242 patient evaluations for Glatiramer acetate

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Jul 29, 2011 (Started Aug 28, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (itching, nausea, bruising, lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), redness, lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching, swelling)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: I've only tried the auto-ejector once and since that first time, it's been manual for me. I've been on this med for two years and I've done well on it - - that's enough of a motivator to continue with whatever inconvenience the daily injection poses.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site itching, injection site pain, bruising, itching, nausea, redness, swelling

Aug 11, 2010 (Started Aug 28, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (itching, nausea, bruising, lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), redness, lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching, swelling)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Recent MRI shows no new or enhancing lesions. Before Copax and estriol, fresh attacks hit every 2-3 months. Free of attacks since 9/09. Hallelujah!
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site itching, injection site pain, bruising, itching, nausea, redness, swelling

Mar 26, 2010 (Started Aug 28, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (itching, nausea, bruising, lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), redness, lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching, swelling)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: From what I understand, Copaxone takes 4 - 6 months to kick in. In my case I began taking it 8/09. One month after I began treatment I had another attack. But this flare-up was much milder than previous ones (they had been running every 2 - 3 months, putting me in bed for days). Since 9/09, I've had fatigue hit me pretty hard but my balance has recovered enough so that I'm walking without a cane and the fatigue has diminished enough so that I can walk roughly a mile. For a bit of perspective, in the late Fall I had to sleep for an hour after taking a shower in the a.m. Please keep in mind that I take this med with other pills.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site itching, injection site pain, bruising, itching, nausea, redness, swelling

Oct 22, 2009 (Started Aug 28, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (itching, nausea, bruising, redness, lumps and bumps, injection site pain, injection site itching, swelling)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: I did a bit of research on patients taking copaxone prior to beginning treatment and I decided to go with manual injection. Compared to the one instance I used the autoinjector (with the SS nurse during training), I believe this was the right choice for me as the manual injections seem less uncomfortable. That being said, I'm still keeping an eye on oral meds slated for FDA approval in the near future.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: lipodystrophy (lipoatrophy or loss of fatty tissue), lumps and bumps, injection site itching, injection site pain, bruising, itching, nausea, redness, swelling
  • 1 helpful mark

Mar 16, 2015 (Started Oct 15, 2012)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (injection site pain, injection site reaction, injection site stinging, injection site redness)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
  • 1 helpful mark

Feb 15, 2017 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: No changes
Cost: < $25 monthly

Nov 30, 2016 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: No changes
Cost: < $25 monthly

Aug 2, 2016 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Cost: < $25 monthly

May 9, 2016 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: I manage taking this treatment because I know I have to  to stay relapse free.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Apr 24, 2016 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Cost: < $25 monthly

Mar 1, 2016 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Cost: < $25 monthly

Jan 27, 2016 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Cost: < $25 monthly

Oct 21, 2015 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Cost: < $25 monthly

Jul 22, 2015 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Cost: < $25 monthly

Mar 20, 2015 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Cost: < $25 monthly

Feb 4, 2015 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 40 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: I have had no side effects from it, and my doctor says it seems to be helping me. I can still have problems with the idea of injecting myself.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Oct 28, 2014 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Cost: < $25 monthly

Sep 10, 2014 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Advice & Tips: I am now taking the new formulation, this med, I take 3 days a week instead of every day. I find it much easier to adhere to this med now that I have to inject myself only 3 days a week.
Cost: < $25 monthly

May 8, 2014 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Cost: < $25 monthly

Mar 8, 2014 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Cost: < $25 monthly

Jan 31, 2014 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Cost: < $25 monthly

Jan 17, 2011 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Advice & Tips: I have had the least amount of side effects with this medicine, I had been taking Betaseron previously and had a major side effect of increasing depression. It has impacted my lifestyle somewhat, in the fact that I have to inject myself everyday at about the same time everyday.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Sep 6, 2010 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Advice & Tips: This medicine has worked the best for me, no troubling side effects. To take Copaxone, it has had very little negative impact on me or my life.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Feb 1, 2010 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Advice & Tips: Side effects were not too bad for me with this drug. The only problem I had was remembering to take the medicine. When I remember to take it I will take it. There is no real impact on me except remembering to take it.
Cost: < $25 monthly

Sep 14, 2009 (Started Feb 04, 2015)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Cost: < $25 monthly
  • 1 helpful mark

Apr 5, 2021 (Started Nov 15, 2000)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Hold the hypodermic as close to parallel with your skin as you can when injecting: the idea is to get the med under the skin but NOT in the muscle.

Jan 23, 2020 (Started Nov 15, 2000)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: The nightly routine is simple and comforting. Now that I seem to be transitioning to SPMS, am in discussions with my doctor about stopping this med (may no longer be having any impact) and switching to Ocrevus or one of the other two new therapies.
Cost: $25-49 monthly

Jul 10, 2015 (Started Nov 15, 2000)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Self-injecting is MUCH easier than you think it will be ahead of time. Because I am extremely lean, I find it's more comfortable to insert the needle at a shallow angle. Definitely rotate injection sites daily.
Cost: $25-49 monthly

Sep 27, 2014 (Started Nov 15, 2000)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Cost: $25-49 monthly

Nov 10, 2012 (Started Nov 15, 2000)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Self-injecting is MUCH easier than you think it will be ahead of time. Because I am extremely lean, I find it's more comfortable to insert the needle at a shallow angle. Definitely rotate injection sites daily.
Cost: $25-49 monthly
  • 1 helpful mark

Aug 24, 2008 (Started Feb 14, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (injection site reaction)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 100 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Take it at the same time everyday
Cost: $25-49 monthly
Side effects: injection site reaction
  • 0 helpful marks

Aug 18, 2008 (Started Apr 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Cost: $50-99 monthly
  • 0 helpful marks

Oct 6, 2008 (Started Sep 11, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall) (bruising, injection site reaction, redness, lumps and bumps, injection site itching)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Warm or cold compress, alcohol wipes and a little help from friends goes a long way!
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: injection site reaction, redness, lumps and bumps, injection site itching, bruising
  • 0 helpful marks

Aug 20, 2008 (Started May 04, 2007)

  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Cost: < $25 monthly
  • 0 helpful marks

Aug 20, 2008 (Started May 23, 2004)

  • Effectiveness
    None (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Cost: < $25 monthly

May 22, 2005 (Started May 23, 2004)

  • Effectiveness
    None (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 20 mg Daily
Advice & Tips: Copaxone did not appear to improve or worsen any aspect of MS.
Cost: < $25 monthly
  • 0 helpful marks

Jan 19, 1987 (Started Feb 02, 1988)

  • Effectiveness
    None (for stiffness/spasticity)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (injection site reaction, redness, lumps and bumps)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Cost: $200+ monthly
Side effects: injection site reaction, redness, lumps and bumps
  • 0 helpful marks
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