Avonex in the Morning

I read a study that said that it's better to take Avonex in the morning. I will try to find it, but I have found that the earlier I take the shot in the morning, the easier the day goes.

I know it's not common wisdom and your nurse may tell you it's better to take before bed. But she's not taking it, you are. See what works best for you. So here's my routine:

Put the shot out the night before. In the morning, as early as possible, put the shot together with the 1" needle (get a prescription for your doctor or just wait for the pen). Swab down the area and let dry. Apply cleaned icepack (the one that comes in the avonex shipment). Get the area good and numb, super numb. Take your shot and put a band aid on it.

At the first sign of a headache or body ache, start taking your meds and take them every 4 hours until the day is over. The later you start taking the meds, the later you can take them. This also goes against common wisdom, which says to take it before the shot, but I found that the first few hours have no pain. I usually go to work out during that time.

At around 9-10, the fog lifts and I feel great.

Caveat: I'm taking Avonex 2 years. It took mey 1 year before I didn't feel terrible for the day and the day after. It takes time to get used to it.

Good Luck

[TLC_31]

It was funny to read the title as I lie here, thinking I'll have to have my Avonex shot in the morning because my girlfriend fell asleep. She's not feeling well so I don't want to wake her, and I haven't self-injected since September 9 and don't feel mentally up for that tonight. I'll have her do it in the morning, even though I have something from noon to 5 that I'll be walking around a bit and needing to stay sharp.

Nine of my 408 shots have been done in the 8 a.m. to noon range. They haven't been bad experiences, just a little icky in the afternoon, although my side effects are relatively mild anyway. I occasionally awaken at 5-6 a.m. on the morning after an evening shot, and so I feel icky from lack of sleep as a result, so maybe doing shots in the morning regularly wouldn't be a bad idea.

I use the full 1.25-inch needle, and I believe I'm in a minority by not using the icepack before injection. The nurse didn't include that in her training, and I never saw the need to add that to my routine. I do take the acetaminophen normally one or two hours before the shot, but the more important dose is that one I take four hours later, because that's when the side effects are about to peak.

[KatieDidNOT]

I always took Avonex in the morning, and actually, my nurse told me to do so. Injected at 9, ate lunch at 11, got sleepy at noon and took a nap, side effects kicked in and it was usually all over by 6. Went on with the rest of my evening as normal.

Best part I was still able to go to bed in the evening without having to go through any side-effects and slept like a baby.

Good suggestion BigA...thought I was the only one who did that.

Katie

[techie]

Back when I was on Avonex...

As an experiment I did the shot at 9:30 in the morning. Once. Didn't like how I felt during the day.
So after that I did them in the late afternoon about 4:30 or 5.
techie

[seeuinct]

why would it matter what time you take the shot? I'd like to see evidence of it's effectivness before changing my routine.

[PittyPat]

Take my shot after lunch..hydrate, medicate and after 3 months still haven't had any side effects. Love this stuff...hope it works

[Nanobaby]

why would it matter what time you take the shot? I'd like to see evidence of it's effectivness before changing my routine.

Well there's clearly anecdotal evidence from what people have said here. Also, the manufacturer website does mention to try the injection at different times of the day.

In addition to this, our bodies do go through physiological changes throughout the day and these changes are also in response to environmental signal, such as photoperiod. There have been studies to show that immune cells and proteins like interferons do respond to photoperiod (Yellon et al., 1998).