COPAXONE

[futurmil2b]

I was diagnosed with MS Feb 2011. Neuro said I have mild MS. He wanted me to try Copaxone... Long story short, the nurse came over, I tried it. That night, I did not get any sleep and my anxiety escalated. The next morning, no appetite, anxiety still high.. took a few days for me to get myself together.

I have not tried Copaxone since... TOO AFRAID.. But I think I need to give it another try but I am horrified to try it again. I see some of you have great success with it.

Does it help with spasicity? I have tightness in my right leg. My neck/shoulders stay pretty tight and I am tensed a LOT. I am in physical therapy but not sure its helping with anything. I am soooo tired of all this...

Is there anyone on this forum that do not take meds and you are doing ok for the most part? NOT SURE WHAT TO DO.

Ms. Jay

[inmoni5]

Hello. Check out the post in the General Forum about those that have decided not to medicate. It will give you insight from the people that do not medicate and how they are doing.

As for me I was dxd in Feb as well. I started Copaxone right away. I have not missed a shot. Copaxone IMO is the best drug out there. My reason for believing this is that the side effects are tolerable for me. I don't have to be monitered for internal side effects. Yes, I do have some site reactions and every now and then I have a bad painful shot. No ryme or reason as to why but it's only every now and then.

I know that you have expressed your anxiety is an issue for you....I just want you to understand that anxiety is also something that ALOT of us deal with on a day to day basis. You are not alone with that. It has been known to be MS related.

We all say that not every symptom is ms related so don't overlook some....but at the same point alot of our symptoms are the ms. I'm glad to see that you are understanding your diagnoses and that you are starting to come to terms with it

As far as the Copaxone helping with spasticity.....it is not a treatment for that. The Copaxone helps with lessening the amount of exacerbations (flare ups) that we have. There are however, other meds that are available for spasticity and other symptoms as well. Talk to your neuro about you symptoms, he/she will be able to get you a med that will help.

Take care and I wish you the best.

[justacowgirl]

When I was diagnosed a year ago my anxiety level hit the ceiling. I thought I would die. we all know that taking that first shot is the worst. We don't know what to expect. We stress ourselves out.

I have taken Copaxone successfully for 1 year now. I have no side effects. I don't know anxiety to be a side effect of Copaxone.........it isn't for me.

Call shared solutions and ask them to assign you a peer. Someone who you can talk to one on one to discuss your concerns about the med and someone who can tell you about their experience. It helps to really talk to someone who's been there. Talk to your neuro! Knowlege is power. Once you know what to expect it isn't so scary and your anxiety will lessen.

Good luck

[jlas01]

I was also diagnosed in Feb and have been taking Copaxone since March. I definitely think it's helping me to feel better about somethings. But I couldn't really say about spasticity. Because I've never had the problem as of yet. I haven't really had any major side effects from the meds (other than hematoma) and I'm almost a month in. Maybe you should give it another chance?

[TED_lucky]

Keep in mind the MS meds are not supposed to make you feel better. The Copaxone should slow the progression, but don't expect it to make you feel better.

There is a long list of other things to help make you feel better, talk to you DOC about any symptoms you need help with.

The copaxone should have very little in the way of side effects other than the site reactions. But you could have some stress over the idea of giving yourself a shot every day. For most of us it gets easier.

There is no test to know if your progression will be mild, also no way to know how effective the meds will be. But on average those on meds did better, so I recommend not giving up to easily.

[DianeD]

Copaxone does not treat symptoms.

The one thing all posters much realize about Copaxone is that it was not designed to treat symptoms. It is to slow down or alleviate lesions.

It ideally will halt the progression of MS. Sometimes, as with the poster who mentioned increased anxiety, it is easy to confuse an injection reaction (racing heart, sweating, 'anxiety' with a reaction to the meds).

I self inject and only choose places to inject that have some fat or you can pinch a bit of skin and inject. Also be sure to allow the alcohol to dry from the swab.

I do not have all the answers (maybe none) but the way you inject is important and try to stay away from any muscle or vein.

Diane

[jodi36]

I've been on copaxone 1 1/2 yrs, I don't like it at all i have large whelps where ever I give myself the shot.It burns so bad and I have large dimples in my legs where i have given myself the shots. I won't even do the shots in my legs very often. i'm not happy with it and I still have relapses but my doctor likes this better than anything else. Copaxone does not help me with spasms since I've been on that they have gotten worse i have to take botox every 3 months to help with pain and spasms that does help.
Does anyone know what other meds are out there besides the usual that can help ms? I'm so unhappy with all the meds i'm taking.

[GaryGo]

I haven't read that Copaxone can cause long-term anxiety. There can be a 15-minute post-injection reaction, but it really is that short. Call the nurse or Shared Solutions, they should be able to give more info.

[todays child]

I'm sorry you had a bad experience. I know when I was having a very bad time with anxiety - I nearly came unglued in an airplane once - I was very low on B12. I bought the type that dissolves in your mouth rather than a vitamin tablet that you swallow whole. Once I got my B12 levels up again I was much better.

[Louise]

copaxone

Anxiety is normal when first dealing with MS and learning to take shots.

I have been on Copaxone since 2004 and what helped me in the beginning was to focus on an image in my mind as I took each shot. My focus was on the shot that I perceived was keeping the bad cells from crossing the barrier to my brain and creating lesions. I felt I was at war with them and would not give up without a fight.

We need to do anything to empower ourselves in the fight against MS. Since no one knows for sure that the drugs are actually helping us since they are not 100% effective (closer to 30%), I am not taking the chance that I am not one of the 30% that will gain benefit. My MRI backs my plan. At least they have for 7 years.

The symptoms are another matter. Still have them but for the first 5 years they were minimal. There are other meds for the symptoms. Knowledge is power. Read and research everything you can. Be proactive in how you are comfortable handling the MS.

It is easy for me to tell you to relax and not be anxious but I know you are the one who has to deal with this. The daily shot has just become a ritual for me and until something better comes along I'm going to continue. Hang in there.