I am a true Avonex veteran, been on it over fifteen years (since June 96). I had several exacerbations prior to starting Avonex. The latter one landed me in the hospital and on steroids.
Had some Avonex side effects early-on but they soon went away. More importantly I have remained stable with no attacks since on the drug.
Now I self-inject weekly and its little more than a minor inconvenience.
I know some can't tolerate Avonex , but for me its been a godsend.
I fully expect to be on it indefinitely, probably for the rest of my life. But that's OK with me and far better than the alternative!