Barb that sucks. I'm sorry you are not feeling good. I started Copax around the first of the year. For two days I ran a fever had the chills and had what I called lightening flashes in my head. It was like someone tapping a nerve in my brain every 10 minutes. A flash of pain and then nothing. My neuro convinced me to keep on the copax for a week and if it didn't stop he would switch me to something else. Fortunately after a couple of days it stopped. Hopefully yours will get better. I also discovered that applying heat to the injection site before injecting actually made it worse for me. Without heat, it burns and itches for about 10 minutes but with the heat it took my body a lot longer to recover. Hope this helps.

I just talked to my neuro and he thinks that this reaction combined with the IPIR's I experienced the last time with the shakes and chills equals an allergic reaction. He is calling Teva to see what they think. He mentioned trying a 1/2 dose with benadryl, but then seemed to change his mind. He then mentioned filling out a report for the FDA.

I am so tired of making these decisions on my own so I asked him what I should do. He also had mentioned imuran or something similar at one point. He is now recommending no treatment as long as I remain stable in hopes that an oral med comes on the market in the next two years. He said that imuran/similar drugs could also increase your chances of a viral infection/PML and could disqualify me from an oral med in the future.

He is also going to give my name and phone number to MS Society so they can contact me for someone that can use the copaxone.

i'm sorry barb. it does sound like an allergic reaction.
in that case i wouldn't take it either. the point isn't to medicate around an allergic reaction but to stop the med as it can get worse each time.

i hope something works for you soon. have you gotten a 2nd opinion as to any meds that may help you besides the usual crabs?

Barb, I'm so sorry to hear about this.

Judy, I did get a second opinion at Barnes Hospital in January. Their suggestions were to:
1) try copaxone again; 2) take imuran or something similar; 3) do nothing and have MRI's every 6 months since I am not presenting with any new symptoms and do well on the neuro exam. So I am going to go with option # 3 for now.

Aww barb, I am so sorry. Perhaps its the mannitol. They have stabilizers and such to keep the drug stable until delivery. It can be more than just the amino acids in the Copaxone, but with that kind of reaction, i dont blame you for not wanting to do it again. Perhaps the next one should you chose to would be a witnessed injection. That way they can see what happens to you.

hugs, and prayers to you

Barb, I'm so sorry.

I'm in my 32nd year of MS now, and had reactions to all the meds, so have been drug free the whole time except for when I tried them.

I did read somewhere that Clabradine (an oral medication) may be available sooner than we thought, as all the trials have so far been favourable. Let's hope so anyway.