Know Multiple Sclerosis

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.

Posted by admin on April 26, 2007 12:33 AM | Permalink

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Upon being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, I was given three pamphlets for each of the ABC drugs (there was no R (Rebif) yet). The National MS Society has a lot of information about each treatment. Here is a little information about them:

A - Avonex, a once-a-week injection of interferon beta-1a.
B - Betaseron, an injection of interferon beta-1b. This is administered between three and four times per week.
C - Copaxone, a daily injection of glatiramer acetate.
R - Rebif, an injection of interferon beta-1a given three times a week.

After speaking with my neurologist, we chose Avonex. It seemed to make sense to try the one with the least number of injections. Initially, my wife gave me the injections in my shoulder. After some time, I started giving the injections to myself in the legs. I remember clearly the first time - I must have sat there for ten minutes trying to bring myself to do the shot. After I finally did it, I wondered why it took me so long. Now, I don't think twice about it.

I have had MRIs done every two years since starting treatment in 1999. They have shown no progression. That doesn't necessarily mean the disease is not active since MRIs may not show all damage. However, those results combined with no new symptoms seem to indicate the Avonex is working for me. It's important to remember that each person responds differently to each medication.

I'm sharing my experience with Avonex so that readers know there are options when being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I encourage people to find out more about those options by talking to their neurologist.

Posted by admin on April 6, 2007 05:24 AM | Permalink

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