Went to the neuro this morning. I definately have MS. He is sending somebody to my house within a week to teach me how to give myself the Copaxone injections. He told me that I will probably need somebody to help me because they will make me real sick. My mom will be in Texas, and there isn't anybody else. Could somebody tell me what I can expect? I am very, very sick now WITHOUT the injections...but, I am pretty good at handling it. How bad could the injections make me?

Sally

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Copaxone will not make you feel sick - that would be the inteferons like Avonex , Betaseron or Rebif.

I took Copaxone for 7 yrs and other than an occasional sting, it was no big deal.

let us know how it goes. in time you will just consider it another part of your day.

Linda

Thanks, Linda. I have had a few people tell me that there aren't harsh side effects. I wonder what my doc meant??? Maybe it is because I am soooooo sick right now. Anyway, it will only be a few days till the trainer comes to teach me how to handle it, and I will know. Injections are not a fear of mine. Chronic pain all of the time has its ups. It takes a lot to hurt me.
Thanks for your response and pat on the back......sally

Sally,

Good luck with Copaxone, I hope it helps.

You might talk to your neuro about symptom management meds sometimes they can really make a difference in how you feel.

Perhaps your neuro was referring to a fairly rare but bad reaction that happens immediately upon infection ( or within minutes) which is an anaphalctic (I prob. spelled that wrong) shock like reaction.

I was frightned to death on hearing about this from other Copaxone users before I ever started taking it.. this shock thing delayed my getting on it for years. My girlfriend got very brave and got on it. She started, stayed in touch with me, and was on it for several mos... she recommended it very highly to me.

She told me she "thinks" she was able to avoid the ana shock thing by making sure she never injected into a vein... which meant, she didn't use the auto inject, and did her shots slow to insure no blood veins were hit.. blood comming back up out of where the needle is inserted is a good sign you are in a vein.

Anyway, with her good experience with Copaxone and detailed exp. on avoiding veins, I started on Copax. myself. My first month was scary, as I was so afraid I would mess up and end up in ana shock (thinking I wouldn't know it if I was in a vein, and go ahead and inject). But that never happened, and years later, still shooting up w/o hitting a vein, I never had that shock thing happen.

Copaxone wiped out my nerve pain! No small feat! My numbness, spasticity, spasms disappreated to. That all happed within a couple of months after starting C.

The only thing that is unconfortable when on C. is the site reaction. Keep antihistamine and a cortisone cream on hand to put on the site following injections. You will need to rub those on sites that are 5 days old even, as the itch like crazy. After a few mos. the site reaction no longer happen, so it is no longer such an itchy thing/constant using anti itch lotions on the sites.

The benefits I have had with C. far exeed the interferons I had been on B$ Copaxone. Also, C. doesn't produce fever, headache and flu like symptoms like the other injectables do.

For what it's worth, that is my experience (and I speak for my friend also), I recommend Copaxone highly.

I so hope that the Copaxone helps me to feel beeter quickly. For about 6 - 7 months, I have been feeling so badly that I am now feeling panicky about it. It feels as if my very life is draining out of me. I live somewhere between blacking out, and wishing I was dead. How long will it take before I begin to feel better? Soooooooo sick......

Sally,

I am sorry your not feeling well.

Copaxone and the other DMDs are supposed to slow disease progression (they don't work for everyone) however they are not meant to help with symptoms. There are meds that can help with some symptoms.

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/treatments.asp

Unfortunately, for many, living with MS symptoms is part of living with this disease.

I hope you start to feel better soon.

Question...aren't there times when you go through harder times??? Like flare-ups? Would the meds help to make those flare-ups less? I think that is what I am having...not MORE problems. I am sorry to ask such silly questions...but, I really AM NOT knowledgable in MS.

I also realize that I have gotten a little depressed because it was kinda a hard row to hoe when I found out...even though I am glad to be out of limbo. I really don't know anything about MS, and I have very little touch with an outside world...family and friends. My family is away from here, and I have kinda been home-bound because of Chronic pain and fatigue that I have had for a very long time. I am hoping that something will lighten up so that I can get out and touch the world.

Hello Sally,
I don't know how I missed this, but please accept my apologies. Have you talked at all with Cherie on here? She may be able to send you some helpful information in reference to the questions you have. Might I also suggest you contact your local National Multiple Sclerosis Society? They ought to have many pamphlets available to you as well as someone who may be able to answer many of your questions.

I know this is a rough spot for you. We've all been there. But, it must be even harder without much of a support system in place. Do take good care of yourself, and know that you are in my thoughts.

All the best,
Chris