rebif was my first dmd it totally didnt agree with me had to be taken off it due to liver problems and flue like symptoms that made me so much worse than before, moved on to copaxone terrified of needles and for around 18 months have had no problems really until i noticed lipoatrophy and also had one of those post injection reactions where i couldnt breath and went hot from head to toe . talked to neuro who said which would you rather have ms progression or the dimples well guess what i went for carried on injecting told ms nurses numerous times, not concerned until the other day when i told her because of the extent of the lipoatrophy she said you really shouldnt be still using it all so she has posted me a dvd with avonex on it to have a look at see if thats what i want to do well i dont know am really upset unsure of what to do and cant beleive its all done over the phone just like a chemist and dont know what to do xx
hope there is someone out there that can help me copaxone is a fantastic dmd and im sure from how i was before i would be a lot worse off without it xxxx
I’m a little confused about your choices as I thought Avonex was basically a very similar drug to Rebif. I’ve had a bad year on Rebif and was offered the choice of Copaxone or Gilenya. I thought this was because Copaxone is a completely different drug so may work differently. I don’t see how Avonex won’t cause the same problems for you that Rebif did. If I were you I would be asking these questions of your MS nurse before you decide.
I have only been on rebif, but have been struggling with side effects and various abnormal blood results. My nurse and i talked about the possibility of me switching to avonex. It was her opinion that they shouldn’t have the same effects as rebif, due the difference in the manufacturing process. She did say that side effects could still be a problem, however one that only happens once a week rather than 3x a week. Iv’e decided to stick it out a bit longer before i give up, got another blood test in a fortnight which will be the decider.
If the decision is upseting you, have a good chat with your nurse and or neuro, only do what you feel comfortable with.
Hi there, I’ve just read your post and thought my experience might help you in your decision. I initially started on Copaxone about 13 years ago after a few months I noticed that I was getting lipo atrophy so I stopped taking it and went on Avonex with no problems at all. I did my injection before bed and took ibuprofen and slept through the headache and flu symptoms. At first the IM injections were difficult to do until the brought out the pen injection for it and this made it so simple. So I’ve been using it for about 11 1/2 years with no problems. As of now my neurologist has suggested I try Rebif as I am getting yearly flare-ups and she said Rebif was a stronger. I’m unsure as I’m worried incase I get lipo atrophy again. I hope this helps in your decision. Julie