Hello all I am new to this forum but I am wondering if anyone has taken Copaxone and had difficulty with its effectiveness...I have been taking it for 7 years now and just this last year I have had 3 exacerbations which were very scary and it left me worried about my future with this AWFUL disease! I go see my neuro in Feb. and I will be telling him to change my shots to something different. I was told by a physician that if you have even 1 exacerbation then the drug has failed. I am gonna be 35 on March 11 and I have had MS since I was 21 but it did not get diagnosed till I was 25! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated....

Welcome to NeuroTalk!

The way I understand it is that the DMD's are supposed to decrease your chances of having an exacerbation....not eliminate them altogether.

If you've had good results using it for seven years maybe it's lost its effectiveness for you. Look into LDN.

You may need to switch to another medication.

I was on Avonex for 7.5 years until it was no longer effective.

I switched to Tysabri for a while.

Welcome to the site.

-Vic

Its to my understanding that many folks have amazing results with Copaxone for about 5 years, and then after that it can be less effective for some.

Copaxone is designed to help prevent exacerbations and if you do have one, it is supposed to help make it less severed, but it has only about a 33% effectiveness rate. Many folks use a multi weapon approach. Good diet, exercise, disease modifying drugs, good mental health and good medical care. Copaxone is only one part of the pie.

I am sorry you are having issues. Have you spoken to your NEuro about a new disease modifying drug (DMD)? Many have good results with Betaseron and or Rebif and Avonex. Still others have moved on towards Tysabri and LDN and even Novatrone. There is a new pill out as well.

I wish you the best of luck.

Welcome to the forum PV.

Welcome PV,
Did you know that the alcohol wipes with Copaxone have been pulled by the FDA? They have bacteria on them, so throw them out.

They are made by Triad I believe. In the stores they too sell them as wipes, swabs and pads. Buy another brand.

As for the Copaxone, it only helped for me for 3 or so years. I had 3 to 4 attacks a year on Avonex and then 2 a year on Copaxone. That is still a lot so when I had a bad reaction, out of the blue, with swelling, I was told to stop it. I am on LDN and had the CCSVI procedure a month ago.

Nice to meet you. I hope you find the right drug that works for you.

Where diddy go??