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Q: Copaxone vs. Betaseron
Kristina - sorry that you are having a these feelings and you are so right .. MS is different for everyone, not all react the same to meds like Copaxone or Rebif , et. al.
I have MS 9 yrs. now and at first I was given Rebif and had the same reactions you are having .. I was more sick with it but gave it a month anyway .. still the same added fatigue , yada yada ..
So I went on my own journey trying diet, excersize vitamins ... vitamins gave me high enzyme levels in liver so no vitamins .. now I have also been just treating symptoms ... so meds for the symptoms was trial & error ..
Seems my "system" just cannot tolerate opiates or anything in high doses .. lucky me !
I have just had a second very noticable exacerbation .. last one and last MRI's , 2006 .. but I also have been under "stress" ... moving from AZ back to FL .. so heat also doesn't help ..
Now I just had a new set of MRI's and waiting on results , in the meantime my neuro and I talked for 2 1/2 hours .. decided Copaxone was the way to go for me .. he felt , based on the old MRI's , that it was time I went on something ..
So , I am , like you , wondering what the heck is going to happen if this doesn't happen for me ? My neuro explained that Avonex, Betaseron and Rebif are "interferons" .. and if I understood it correctly they "inhibit" certain chemicals .. I get lost in the technical stuff ..
I take a few days and then read about the drugs and also check on drugs.com about how they all interact so I know what I am dealing with as far as side effects .. the combination of drugs is as important , at least that is what I found ..
So, my take is that Betaseron is an interferon that will inhibit certain chemicals that would commonly affect your brain from believing it is under attack .. all the drugs are suppose to help with slowing progression , length of relapses , and damage done ..
It also has a thin needle , prefilled vials and is injected much like copaxone .. when you begin treatment , keep a log .. and keep me in mind .. as i will you and I can compare my experience with Copaxone to your now stepping up to Beta seron ..
If you can make sense of what I wrote , if it helps , we are all on this journey together .. it can be at times interuptive of your lifestyle .. hoping that you have a support team available while you begin treatment , so if you should have problems you can reach out ..
Go online to the Betaseron site , read , look at others sharepost here on Betaseron .. and good luck .. a new journey is about to begin for both of us .. much love .. much peace .. agserra
oh i do understand .. my marriage was affected as well .. every relationship seemed to be affected .. some people feel off the face of the Earth , while others began getting closer ..
i am not one to complain .. in the beginning i was angry for sure .. and that had some affect on my relationship .. but the lack of compassion was missing .. i had just beeen dx'd in November , that Jan. 2002 had to have a full hysto and my Dad was dx' in Nov. 2001 with terminal cancer ..
your loved one is suppose to be there in sickness and health , well it turned out to be one sided .. but that was 9 years ago .. and in 2005 i found a disability therapist who helped me thru the anger , pain and i learned to accept my MS ..
yeah, doctors sometimes seem "disinterested" or "it's up to you" .. not this neuro .. he has known me 10 yrs., he said "I know you, I know you hate meds, but it's time" .. well, i felt that way too and Copaxone was already in my head so when he suggested it , i just said "Okay" ..
like i said , if i have questions about my meds .. i check online with interactions on drugs.com .. it is helpful , i laugh because one med interacts poorly with all the others but , knock wood, it hasn't hurt me .. i run with the positive and also do not worry too much about the negatives ..
i have subscribed to your post .. i like it when people are up front .. i like that you are proactive .. that is important , as is "rest" , not just physically , but mentally .. getting away from too much info sometimes makes adjusting easier ..
good luck with your research .. Adrian
HEY KRISTINAYELLOW THIS IS DANIEL and I have had REBIF 22mcg and after three weeks could not handle it. My doc rx AVONEX and because of muscle problems I could not handle it either. I was then put on TYSABRI 300 mcg//100ml. THIS DID NOT effect me as near as bad. It would be difficult getting into the swing of things. There is one draw back you would have to get a babysitter once every thirty days cause thats how many times a month you get infused.ha ha. It usually takes two hours and a half. At this present time I decided to get off it because of personal reasons. I know it can be difficult having this disease with very little help; I have it and I am a care-giver too and it is getting difficult. I hope you both can come up with a happy proposal. Bless you bunches. bye for now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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I will say that the Copaxone support team is amazing--the home visiting nurses are great and the phone support nurses are wonderful. I honestly swear that I got more support from them than my own doctor! I think you'll have a great experience on Copaxone-for the most part, I think it was really good. Since it is daily, you just add it to your routine (I did mine at night so I could sleep away any potential issues) and move on. Plus make sure you check out the financial aid-I ended up having my copay covered by them which was really helpful for me. Good luck with your new meds and let us know how it goes--I really wish I didn't have to switch. Copaxone doesn't work the same way as the other 3, which is why it was so attractive to me, so hopefully it'll be a breeze for you.
I just get so frustrated when my doctor says, "It's up to you". Well-forgive me but I'm coming to see you because you have MD after your name, plus access to all the med journals and info that I don't because I'm NOT a doctor! URGH!
Sigh. Guess I'll be doing some research this weekend....thanks for the ideas and the support. I wish I had a better support system here but my marriage has been really affected by this and I'm not sure what is going to happen with that.