Mar 8, 2011
(Started Aug 25, 2004)
-
Effectiveness
Can't tell
(for Other)
-
Effectiveness
Slight
(for multiple sclerosis)
-
Side effects
Mild
(for Overall)
(lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching)
-
-
Burden
Not at all hard to take
Dosage:
As needed
Advice & Tips:
1. it's pretty well managed, as long you rotate the sites better that any nurse could do. Do not give any injection in a hard spot, otherwise you will get lipoatrophy over time. Copaxone is daily but there are no flu symptoms, so it's great
2. can't tell if it did anything besides to try stoping my MS
3. I took Copaxone at breakfast and then go to work. So till the time I got lipoatrophy on my arms and legs, everything were going smoothly... only a recent MRI to the brain, cervical and lombar showed small lesions everywhere. So here I go to Tysabri, under my doctors orders. God and I will make it work, hopefully!
Cost:
< $25 monthly
Side effects:
lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching
Jun 17, 2010
(Started Aug 25, 2004)
-
Effectiveness
Slight
(for Other)
-
Effectiveness
Slight
(for multiple sclerosis)
-
Side effects
Moderate
(for Overall)
(lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching)
-
-
Burden
Not at all hard to take
Dosage:
As needed
Cost:
< $25 monthly
Side effects:
lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching
Jan 5, 2009
(Started Aug 25, 2004)
-
Effectiveness
Slight
(for Other)
-
Effectiveness
Moderate
(for multiple sclerosis)
-
Side effects
Mild
(for Overall)
(lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching)
-
-
Burden
A little hard to take
Dosage:
As needed
Advice & Tips:
Copaxone seems to work for me because it seems my MS almost disappeared. With Copaxone I had only 2 relapses a year, but they were always slight and they left almost no sequela. This winter (2008-2009) I didn't have relapses, so it is working. The only down side are the lumps, redness, itching that results in mild lypoatrophy. But I give the injections every other day and carefully rotate the injections sites. It's all perfect now, I simply give the injection and forget! Useful hints:
- rotate injections sites (keep the planner updated).
- ice before and after (if you need. I do!)
- give the injection in the morning (it give less anxiety, because you don't have time to think about it!).
- put the injection under your amrpit for a 1 or 2 minutes till it reaches your body temperature.
- if you can, give the injection manually, because it seems to be less stressful in the skin (works better to avoid lypoatrophy).
- smile and breathe!
Cost:
< $25 monthly
Side effects:
lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching