Side Effects
With Avonex, my side effects have improved over time. For the first few months, I had body aches and the chills for about 24 hours after injection. The chills were unlike anything I'd ever experienced. I remember the first injection. My wife and I went to the clinic so we could learn how to administer the shot. We practiced with an orange. After I fumbled around with the needle for about ten minutes and absolutely destroyed my orange, the nurse recommended my wife do the shots.
We went out to dinner that evening and I noticed no side effects. Wow, this was too easy! Around 10:00 that night (eight hours after injection), I noticed I felt cold. That feeling became much more intense to the point where I was uncontrollably shaking in bed. I put layers of clothes on and climbed under a mountain of blankets until I warmed up. The entire 'chills' episode probably lasted about an hour. That continued for the next several months, along with mild muscle aches (flu-like) for a day or so after the injection.
After those first few months, I only had minor aches and chills. I tried both acetaminophine and ibuprofen to relieve symptoms and found the ibuprofen to be more effective.
I've talked to several people who have had much more serious side effects with interferon treatments for multiple sclerosis - Avonex, Betaseron, and Rebif. Would anyone else like to share his or her experience with a treatment? If so, please post a comment or mail to admin@knowms.com.