starting copaxone

karen Living With It I was diagnosed very recently with MS. I have two awesome kids and a great husband. I work as a dental... Send Message Subscribe: karen

Wednesday, July 01, 2009
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Well Ive been off the Avonex for 3 weeks and the freedom of not having to give myself a shot has been great. Ive been feeling pretty good. No more flu like symptoms from Avonex. I gotta tell you I am so tempted to go it alone but my neurologist highly disagrees with this. I know hes right and I ...

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Copaxone & Compassion
Amy Gurowitz
Friday, July 03, 2009 at 09:08 AM

Hi Karen,

I completely understand your apprehension with the shots. I've never been on Avonex, though the mere mention of an intra-muscular injection makes me shiver! I have been on Copaxone since 1993 (diagnosed in 1988) and my experience has been phenomenal. Diagnosed before there were any disease modifying drugs, I went on Copaxone before it had passed the FDA. I was very excited that it didn't list any of the side effects the Interferon drugs claimed. What kind of trade-off is it to exchange MS symptoms for flu like symptoms!?! In the 15+ years I have been using it, I experience no side effects. None. And although I had the same fears of shots, the needles are quite small and thin now, and I have developed techniques whereby I sometimes don’t even feel the injection. It’s just another part of my daily routine.

I think you are wise listening to your neurologist, and brave too! Good luck with your injection tutorial. And if you ever have a question, please feel free to ask me. I hope that it does for you, what it has for me!
And a Happy 4th to you too~

All the Best,

Amy

re: Copaxone & Compassion
karen
Sunday, July 05, 2009 at 07:17 PM

Hi. Hope you had a great 4th of July. We went camping for 4 days so naturally I am beat!!!! But I sure dont want to give up my life just b/c of the things MS causes. Thankyou for sharing your experience with me. It sure made me feel alot better. I am so glad you are doing so great on Copaxone. That really gives me alot of hope. It is great to have someone who I can compare notes with and ask questions to once I get started. Thanks so much. It is really amazing that you have stuck with the Copaxone for so many years. That makes me think it cant be that terrible! I will keep in touch as I go through the instruction. Karen

re: Copaxone & Compassion
karen
Sunday, July 05, 2009 at 07:17 PM

Hi. Hope you had a great 4th of July. We went camping for 4 days so naturally I am beat!!!! But I sure dont want to give up my life just b/c of the things MS causes. Thankyou for sharing your experience with me. It sure made me feel alot better. I am so glad you are doing so great on Copaxone. That really gives me alot of hope. It is great to have someone who I can compare notes with and ask questions to once I get started. Thanks so much. It is really amazing that you have stuck with the Copaxone for so many years. That makes me think it cant be that terrible! I will keep in touch as I go through the instruction. Karen