Hi Everyone,
I had my first appointment with the MS Nurse on Friday and I’m going to be starting Copaxone.
Anyone had any problems or are there any tips?
All advice gratefully received!
Sarah
For me, Copaxone was dead easy. I always injected in the morning as part of my getting up routine because doing the injection in the morning meant that I still had loads of time to remember, if for some reason I forgot - and I did on occasion, especially when not at home.
I used to take a strip of 7 syringes up to my bedroom every Sunday (Copaxone is fine out of the fridge for up to 30 days) - the Copaxone nurse gave me a blue plastic holder for them which I kept in a cupboard with the sharps bin.
My injection site routine was clockwise: Sat left thigh, Sun right thigh, Mon right hip, Tue right tummy, Wed one of my arms (I used to alternate because the red splodges were big there), Thu left left tummy, Fri left hip. I’ve not used Copaxone for nearly 3 years and I still remember, lol!
Never inject it cold / straight from the fridge because it can hurt.
I used to “prick around” a bit on my skin before actually injecting - to find a bit that was less sensitive! Worked for me 
Don’t worry if you get a drop of fluid on your skin afterwards - it’s normal. Just wipe it off. If it happens a lot, you may be injecting too shallow and/or pushing the syringe too fast so go deeper and push slower.
I should say, I always injected manually - I didn’t like the autoinjector. It might be better now though.
It’s normal to get a bit of stinging / itching after the injection. I never bothered to use heat/cold packs as I was too distracted getting the kids up etc to notice much, but some people use them and find them helpful.
I can’t think of anything else right now.
Copaxone kept me relapse free for about 3.5 years (only one or two very minor blips in that time). Unfortunately I started a big relapse and my neuro took me off it, but it was brilliant for those 3.5 years. I hope it works really well for you, and hopefully for longer
Karen x
hi sarah
my advice is to keep your skin in good condition. i have always had dry skin which became exzema (spelling?) and i was scared to inject on the scabby sites. double base gel was prescribed and i have used it ever since.
don’t be afraid to ring the connections helpline if you have any problems. they are great, all copaxone nurses, very knowledgeable.
i use the autoinjector and after 4 years i started to feel that my body was resisting the needles. i phoned connections and was given advice on the depth i should be using. all’s well now and just to make sure, a copaxone nurse is coming out to see me and to check my technique.
also make sure that you are calm when you inject. if you get stressed it makes it more difficult.
you’ll be fine
carole x
Hi Karen & Carole,
Thanks for the advice! I think I’m going to inject manually as I don’t have a problem with needles generally, so hopefully it should be OK!
Will let you know when I get them and how the first injection goes!!
Much appreciated.
Sarah
xxx
Hi Sarah, I was diagnosed on Dec 17th and started Copaxone on Dec 18th as I wanted to get my treatment started right away.
I am also manually injecting as I’m not squemish about needles and I found the auto inject very forceful and sore.
I have a bit of site reaction for the first 10 to 20 mins after injecting. It stings and itches but it goes away. I also don’t bother with heat and cold packs because they don’t make a difference for me.
I’ve only had one bruise and it was because my hands were slippy when I injected. I’m only a newbie to all this too but I’m really hopeful that the copaxone was reduce my relapses this year as I had so many last year.