my boss didn’t and she eventually sacked me. Prior to that the abuse I got from her was vast, with three contrived disciplinarians and one written warning. A scathing appraisal and she wanted me to be put on a personal development plan. She took away all of my direct reports (I was a boss) and downgraded me. The settlement was considerable but this abuse went on for seven months before she sacked me on a contrived charge. This boss of mine ( a director) was sacked herself a few days after the settlement was agreed and the money paid over. All of this because of Avonex!

OMG, what a terrible thing to have to go through, we believe that these meds are supposed to help, delay relapses, or stop them, I will just say though that the year leading upto me having what I thought was my first big relapse I was really aggressive, pick a fight with anyone, including men, my husband was really scared for me, and then bang it hit me, I went straight into SPMS, now for you I’m not saying it wasn’t the Avonex, but maybe some of it was the MS, since then I’ve been fine, no anger outbursts, thank god, I really hope you’re all right now, take care, Jean x

I can also add that my neuro pointed out in her notes that I had elation and periods of depression - all neurologically related to damage somewhere in the brain (lesions). Its quite common and is listed in the possible symptoms of ms.

It must have been awful for you having such episodes. I didnt know a DMD could do that, however we are all different and putting chemicals into our systems can have bizzare effects. Im not medical but it could have been a case of your ms and a possible allergic reaction working together to take you out of character, resulting in devastating effects regarding your work, relationships and social interactions.

I do hope youve got your life back and now know it wasnt your fault. I hope others accept it was out of your hands and definitely not you at the time. So sad youve had to experience all this though, glad you received compo, however have you had to start again, or just happy the whole saga is over?

bren

x