Three months on Plegridy, after Avonex and then Tecfidera
I just took my eighth dose of Plegridy last night. When I was first diagnosed in 2010, with RRMS, I went on Avonex. I had the standard FLS at first and made sure to premedicate with Aleve. After a few doses, the FLS decreased to almost nothing but I always took the Aleve.
Problem was that I was terrified of the needles. So my friend, a nurse, gave me the weekly injections. Eventually I was able to do them myself but not without a lot of hesitation and upset most times. At a point, I went back to having her do them; I had kind of a relapse of my overwhelming anxiety. When Tecfidera came out, I had just changed MS doctors. My new doctor recommended I switch; she had virtually no patients still on Avonex. Even though my disease had been very stable on the Avonex, the idea of giving up the needle (in combination with the improved efficacy) was all I needed to hear.
Unfortunately, my body did not like Tecfidera. The first couple of months were pretty good, but then I starting having terrible stomach pains. So much so that I was not on a regular schedule with the drug, thus decreasing its efficacy. I think because of the delayed negative effect, I didn't immediately attribute the pain to the Tecfidera. I took antacids and made sure I had a full meal before I'd take each dose. That helped but didn't alleviate the problem completely.
A few months after I started Tecfidera, my rheumatologist changed my arthritis medicine to a combination drug that included Nexium and I realized my stomach pains decreased. But the pain had been so bad that I was fearful and never got comfortable with the drug.
Then Plegridy came out and I decided to move back to an injection. I figured I could suffer through the fear again, especially since the dosing was less frequent. Plus, it being a sub-q needle, I thought, would make it easier.
Doing the injection has not been easier though it's not horrible either. I guess for needle-phobes a shot is a shot is a shot. Surprisingly, the injection hurts slightly, which I did not find with the Avonex. And interestingly, my body's reaction to Plegridy is delayed, which I have heard others have found too. I have FLS and some fatigue, but about 18-24 hours after rather than 2 hours after with Avonex. But they are relatively mild reactions.
My main problem is my skin's reaction. About a week after the injection, I get a hot, red mark at the site, which gets slightly bigger over the next few days. It hurts when touched or rubbed; not awful but not pleasant. The pain goes away after a few days but the mark takes weeks to fade. Since you rotate the shots, and there only six sites available on your body, two each on your stomach, thighs, and back of upper arm, you can't always do an injection where the reaction won't be seen. Now it's warmer and I'm wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts, I'd prefer to do the injections only on my stomach, but I can't.
Since there's no study comparing the efficacy of Avonex with Plegridy, and they're essentially the same drug, there's no reason to think Plegridy is better. So the only advantage with it for me personally is the less frequent dosing. I am considering going back on the Avonex.
I just took my eighth dose of Plegridy last night. When I was first diagnosed in 2010, with RRMS, I went on Avonex. I had the standard FLS at first and made sure to premedicate with Aleve. After a few doses, the FLS decreased to almost nothing but I always took the Aleve.
Problem was that I was terrified of the needles. So my friend, a nurse, gave me the weekly injections. Eventually I was able to do them myself but not without a lot of hesitation and upset most times. At a point, I went back to having her do them; I had kind of a relapse of my overwhelming anxiety. When Tecfidera came out, I had just changed MS doctors. My new doctor recommended I switch; she had virtually no patients still on Avonex. Even though my disease had been very stable on the Avonex, the idea of giving up the needle (in combination with the improved efficacy) was all I needed to hear.
Unfortunately, my body did not like Tecfidera. The first couple of months were pretty good, but then I starting having terrible stomach pains. So much so that I was not on a regular schedule with the drug, thus decreasing its efficacy. I think because of the delayed negative effect, I didn't immediately attribute the pain to the Tecfidera. I took antacids and made sure I had a full meal before I'd take each dose. That helped but didn't alleviate the problem completely.
A few months after I started Tecfidera, my rheumatologist changed my arthritis medicine to a combination drug that included Nexium and I realized my stomach pains decreased. But the pain had been so bad that I was fearful and never got comfortable with the drug.
Then Plegridy came out and I decided to move back to an injection. I figured I could suffer through the fear again, especially since the dosing was less frequent. Plus, it being a sub-q needle, I thought, would make it easier.
Doing the injection has not been easier though it's not horrible either. I guess for needle-phobes a shot is a shot is a shot. Surprisingly, the injection hurts slightly, which I did not find with the Avonex. And interestingly, my body's reaction to Plegridy is delayed, which I have heard others have found too. I have FLS and some fatigue, but about 18-24 hours after rather than 2 hours after with Avonex. But they are relatively mild reactions.
My main problem is my skin's reaction. About a week after the injection, I get a hot, red mark at the site, which gets slightly bigger over the next few days. It hurts when touched or rubbed; not awful but not pleasant. The pain goes away after a few days but the mark takes weeks to fade. Since you rotate the shots, and there only six sites available on your body, two each on your stomach, thighs, and back of upper arm, you can't always do an injection where the reaction won't be seen. Now it's warmer and I'm wearing short-sleeved shirts and shorts, I'd prefer to do the injections only on my stomach, but I can't.
Since there's no study comparing the efficacy of Avonex with Plegridy, and they're essentially the same drug, there's no reason to think Plegridy is better. So the only advantage with it for me personally is the less frequent dosing. I am considering going back on the Avonex.
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