129 patient evaluations for Interferon beta-1a IM Injection

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Jul 26, 2005 (Started Sep 19, 2000)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Cost: $50-99 monthly
  • 0 helpful marks

Feb 20, 2004 (Started Sep 07, 1995)

  • Effectiveness
    Slight (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (muscle and joint pain)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Very hard to take
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: muscle and joint pain
  • 0 helpful marks

Jun 8, 2010 (Started Oct 12, 2001)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: I picked the best day of the week for me so it was a weekly ritual . While on the Avenox I rarely had relapses and those that I did have were brought on by excessive heat and fatigue along with stress.I felt for me that once a week was enough for me to give myself the SHOT.
Cost: $200+ monthly
  • 0 helpful marks

May 30, 2011 (Started Apr 28, 2005)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (nausea, spasms, dizziness, fever/chills, joint pain, tiredness, whole body ache, stabbing headaches, flu like symptoms, shivering, muscle aches)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Very hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: Side effects need to be addressed. Doctors don't help, Biogen Idec didn't help. Unbearable, just cannot do it anymore.
Cost: < $25 monthly
Side effects: muscle aches, dizziness, stabbing headaches, flu like symptoms, fever/chills, nausea, joint pain, shivering, tiredness, spasms, whole body ache

Apr 26, 2011 (Started Apr 28, 2005)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (nausea, spasms, dizziness, fever/chills, joint pain, tiredness, whole body ache, stabbing headaches, flu like symptoms, shivering, muscle aches)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Very hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: I will not be taking this much longer. I can't believe all the days of being miserably ill I have given to this medication. The makers of the drug are making bundles of money off this but they cannot offer me any means of coping with the HORRIBLE side effects.
Cost: $50-99 monthly
Side effects: muscle aches, dizziness, stabbing headaches, flu like symptoms, fever/chills, nausea, joint pain, shivering, tiredness, spasms, whole body ache

Oct 25, 2010 (Started Apr 28, 2005)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (nausea, dizziness, fever/chills, joint pain, tiredness, whole body ache, stabbing headaches, flu like symptoms, shivering, muscle aches)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Very hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: Continue to have horrible side effects and NO pain medications work effectively. Have come close to overdosing to deal with the side effects which last for over 24 hours. Thinking about quiting.
Cost: $50-99 monthly
Side effects: muscle aches, dizziness, stabbing headaches, flu like symptoms, fever/chills, nausea, joint pain, shivering, tiredness, spasms, whole body ache

Apr 28, 2009 (Started Apr 28, 2005)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (nausea, dizziness, fever/chills, joint pain, tiredness, whole body ache, stabbing headaches, flu like symptoms, shivering, muscle aches)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Very hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: The side effects may NEVER lessen and ibuprophen may not ever be enough. If you have these problems the medical professionals will probably do nothing to assist you in dealing with them. The drug companies will never disclose how common this problem is because that is not a selling point. If you have severe side effects DON'T try sleeping through them - it won't happen, take the injection in the morning so you can deal with it while you are awake and not lose sleep. Plan on feeling like crap for two days a week but it's better than Rebif where you feel like crap all week. I don't understand why they can prescribe something with such horrible side effects but not prescribe something to deal with the side effects?
Cost: $50-99 monthly
Side effects: muscle aches, dizziness, stabbing headaches, flu like symptoms, fever/chills, nausea, joint pain, shivering, tiredness, spasms, whole body ache
  • 1 helpful mark

May 20, 2011 (Started Apr 12, 2010)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (flu like symptoms)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: The side effects were horrible. The body aches I got were much more severe then any actual "flu" I have ever experienced in my life. This lasted from 12 to 20 hrs followed by a headache I would describe as a "vise grip" tightening on my head...
Side effects: flu like symptoms

May 19, 2011 (Started Apr 12, 2010)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (flu like symptoms)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Side effects: flu like symptoms
  • 0 helpful marks

Oct 13, 2010 (Started Jul 27, 2007)

  • Effectiveness
    Major (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Moderate (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: Flu-like symptoms never end regardless of how long you have taken the medication
Cost: < $25 monthly
  • 0 helpful marks

Jan 19, 2011 (Started Dec 24, 2003)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    None (for Overall)
  • Adherence
    Never taken as prescribed
  • Burden
    Very hard to take
  • 0 helpful marks

Mar 1, 2011 (Started Jan 01, 2004)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (fever)
  • Adherence
    Never taken as prescribed
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: as long as insurance paid, it was easy but when my symptoms got worse, I switched to the new drug-Gilenya.
Cost: $100-199 monthly
Side effects: fever
  • 0 helpful marks

Jun 1, 2010 (Started Mar 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (fever/chills, tiredness, whole body ache)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: My husband gave me my injections as my fear of needles would never allow me to inject myself. The side effects were manageable for me with the use of Tylenol or Advil. I had one mild flare up during my time on Avonex, but there were new lesions discovered on my most recent MRI (May 2010). I quit taking Avonex in June when we decided to get pregnant. We were successful and expect our baby boy in early May 2011. After the birth of the baby, I will begin a new MS therapy. The docs think Tysabri is the way to go, but we have not finalized a new path yet.
Cost: $50-99 monthly
Side effects: tiredness, fever/chills, whole body ache

Oct 20, 2009 (Started Mar 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (fever/chills, tiredness, whole body ache)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: I did have a mild flare up a few months ago - Optic neuritis strikes again! It was mild and more of an annoyance than anything. Didn't have to do the steroid treatment because is wasn't extremely disruptive to my day-to-day activities. When I met with my doc a couple of weeks ago she expressed that it was a good thing I was sticking with the Avonex. In spite of the flare up, after reviewing the most recent MRI results and talking with me she feels that the Avonex IS working.
Cost: $50-99 monthly
Side effects: tiredness, fever/chills, whole body ache

Feb 25, 2009 (Started Mar 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (fever/chills, tiredness, whole body ache)
  • Adherence
    Usually
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: Eating a meal right after the injection has helped minimize my side effects. Also taking the max dosage of Tylenol or Advil right before the injection and often 3-4 hours later have helped to manage the side effects. I schedule my injections for a time when there is the least amount of other activity planned. This way, if I do have a crappy reaction I can veg out, have a lazy day and just relax. After a year and half using Avonex the times when I experience side effects are very infrequent.
Cost: $50-99 monthly
Side effects: tiredness, fever/chills, whole body ache

Jan 11, 2009 (Started Mar 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (fever/chills, whole body ache)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    A little hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: I take my shot on Fridays between 5:30pm and 7:30pm. Then I stay home and have a lazy evening and Saturday morning. Usually by Saturday afternoon I feel normal again and still have a weekend. I take 3 extra strength Tylenol 30 mins. before injection and again 3 hours later. I have found that a solid meal after the injection is necessary for controlling my side effects. A few times I had uncontrollable chills - the heating pad was the only thing that helped ease them. I don't know if it's really working or not but I haven't had any flare ups since I started the treatment so I feel optimistic about the treatment.
Cost: $25-49 monthly
Side effects: tiredness, fever/chills, whole body ache

Jan 7, 2009 (Started Mar 01, 2008)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Mild (for Overall) (fever/chills, whole body ache)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: Since beginning with Avonex about 9 mos. ago I haven't had any relapse. I assume that means the meds are doing their job. I control the side effects easily by staying well hydrated, taking Tylenol before the injection and have a meal shortly after the injection. After first few months side effects are less frequent.
Cost: $25-49 monthly
Side effects: tiredness, fever/chills, whole body ache
  • 2 helpful marks

Nov 1, 2009 (Started Jun 12, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (fever/chills)
  • Adherence
    Sometimes
  • Burden
    Somewhat hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Side effects: fever/chills

Sep 16, 2009 (Started Jun 12, 2009)

  • Effectiveness
    Can't tell (for multiple sclerosis)
  • Side effects
    Severe (for Overall) (fever/chills)
  • Adherence
    Always
  • Burden
    Not at all hard to take
Dosage: 30 mcg/0.5 mL Weekly
Advice & Tips: Spike temps 103-104 and tylenol won't bring it down.
Side effects: fever/chills
  • 1 helpful mark
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