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avonex reaction..er is no fun

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Posted 4/13/2008 3:21 PM (GMT 0)
hey all,

 I did my injection yesterday around 330 and by 8 I was having horrible chest pain and couldn't breathe without gasping for air. Oh the fun! I called my mom who lives just across the street and had her come over and sit with me and she decided to call my uncle who is a emt. He came by checked my pulse and pressure and said my heartbeat was irregular and i should go to the ER. Oh let me tell you all, i was so excited by this point.lol,,, Needless to say after 4 hours in the ER, bloodwork, ekg, chest xray...the dr's concluded that it was one of the more rare side effects of my avonex. Chest heaviness. Ok i said that from the beginning but of course no one listened. I know, I know..better to be safe than sorry but i have seen enough ER's in the past year to last me Ten. I had never had this effect before so it scared me, i didn't know what it was but turns out it was from the avonex. Aren't I glad that i decided to switch off it anyways, there is yet another sign for me that i should be on a different medication. LOL, well my neuro apt is on friday and i will be calling him in the morning to let him know what they said, what happened, and get the ball rolling on the copaxone! Thought i would let you guys know. Anyone new, please do not take my experiences into account when considering treatment. This is just how it effects my body, there are plenty of people who do great on the drug so don't let any of my issues sway you.

 

Hope all is well for all of you!

thanks for listentin

 

Posted 4/13/2008 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
Wow, Lindsay, sorry to hear about your reaction. It really sounds like a terrible experience. I am going to be starting Avonex soon, so I hope I don't have anything like that happen. Don't worry, I know it affects everyone differently, but my goodness I hope the Copaxone works a whole lot better for you. When do you start the Copaxone?
Posted 4/13/2008 11:37 PM (GMT 0)

Oh man Lindsay,

That is horrible.  I hate being in the hospital for any amount of time.  I hope the copaxone is better for you.  I have never heard of that with the Avonex.  It just does not sound like a good match  for you.  Keep us posted.  I so want to know what your doc says about all this and the potential switch.  Good luck.

Love and prayers,

Posted 4/14/2008 9:34 PM (GMT 0)

Ugh! I’m so sorry this happened Lindsay, and I hope the Copaxone works out for you! Please do let us know how your doc appt goes. 

Posted 4/14/2008 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Lindsay

WOW!!!...what a weekend! I'm so sorry! I"m glad u'r mom lives so close and could come over. As u said, better safe than sorry! Please do let us know what u'r neuro says about all this and how u'r doing. Take good care friend.
Posted 4/15/2008 2:18 AM (GMT 0)

Hey there,

 thanks for the posts. I will def let you all know how it goes on friday. I appreciate the support!

Posted 4/15/2008 1:17 PM (GMT 0)
Hi All!

New here, diagnosed in mar '04. Sorry about the crappy weekend. I just wanted to put in my two cents also. With initial dx, my nuero put me on Rebif@ shots, 3x/wk. I honestly have not had any reaction whatsoever. At least, nothing out of the ordinary that comes with MS. LOL. Is anything ordinary anymore with MS? Anyways, good luck w/ new med.

dad
Posted 4/17/2008 2:27 PM (GMT 0)

Good morning, I know that everyone is different - and can only relate to my own experiences, however  I have been on Copaxone for almost 6 months now, and have had no side effects at all.  The only thing that I do get from time to time is some swelling at the injections site, but it is minor. 

What I like about the Copaxone is the lack of flu like side effects. It does indicate that immediately after injection, if you are going to get a reaction, you might get a bit of anxiety, and a bit tighness in the chest, but does not occur very often, and may never occur at all.  From what I have read and from what I have heard, if you do experience this kind of reaction, it only last for about 10-15 minutes.

Good luck on your venture with Copaxone - and another note, the support that you get when you are on Copaxone (Shared Solutions) is tremendous.  They sent a MS nurse to my house when I started to ensure I had a full understanding of the injections and how to administer them, and provided me with travel kits, auto injectors, and the works. It was very much appreciated.

Have a nice day,

Gary

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