Good for you Dej!! I quit driving for a year once because of panic attacks..sure sucks having to depend on others to go places. So happy for you.

long time user
 

i've been taking copaxone for 15 years and my condition becomes worse and worse from year to year. so many times i was thinking to stop. my question is how many years did u use it and what made u to stop?

Less than 1 year was enough to convince me that it definitely was polluting my body more so than helping it.

Someone called it 'draino'. I think they were right on the money!

(no offense to those who are taking it and are stable with their diseases, it just wasn't for me, and my body was quick to let me know)

I think I was on it for two years (started september, maybe? of 2007, stopped last year in May or June)

I wasnt the most compliant patient with the C tho. Sometimes I'd go weeks without stabbing myself, but sometimes I'd be good for 3 or 4 months.

I think I did feel worse on the C. I think it was the side effects that were making me uncomfortable... The C was probably causing me to get yeast infections all the time. I havent had the yeastie beasties for at least 5 or 6 months. Seems like it took from May/June of last year till February of this year for my body to clear up and recover from that. (sorry if that's TMI)

I also felt really jumpy all the time while I was on the C...anxiety and I was really easily startled.

I have some anxiety now, but I think that's from the worry I've had about the flare that's been picking on me this summer.

I was on it for almost exactly 3 years. it took more than a year for it to become effective on me, but as that year marched forward I had bizarre symptoms.

extremely dry eyes (to the point of punctal plugs)
psoraisis. Skin behind my ears was cracked open
unstable moods
Quick to severe anxiety that got worse over time.
exhaustion. not MS fatigue, I was wrung out and couldnt do much.
inability to focus on more than one task at a time.
didnt feel safe driving. I got lost easily, and made stupid mistakes.
my skin was so dry it was cracked
my hair was falling out
I have HUGE dents in my fat pads where I injected
Racy heart, palpations,heavy chested after the injection.
skin rashes. off and on.nothing that would stay.
wild dreams
liver pain, pancreas pain and several episodes of pancreatitis.
my stomach crawled to a stop. it took 12 hours to pass water thru my tummy
as time marched forward, meds stopped working on me. Took twice as much meds as normal for same effect that I used to get with one. Now that I am not on Copaxone, I take ONE pill not two, as it works again.

Weird things that the MDs all say couldnt possibly be related to C.


I struggled for the last year. My DH was terrified because the MDs all told him how disastorous it would be for me to stop. Kept telling him the next relapse may land me in a chair, or blind me. That even tho I felt unwell on the stuff it was important to stay with it. I failed off of interferons because it made my liver enzymes go sky high. Copaxone was my last hope unless I was willing to go to Tysabri. So for a year the DH and I argued, researched, and had a tug of war about what to do.

After just one week off the meds, it was like someone handed me my head back without the cob webs. I was able to cook again. I could follow the recipe. I was able to clean again. I had the stamina to stay with it.I was able to drive again, it was like someone took a veil off my face and I could see again.

How much is placebo? how much is actual med? I dont know, but I do know that with each passing day I feel better. I have handled all my cat stressors and have not crawled in bed, in tears begging the DH to take over for me.

My friend that I met at my MS group also was on C and when she stopped it she had vast improvements just like you.

I am glad that you are better now. Denise has improved dramatically in the 10 months I have known her and I hope you get the same response.

gmi