I was diagnosed with Clinically Isolated Syndrome April 2011. As I have continually had more lesions on my MRIs however I have been referred to MS Nurses and recommended to start Avonex. I am due to see Nurses day after tomorrow and they are keen for me to start medication as well as I am lucky not to have had a second attack with my ever expanding number of lesions. I am not needle phobic but am absolutely dreading the thought of injecting myself every week. I know the Avonex also needs to go into the muscle. I would welcome any honest comments about how long it took you to get used to injecting and what problems you encountered. I can hopefully bring these up with MS Nurses to help me overcome any issues I may face. Thank you
I inject copaxone, everyday, I know it sounds simple, but try not to think about it and just get on with it, if possible…
I inject Rebif three times a week…it really is easier than you anticipate. Xx
Hi
I injected with Rebif 3 times a week for over a year and it wasn’t nice but it soon just became part of my routine. I ended up not really thinking about it much. The injection sites used to get a bit red and sore/itchy but it wasn’t that bad. I also had some mild flu-like symptoms. I used to inject just before bedtime and take paracetamol and usually slept through it.
I say ‘used to’ as Rebif didn’t work for me and I’m now on the oral treatment Gilenya which is much better. Hope injecting works for you. Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.
JZ
Hello,
I have been on avonex since jan. I choose the avonex pen because its just once a week and simple to use. I do get the “flu like” syptoms still but is managed with pain killers.
The avonex does need to go into your thigh muscle, but i find it better to inject into my thigh where i can see what im doing.
The one problem with avonex is that doing it once a week does take awhile to get used to it. Took me about 10 injections to get used to it.
Best of luck,
Darren
I was on Avonex for years and it was fine - honestly.
The idea of sticking a needle in yourself on a regular basis is just outrageous - of course it is. Everyone feels the way you do about the prospect. I felt that way before starting.
How long did it take to get used? The first time is the hard time. After that, it is more or less OK, because you have got over that first hurdle. Sticking a needle in yourself goes from simply inconceivable to just-what-happens-on-a-Thursday-evening. Really, it does.
Avonex did a good job for me for a long time. I hope that you find it suits you too.
Good luck.
Alison
I’ve been on Avonex since July 2012. To be honest, I find the injecting the easy part. Sometimes it stings a bit but nothing too bad. Occasionally I hit a blood vessel and it bleeds a bit but I always have some tissue on stand by. I also thought I would never be able to inject myself but it’s amazing how quick you get used to it.
I always take some paracetamol about 4pm, inject about 7pm, more paracetamol at 8pm and then off to bed. The side effects take far more to get used to than the injection!
Good luck and I’m sure you’ll be fine
Lynne
Meant to say - I think the injecting into muscle is a good thing rather than a bad one - it means no site reactions at all, and those can be a nuisance with other DMD injectables for some people. The big thing is sticking a needle in at all, really, rather than how far you stick it, if you see what I mean! And that is a hurdle to be got over with the other interferons and Copaxone, just the same as Avonex.
A
x
Agree with this. My regime was similar. Injection last thing at night, couple of ibuprofen before sleep, and then another couple as soon as I woke up the next morning. The important thing for me was those next morning tablets, whether I felt as if I needed them or not. Avonex side effects are much easier to prevent than to cure. The trouble was that I usually felt fine the next morning and so was inclined to forget, and would then feel hung over for the rest of the morning. But, even at their worst, the side effects for me were only like feeling that I had had one glass too many. Certainly never bad enough to keep me off work or otherwise disrupt my routine.
Alison
x
I was on Rebif for 4 years and found injecting quite straight forward. The first one was daunting but I had the MS nurse on hand for that one and after that it just became routine. At first I had a brutal auto injector but then the new one came out which was fantastic. I did get red site marks but they weren’t painful; they just didn’t look attractive. Rebif kept me relapse free for 3.5 years but sadly doesn’t work for me any more so after two relapses this year I’m now about to start on Gilenya.
Good luck with your Avonex. I promise you that the thought of self injecting is so much worse than the actual deed 
Tracey x
I cannot thank you enough for your comments. I feel much more optimistic about actually doing the dreaded injecting and am sure the advice from MS Nurses will also be of great help to me. I have read up on DMDs but it is much more important to me to use these forums and find out about real experiences of real people to help me make my decisions and prepare myself for this next chapter. Thank you all, for your support.
Thank you so much for all your comments and experiences. I have been reading up on DMDs but I find first hand experiences much more valuable. I am feeling slightly more optimistic now about injecting. Thank you so much for your honesty and advice.
Try not to worry too much about the injections. It really is a lot easier than you think.
I have been on Rebif 8 years. I was pretty scared at first but once i got the hang of it i thought “all that worrying for nothing!”
To be honest i don’t even bother with the auto-injecter thing any more. I just can’t be bothered to faff about with it so i manually inject the needle straight into skin. It takes a matter of seconds. (most people use the autoinjecter though)
The main thing to think of is - i want to slow down my relapses in severity and frequency and give myself the best possible chance of taking control of my ms.
Good luck and i hope Avonex works well for you.
Teresa.x
Hello,
I have been injecting Rebif for ages and so far I haven’t had any problems. I find that I can barely feel it if I go for a ‘fatty’ area (too many of these to be proud of!) and the process is incredibly. I used to worry about it too, but now it is nothing.
Good luck,
Moira