Does Copaxone cause b*&chiness?
 

so, I've been injecting Copaxone for 8 days now, and my DH cannot believe how irritable I am...it's difficult to control my anger.
Does Cop do this to people? Or are the roids still affecting me? Or am I just a b*&ch?:(

http://www.rxlist.com/copaxone-drug.htm

Not sure if what you are describing is a listed side effect but....it could be the steroids too. I didn't do well on Copaxone but I don't do well on most drugs! Lyrica caused me to have hallucinations for 3 days and that was on the lowest dose!!

anxiety, agitation, confusion, nervousness I think all fit into the b&tchiness category.

If you continue to read down the page, you will find the following side effects. These are all the side effects reported during the clinical trials.

I was on Copaxone for 6 weeks and had too many systemic side effects including incredible anxiety and jitteriness. I felt slightly agitated all the time. I kept waiting for the side effects to go away. I finally gave it up when it made my brain so mushy and flaky that I backed out of the garage and took the passenger side window off of the car. Ergh!! :mad: :o

I didn't do well on C but it wasn't because of the side effects so much as the fact I showed progression on my MRI while on it.

But......the injection from C caused so many site reactions and they were very uncomfortable so I was anxious all the time while on it....I knew I had to do it each day so I was not looking forward to it....which can cause b*tchiness. Thank goodness for LDN - no side effects except a nice, calm feeling..........:)

Wow, I'm the abnormal dream queen now, and prior to beginning Copaxone, it was rare for me to even recall my dreams. :eek:

Me too! While I have always been able to remember my dreams, which were "normal" kinds of dreams, since starting C they are sometimes bizarre!:eek::D And, I can't recall all of them like I used to, I just vaguely remember them being really weird.

As for the irritability, I don't know the answer to that as the cause could be the C, the 'roids, part of the flare you are in, etc. Whatever the cause is, it is bothersome to you and I would talk to your neuro about it.

I don't know but I think MS does! I was told last night I have been on the bi*&hy train for about a week now!

Agree with talking to neuro about it. :hug:

I got a "high" after taking the shot for the first 3 months. Made me a little giddy (had to switch shots from night to morning because of this), so I guess it's possible there's a chance for the opposite end of the spectrum.

My Neuro wasn't sure if this was caused by the C or by the flare I was in when I started, but it did go away. Hope things get better for ya! :hug::hug:

Hi Deb,

I never had that side effect from Copaxone but I really did from steroids. DH hopes I never have to take them again (same here). :rolleyes:

I agree that you should let the neuro know. Do you take an anti-depressant? I had to start taking one not long after being dx with RRMS and I've been on one since then.

Feel better soon... :hug:

I was unhappy while on copaxone because of the site reactions, IPIR's, etc. But I think steriods may be more the culprit. Took me about 3 to 4 months to get over the effects of 5 days of IVSM.

i've been on C for some time and am lucky enuf to be doing fine.
i know that roids can cause mood swings/disorders for even wks after you stop.

i'd call your dr and tell him what's going on.
if you can't reach him you could probably stop the C to see if you improve.
it can take up to 8 mos for the C to work in your CNS so after only 8 days it won't have had a chance to work yet.

you could also try calling shared solutions and speak to one of their nurses.
and/or you could call the pharmacy that is filling your C Rx. and speak to them.

hope you feel better soon.

I love you even thru your b@#$hiness hehehee we all do...
but do take care...read up on the meds...get extra rest..maybe it wont end up being the meds and a phase....unsure on the med...but wanted to give you hugssss,sarah

I was a "b" long before Copaxone, lol. I think PMS is the biggest contributor to that. :)

Funny to read about weird dreams. I've always had disturbing, vivid dreams but was just thinking this morning that they have gotten really strange.

Last night I dreamed I was a waitress hanging out with Mick Jagger before he went out to do a show. Sad part is that I was my current age and didn't even have the energy to make a move on the boy. :D

This!

Complete truth uttered by Jules. Same here hun, I was a b with a capitol "B" before Copaxone was even developed :p

Thanks again for the info and support. Now I'm into crying jags...so upset over everything...
and now my thighs are hurting and weak...worked out Wed-Fri., and now I can't handle pain/weakness. had to sit during part of mass this afternoon...just too weak in the thighs.
I need happy pills!!

Debbie, you should see where I did my injection on my thigh a few days ago.

Bruise from pure he-double hockey sticks. :eek: Looks like someone socked me real good. Not to mention, a large area that's raised that is puffed out.

And I've been injecting over 6 months now :p Every one is a new adventure.

I think it's hard not to be a 'b' when you're stabbing yourself daily ;) :hug:

well, I can't blame the Copaxone for my b*&chiness... since I stopped taking it at the beginning of 2005, due to site reactions, and doctor's advisement, since I turned SPMS.

lately, I'm tense, irritable, anxious, not sleeping well, achy, and grumpy.

I attribute that to LIFE with MS (plus menopause), just being what it is, with frustrations, annoyances, spazzes, pains, and exhaustion.

