I have finally started Copaxone after waiting 6 weeks for the meds company to deliver them. I’ve just done my third injecion and i was wondering if it’s normal for a very stingy sensation for about half and hour at the injection site followed by extreme sensitivity all day and into the next day?
Ouch!! Does this go away over time or i’m i stuck with this?
I was told by the nurse that it will take 9 months for it to build up in my system before it will start to work, if it does at all, has anyone noticed a reduction in relapses before that timeframe?
I had my first injection on 25/11 (yesturday) and my first one still stings a bit but the second one isnt causing me any trouble but I did get told that they can be painful etc for a couple of days afterwards.
I have been on copaxone for 8 months now. When I first started the injections I could not beleive how painful they were! like a bee sting that lasted sometimes over half an hour followed by a massive redness surrounding the area which would then itch for about 3 days!! I was told by my copaxone nurse that it would get better and could take upto 6 months to ease, in my case she was right, it took approx 5 months for things to settle with the injection site reaction, however they still sometimes do sting a little especially in my arms.
On a good note since being on the medication I feel great I have not had a relapse since taking it my fatigue is so much better and on the whole I couldn’t feel better.
I really hope you don’t suffer how I did (think I was just unlucky) stick with it, it may take time but the medication seems to be helping me!
Thanks for your response. Allie i think that we should keep in touch as we have started a day apart and we could compare notes as we go.
Linda your response has given me such hope with the results of the drug! I have 2 big brusies and red angry rashes so far but today’s injection hasn’t done so, so perhaps i’m managing to get the hang of the technique and not plunging to deep!
I have felt aliitle crappy since starting this but nothing different from before.
I had a nightmare when I started Copaxone. It seemed that I was a little allergic to it, I’d have nasty pain straight after the injection and would have BIG tender lumps for a few weeks afterwards. I saw the Copaxone Nurse who gave me some great tips. I took a 1-a-day antihistamine for about 6 weeks. I would use a warm pad before and an ice pack after injecting (warm pad made the needle go in easier as I inject manually) and the ice pack really helps with the pain. In the end it was so bad that I had to get Emla cream from my GP, it’s the stuff they use in hospitals to numb the area before injecting.
After about 6 weeks I could stop the antihistamines (I went to every other day first in case I was still a bit allergic) and I stopped using the Emla cream and went back to warm and cold packs as my skin started to go funny from the plasters I had to use with the cream. The pains got less quite quickly then so I could stop using them so often. I still need to use it sometimes though, normally when I do my legs and I’ve been on it for nearly 3 years now.
Hope you get use to it quickly and try a few ways to help with the pain.
Still get the sting after the injection, but it is just an annoyance.
Sting may start within a second or two, or maybe after up to a minute.
The skin site reactions fade away, and after a few weeks you will often not see any.
I have only had one recognisable relapse since I started, so I figure it is working.
Was speaking to my MS Nurse on the phone last week and she asked “How is the Copaxone going, and are you still doing the injections?”
From that, I figure that some people give up easily.
Well today’s injection has been the worse yet with the hugest lump like a big blister and an inch red cirlce around it, i have put some Germolene on it to take the sting out of it and try to numb the area. I wonder if my needle had some liquid on it as i forgot to tap it before injecting? Or i haven’t went in far enough?
Anyway thanks for the great advice Sue, i’m on 2 different antihistamines everyday for my allergies as i’m allergic to just about everything right now so hopefully they will help but the numbing cream is a great tip so i might look in to that. Are you allergic to any other meds?
Geoff, i’m defo not giving up, i’ve waited since August to get to this point but i can see how people might be put off early on. Great news that you’ve only had one relapse since starting that must give you positive vibes to continue.
Allie, i hope your doing good with injection number 3!!
It gets better, your body is clever, it adapts. I was at wits end with the itchy, then I was prescribed some excellent anthystamines and after a couple of weeks it was like ‘why was I so upset, this is easy!’ It will continue to hurt a little at times but we humans are super able at getting used to mild discomfort (after all we get worse pain when we bark our shins!) Don’t give up
Hi Soz you’re having a bit of trouble with the injections, but please persevere as I can’t praise Copaxone enough.
I was on it for over 3 years and it gave me a new lease of life! For the first 2yrs I had hardly any relapses and my energy levels improved. It was only due to the last year starting with relapses again that I am now on Tysabri.
I did find the first injections to sting a fair bit, and sometimes my arm site would feel very heavy and achy. But two tips that I would recommend are…
Take the injection out of the fridge for a while before you use it (i used to take it out and then 2/3 mins before I injected, put it into my bra to warm it a little). This didn’t stop the sting completely, but it certainly helped and over time you become hardy to the feeling.
I was supplied with a small ice pack with the initial Copaxone pack which again at the start I used to put onto the injection site immediately. This took away the initial sting etc. If it itched a lot, I used anti-hystamine cream.
yeah doing good so far but done my thigh today for first time and it stung like mad but it was ok after about a hour. Im not going to give up with it I just can’t handle the bad relapse I was having (had one in July and another end of October and was only diagonised in december 10).
I’m in my third year now, it does get better & I think it helps that you get better at doing it.
I am used to injecting dogs, cats & horses, so that helps in my case, not that I expect everyone to run about harpooning pets…lol.
Your right, flicking off any bead you may get on the needle tip helps, as does bringing it out of the fridge for half an hour before you inject. Another thing you can do is massage to area with a finger for a minute or two post injection, I find that helps the copaxone disperse.
I still have the occasional itchy one, but they are few & far between now really.
Your slim which does not help, it’s much easier if your a fat git like me…lol…so try & find fleshier bits if you can, manual injesting is better as you have control over the speed, slowly is better.
I have had a couple of relapses over the last couple of years, but I think I would have been in a much worse state with the huge stresses we have had without the copaxone.
don’t be afraid to experiment with the depth on the autoject. i reacted so badly that my leg would go into spasm and i had to get downstairs on my bum! my gp told me that i was injecting too deep.
I have to agree that I am embracing the two stone I have put on thanks to Gabapentin as it hurts far less in the flab.
I started in May and did one complete rotation manually and I’m doing this second one with the autoject to compare reactions.
My right legs reacts very painfully to both methods and my nurse has told me to try it on a six setting before leaving the top and middle ones—for some bizzare reason the lower one where there is far less flab doesn’t object.
The actual process is no problem,I have a few bruises and alot of hard lumps. It does’t matter how hard I rub them they will not go away. I do use an electric massager which can be brutal to try and get rid of them with some degree of success.
I am recently finding that if I get hot, old areas from days ago go red again and itch like bad.
I did put my tip on the newly dx site. I was having problems doing the hip ones myself as many areas were out of bounds due to stretch marks,and being fat it was impossible to see clearly in a mirror let alone hold the needle at the correct angle.
The copaxone nurse drew on me where were good places with defining lines for the top,mid and lower. She took a photo which I printed off and now can stand at the mirror and know for certain where is ok by referring to my photo.
Well worth a try if you havent got a willing helper.
Hi all, I have recently found out that I am going to have a baby, this is my first baby. I am on Copaxone 3 x a week and my Consultant says that I can either stop injecting or continue throughout pregnancy. I am intrigued into what others have done?! Have you continued to use it or stopped having it and then gone back on it after giving birth. Thanks!!! Yvonne