Koala --

Are you just talking about site reactions? (I don't really mean to diminish those, by using the word "just", because they aren't pleasant for most people, and, horrible for some!)

Or, are you talking about the IPIR reaction (a short-term reaction right after injecting COPAXONE that can involve flushing, chest tightness or pain with heart palpitations, anxiety, and trouble breathing. Generally appear within minutes of an injection, last about 15 minutes.)?

~ Faith

I used Copaxone from Oct 03 to Sept 08. THe first IPIR took place at the 15 month point. The second one was at the 2 year point. In 2006 I had 4 IPIRs. In 2007 I think I had 3, can't find my notes. In 2008 I had a total of 20 IPIRs. Most of the time I could tolerate the 15 minutes of the IPIR. What lead to my stopping the Copaxone... I started getting really hard painful chills during the last year. My hands and feet would literally lose all color and ached like the circulation was cut off to them. The chills would occur about 2 hours after the IPIR. Premedicating with Ibuprofen did not help. Also I would get lumps the size of a golf ball at injection sites on my stomach. The leg and arm sites would be red and tender for a few days. My neuro thought I might be developing an allergy to one of the ingredients.... possibly the mannitol.

I now use Betaseron and have no problems unless I forget to premedicate then I wake up 3 hours after injection with fever and chills.

For the 18 months I took Copaxone, I never had an IPIR. I did hit muscle once in my leg and that was really painful.

thankfully i've never had a reaction.

i've been on C for 6yrs.

I started fitting within 20 minutes of my injection Faith. This happened 3 days in a row and I'd never had a fit before in my life, and none since. After the 3rd reaction (and worst), I was admitted to ICU because the doctor in emergency was worried I might have a respiratory arrest.

The blisters on my skin were definite allergic lesions that came up just before my first fit! They weren't welts, they were huge bags of fluid, and my skin was red, sore and hot to touch from my ribs to my bikini line.

I voted, just to add the information you were looking for. I did "C" for 3 1/2 and never had the IPIR.

BUT, like Koala77, I ended up allergic to it.

After the first 3 years on it I forced myself to endure the hives, swelling, burning, blisters and pain for anther 6 months. And the "C" let an opportunist infection slip in because it takes away surveillance of germs and lets them pass by and/or multiply.

I ended up going to 4 different specialists, after the 3 1/2 years, and tons of medication and tests to fix the problems it caused. This took 5 months to clear.

I called SS and they put me through to their Pharma manufacturing dept. I needed to know if the ingredients had changed, it did. They changed what and where they got their Mannitol from. That is what is added to the "C" in the needle to open the BBB.

All the truth.

Oh.....Seven months and no IPIR yet...well, I do have to take my injection still today and with my luck.....

I've had a couple but can't remember if it was during the 1st year or after so I voted for "Other."