:o

I have had anxiety for many years, and had it well controlled, until...I started Copaxone. I had MASSIVE anxiety attacks during the first three months. it was awful. I was so panicked at shot time. Waiting for this one to be the IPIR. As time passed, the anxiety has softened. My dreams have calmed, and things are in a better groove. It was a rough first year, and adjusting to this stuff was enough to make me sit and suck my thumb in the corner. With time, and patience your body can adjust, and regain many of the normal habits and patterns that you were used to before Copaxone. If you are having tons of trouble, please see your MD. If its interfering with your life, then you may need half doses for a bit till you get adjusted. DONT do it without approval and guidance from your MD.

Confession...I refused to inject myself last night. DH was so disappointed in me.
I will do it tonight...just couldn't handle it...too upset.
I see the neuro on Tues. I need to take some notes...

Kay, how do you know when you go from RRMS to SPMS?

My poor DH...lots of hand holding, hugs. Trying to help me get through this crabbiness/crying. I just don't feel right. And I want to...so much.

thanks for words of support. It helps so much!

Taking a night off isn't something to be ashamed of. Nor is it going to hurt you in the long run. Clearing your mind to be able to move forward is a good thing, don't worry about it :hug:.

If you are anything like me :rolleyes:. . . then you need pills to take care of the pain, and A/D's to take care of emotional part ... which causes anxiety, so you need anxiety pills ... which prompts nausea, so you need nausea pills that cause heartburn ... and so on, and so on. :mad:

That's one big reason I rarely take anything. :rolleyes:

Cherie

well, there's no clear demarkation... no border that is crossed, so it's usually hard to tell.

the way it was explained to me was "rearview mirror diagnosis"

I used to have relapses like clockwork, one or two a year, with obvious new symptoms, but as the years rolled past, there was less and less "full remission" and more and more pile-up of "residual deficits"

particular symptoms began lasting for years, and not remitting, or only partially remitting, and instead of *weeks* (like I remember flares lasting back in the late '80s) flares may resolve very slowly, taking months to settle down into the "new normal" (naturally, your mileage may vary... )

for me, the 2002 flare which involved my right side, only halfway went away, leaving my right hand feeling like I'm wearing a thick glove, .

the neuro said that eventually, there's less and less room to rebuild neural-signal pathways AROUND the damaged area of the myelin sheath.

but remember, I've had MS for almost 21 years now, so this was fully expected, and calmly planned for.

here's the brutally blunt numbers and percentages:

After 5–15 years of relapses and recovery, the relapses start to dwindle in frequency, and disease symptoms worsen during and between attacks. These changes may take months or even years to notice, and then only in hindsight. No tests or imaging studies can absolutely confirm the onset of SPMS, but a diagnosis is generally based on the history of worsening MS over the course of a year in a patient who previously had clear relapses and recoveries. About 50% of individuals who begin with RRMS have SPMS within 10 years, and 90% within 25 years.

http://www.neura.net/channels/1.asp?...e=&cps=0&cpp=0

I remember being very unhappy with hearing this answer back in 1994, because it's so vague and uncertain, and what I *wanted* was certainty and clarity...

my neuro told me... "Well, my dear" (he was an elderly gentleman, so I let him get away with THAT, lol!) "There IS no clarity in life, just go ahead and do what you CAN, and live your life the best you can..."

so, I followed his advice, and most days are full of good, if I *LOOK* for it, and *FOCUS* on it, instead of getting bogged down in carp.

:hug::grouphug::hug:

I agree legs its the MS and all the meds, i give a whole new meaning to the letters P M S

Deb I hope you become less of a...... lol (just razzin you) I hope you feel better real soon:hug:

Thats how it was explained to me too Kay. This is why its real important for the doc to know what is happening with your ms SX MEDS NEW OLD and keep a journal so you dont forget to mention these facts to the doctor. My doc explained to me how vital it was to keep him i the loop so he can if needed look back and look at now to make that decision, he agrees I seem to of slowed a bit, but is also worried cause I am hovering pretty close to SPMS DX, too many new SX stick around and are getting worse still with no Exasperation(sp?) couldnt they pick an easier word:SMACK:

hope your week goes well Deb:hug:

Thanks so much, Kay and Frank...
So, I see the neuro on Tues. I'm trying to think of how to notate my sxs and such since he put me on IVSM and pred and Copaxone on 11/18...
do I notate how my sxs dissipated, and then came back once oral pred was discontinued? Do I notate the lumps/pain after injecting Copaxone?
Do I notate the new thigh pain/weakness? It's difficult to know what to notate. There's the old sxs returning now that the oral steroids are almost 2 wks gone, and also the emotional lability. I feel so confused as to what's going on in my body/mind, esp since I'm on meds for depression/neuropathic pain. So what is new? what is old and returning? how do I notate all of this? I sincerely don't want to seem like a hypochondriac...since I have spent months since March denying that the sxs are increasing...:confused::confused: