Hello Nancy

This is a tough decision indeed!  I must say that this is a personal decision you must make based on so many factors.  I will try to help you best by giving you information on each of these drugs.

First of all here is information about Copaxone from our site.

And here is information about Rebif also from Health Central.

Here is a message board forum where people compare Avonex with Copaxone.

And here is a web site where a man named Mike compares Avonex with Rebif.  It seems this person is happy with the switch to Rebif.

As far as effectivness the literature says they are all about the same in effectiveness although Rebif has a slight edge over Avonex.

Julie Stachowiak in her article, "Is Rebif Right for you?" compares Avonex with Rebif:

"Rebif is basically the same formulation as Avonex (also Interferon beta-1a), but at a higher dose. Rebif has been shown to be slightly more effective than Avonex at preventing relapses. However, it is given three times a week (as opposed to Avonex's once-a-week dosing), and people experience more injection site reactions (85% compared to 33% Avonex), more liver disorders (18% vs. 10% Avonex) and white blood cell disorders (13.6% vs. 5.3% Avonex). However, people experience fewer flu-like symptoms over time than Avonex (45% vs. 53% Avonex), and they seem to last for a shorter period after dosing."

The injections are different for these drugs in how often they are administered:

Avonex is once a week

Rebif is three times a week

Copaxone is daily!

The side effects vary as well although Avonex and Rebif have the most similar side effects including flu like symptoms and depression.  

Copaxone's side effects include the following:

"Immediately after injection, you may experience flushing, chest pain, fast heartbeat, anxiety, shortness of breath or itching. These symptoms disappear fairly quickly and do not require treatment. They usually start after you use the drug for a few months. Unusual weakness, pain, nausea, joint aches or headache may occur. If any side effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor immediately. Report immediately: hives (itchy, blotchy skin swelling), severe pain at the injection site, chills, flu-like symptoms, rash. Unlikely but report promptly: mental/mood changes, dizziness, fainting. swelling, vision problems. If you notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist."

I know this is a ton of information!

Some things to consider then are:  Cost, effectiveness, how you inject, how often you inject, the size of the needle if this is a concern, and side effects.

Perhaps if you were used to Avonex....Rebif is similar...maybe you would like it too.  But then again Copaxone doesn't seem to cause depression.  So many things to consider.

Make a list of the pros and cons of each and maybe this will help.

Thank you for your question.  Sorry to have written a novel here.  Please do come back to tell us what you finally decide upon and if you like it.