not happy b/c need to start meds and avonex rep can ONLY see me on wed at 10:30 am...or wait another week...what have people experienced with avonex? i hope to go forward w/appt and then go to work...from your experiences, is that realistic? avonex guy told me not to stress and that most people don't have side effects...husband will be outta town...will have my 2 kids....please let me know about your experiences with first injections...did you use tylenol? did you do it right before bed? thanks much, M

Volada,

First BREATHE! slowly! I was on Avonex. I can tell you this...no one reacts the same to anything....

For me, I had NONE of the flu side effects and breezed through it that way. However, my white blood cells didn't like it and now I'm on Copaxone....

Back to you, I think you are smart to think about not having hubby around.

You will have to answer for yourself. This Wed or next week?

Do you want hubby to be trained? Are your kids old enough to pop in something in the microwave for dinner after school that day if needed? Do you have someone else that can come over, if needed that afternoon, evening? Did your neuro tell you to get on this as of yesterday?

Good luck!

thanks for the insight---neuro didn't say was a giant emergency to start---i am just agressive--just confirmed the csf band junk yesterday and picked up avonex--only have one lesion and only mild symptoms (i guess???) in comparison to some of the experiences i have read on this sight...i sense that next week would not make a huge difference since my children definitely can't fend for themselves (9 year old cld but would probably quarrel w/5 year old in the process)...i do have some friends that cld take them for the day...but what is harder for me is to think i have to do the first injection and then rush off to work...not that i expect reactions but it is an emotionally difficult thing and i want to be able to ease into the med's --i was hoping to start on a friday night and watch a movie or go to sleep--are the injections that difficult?

if i had him show me and had the introductory dvd cld me and the hubby figure it out on friday night?
not rush into work---thanks again...

Hello,
Well I've been on Avonex for 10 years and still sometimes have the flu like symptoms and the fatigue. It usually hits me about 6 hours later so you should be ok. Just make sure to take Tylenol or Advil after the shot it does seem to help. Good Luck!!
Sylvia

Started Avonex 2 years ago. Full dose. Put me in the flu like side effects and spiked a pretty good fever. I would definitely go up in dosage gradually if I did it again. (But part of that was I hadn't done any interferons in about a year).

I was on Rebif when I was first diagnosed. I like Avonex much better. Thinner gauge needle = less pain. And only once a week.

Get some ibuprofen in you prior to the shot.

I was on Avonex for 2-1/2 years and my DH did my shots Friday evening before bed so I could sleep through the side effects. If it were me, I would postpone a week so you could do it on Friday evening and not have to rush to work.

As someone else said, meds effect everyone different. I always had side effects and I distinctly remember the side effects from the first shot being the worst. I dosed up on ibuprofen and drank lots of fluids on shot night. When it seemed my body developed a tolerance to the ibuprofen, I started taking Theraflu about an hour before my shot.

Good luck!

I just took my 3rd injection of Avonex this Friday.
My very first inection was at 1 pm in the afternoon because the nurse could not come any later and she had to see me give myself the first injection. I can tell you there is a HUGE difference, for me, in taking the shot right before bed.

It knocked me around pretty good when I took it early in the day. I was so tired, and then the fluishness started.

I will NEVER take it early in the day again. To me it would be worth putting it off for a week. I did the Tylenol and fluids for 24 hours before my first injection and it STILL got the best of me. And I started at only 1/2 dose.

If you can take your first injection of Avonex and then go to work.....well, you are a much tougher person than I am!!

LA

I wouldn't recommend taking your first Avonex shot and then going to work either. The side effects can be severe and since you haven't tried it yet, you don't really know how they will be for you. I know with myself - aches, chills, fever and just plain feeling crappy and I've been taking it for two years, my side effects have diminished somewhat. One thing that works for me is drinking lots of water the day of the shot and the day after. I usually take advil PM, and take my shot before bed. It knocks me out and helps me sleep through the side effects most of the time.

talked my neuro's office into getting first shot on friday (hopefully late in afternoon--hubby outta town but can ask friends to help with little children and take rest of day off if necessary...then will have avonex guy come next friday to show hubby how to inject....thank you all for your input...it really helps to have this online support community!

how did you decide on 1/2 dose? was it just to go slowly???

Good Luck on your training.

If that needle really looks intimidating...get your doctor to prescribe you the 1 inch needle....it is a little less intimidating! But honestly I couldn't feel either going in....

Drink your water!!! All day Thursday and Friday, if you aren't used to drinking water!