Today is the start of week three

[purpleivy]

Needed a lot of mental strength to take this mornings pill.
About 4 pm yesterday I started feeling a pain in my stomach. By the time I took my night pill at about 8, I was starting to feel some spasms in my ribcage area. At bedtime (11ish) I was having excruciating pain. It was like labor contractions only up high right in the center of my ribs. I can feel the spasm start, peak and then relax, leaving me with a feeling of hot rocks in my stomach until the spasm begins again.
This morning I still felt a constant mild pain and had to force myself to eat and take another pill. Now 3 hrs later the spasms are starting up again and I am in full on flushing mode. I feel dizzy and weak. Just want to sleep. Hoping this won't last all day.

[erica1000]

I hope things get better for you. I also just started week 3 and also have flushing and stomach pain though mine is not on the same scale.

Are you taking anything to pre-medicate?I have been taking a baby aspirin and Zantac before Tecfidera and I take it on a full stomach.

I called my nuero today to see if there was anything I could do different and he advised I try 20mg prilosec 2x a day instead of the Zantac I have been taking so I am going give that a try. Also another member said they take a full strength aspirin and that it helps with the flushing.

Again I hope things get better.

[purpleivy]

Thanks, Erica. I do premedicate with zantac150 about an hour before. I started out premedicting with baby aspirin, but my flushing has been pretty hit or miss so I stopped that pretty quick. I may have to start again though considering today was the worst one yet although much shorter than usual. The stomach pain is awful though. Zantac doesn't seem to matter and this doesn't feel like a heartburn or reflux issue. It seems to get worse as the day goes on and I have to remember not to hold my breath because the pain is worse then. My husband sure gives me some funny looks when a spasm hits and I start Lamaze breathing! Lol!

Just hoping to get through this and praying it won't be this bad for long!

[AlaskaAnn]

When you feel up to it be sure to read up on here as many of us have experienced exactly what you have described, some have posted different things that worked for them. Theses things may help you too.

Have you called the pharmacy 24 hr helpline? They too may have some good ideas. One thing I learned from them is that the Zantac is to help relax the tummy in this situation and has nothing to do with heartburn.

For me the severe cramping and spasms had to do with food and when I was taking my pill. Once I got that under control all the cramping stopped. And the day I didn't take the tecfidera 12 hrs apart took me right back to the spasms to the point I thought I was going to die. I will never do that again.

But now .... I can say it was all worth it. I can hardly explain how good I feel. I have energy I forgot I had. I no longer feel weighted down. I sleep ... actually sleep throughout the night. Those damn bands around my head and limbs are lessening , I know I can feel it.

[REG53]

I hope you feel better soon.

[purpleivy]

Yesterday morning I felt amazing and didn't wake up with any soreness at all. At about 4pm it hit me worse than ever. My husband wanted to take me to the hospital, but I talked him into waiting and took some ibuprofen. It lasted 45 minutes or so. I just could not find any position to relieve any pain. The rest of the day, I had a few twinges but not unmanageable.

Today has been a little worse, again waking up feeling poorly, and some severe pain this afternoon. I have been taking Zantac twice a day ever since I started this med, but it does not touch the pain, neither does pepto or tums.

I had read somewhere that the pain can be caused by an inflammation of the stomach lining, so tried ibuprofen and that seems to help quite a bit, just not quickly. I always take my pills in the middle of a full meal and have been drinking tons of water.

Tonight I have to work and I am definitely freaked out. I do not have the option to sit down or walk away for a moment if I don't feel well. Cross your fingers for me that I will be avpble to make it through without incidence!!! Thank you for all your support!

** Moderator's note - Post broken into paragraphs for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print. **