That is what is so bad. Shots for life. I take avonex. It is just one shot a week. It does have side effects but as for now I am controlling it with Aleve. I do not get the lumps with this shot. You will have flu like symptoms but like I said I take Aleve for that. I do know how you feel some days when I take my shot, I have went to my room and cried too. Good luck!

I have been on Copaxone since April and I'm tired of it too but remembering how bad I was from my last flare is enough to keep me injecting myself. Since I am home alone most of the time, I have to do it myself. The autoject makes it easier. I will never like it but I "lump it" because that's what I have to do to keep the MonSter from winning.

Aww I know exactly how youu are feeling. I have my fiance do all of my injections but last week I screamed "I HATE THIS SHIT" and just sat in silence for awhile. My lumps have eased off for the most part but it sucks doing this everyday. I'm surviving and maintaining but it gets rough.

Lets stay strong!

I'm so sorry you're going through this. Like MS isn't difficult enough to deal with! I have the same feelings and the same crying fits sometimes. It's just all so unfair. Feel free to vent whenever you need to. That's what this place is for!

Hi Kiakim,
I know how you feel with the shots, I knew I could not inject myself every day and stick to it so I chose Rebif. While I have been lucky and the only side effect has been a fever but that can be controlled with Aleve. You are just going to have to remember what the alternative will be if you stop.

You can also alway try a different med like Rebif and only have to deal with the shots 3 times a week. I hope you can stick to it but if you can't you need to talk to your neuro about changing to something that you will be able to stick to. Good luck and hopfully thing will get better foor you

Sorry to hear what you are going through. I do know how you feel. I had been taking two shots a day since March. Just last month I was taking three shots a day! I guess I caught a break because the new doc I am seeing said that we can just up the dose and take it down to one shot a day, and this will go on until the other meds are aproved and affordable! Sometimes warm compresses can help with the lumps, but sometimes it doesn't but it is worth the effort.

It does get better. I have good weeks when I do not even have a mark from the shots, then there are other weeks I get big lumps and buises. (this week is one of the lumps and bruises)

I do wish you the best and i know it is not much but know you are not alone.

I hope you feel better soon, Lisa

Thanks for the support. Like I said I think I am just in a funk right now. Hopefully it's gonna just pass. Sometimes reality of the shot for life thing sets in and is a bit overwhelming.

I did the research and talked with my neuro and decided against taking the medication. I know it was a gutsy move but when I explained my reasoning to my doctor, he agreed with me. However, due to economics, my sister in law quit taking her medication and she is doing just fine.

I know we are all different, but considering that the medication will not guarentee that you will not get a flare and as my neuro explained to me, it will not protect us from a catastrophic flare, I decided that the shots (and lumps and horrendous expense) was not worth it.

I'm so sorry you are feeling this way kiakim. I understand how you feel. I could not take Copaxone because I was allergic to it, but during those first 10 days, I cried because this would have to be something I would have to do for the rest of my life. Then, I went to Avonex, which is only once a week, but I was sick for 3 days out of the week from side affects. My depression and sadness of having to take these shots was unbearable. Then I went to Tysabri, because not having to take shots and having horrible side affects was the quality of life I was looking for. Now I'm positive for the JC Virus and I have to rethink my MS therapy. I don't know what to do, whether to continue with Tysabri, go back to an interferon beta med, or risk myself with the new oral med, Gilenya.

I think you need to have a good heart to heart with your neuro about the quality of life issue you are having. Something so depressing as taking a shot every day can't continue for you. Hopefully this is just a "funk" as you say, and you will be able to wrap your arms around having to do this for the rest of your life. I was not so lucky and couldn't do that. Who knows what might happen with me, but I may have to be dealing with that dilemna myself soon.

Hang in there, and feel free to rant here vs. journaling. Often journals are missed by readers, so it is good you posted here.

I understand completely. Its just over a month for me on Copaxone as well and I still get the lumps and they seem to last about 4 or 5 days. Shared Solutions advised me to try to massage the area where I take my shot after 24 hours and that should help them to go away. I also had a hard time. It wasnt too bad in the beginning then about a week and a half in I had large whelps. I called Shared Solutions and adjusted my depth for my auto injector which seemed to help a lot. I would suggest calling them to see what type of advice they may be able to share. They also suggested to apply heat for 5 minutes before and ice for a minute after which also seems to help me. Its getting a little better but like you I dont know if I will ever get used to shots every day. I figured it was too soon to stop and that I would at least see maybe my body just needed more time to adjust. Good luck to you and know that you are not alone.

Hello the there. my daughter and I have MS. What works for us is ice before the shot and massage later. It's ok to cry,shake and have all this feelings but its cool, without the shots we will live, diabetics have to do it several times a day. Now that's worst. Cry, scream and then laugh. We are alive!!!

I feel all of your pain but for me, I have been on Copaxone for 12 years now and yes I am a lumpy bumpy mess but until something better comes along (and I am confident it will as there are 2 very good pill forms out there that look SOOO promising and will be going to the FDA 1st quarter 2012, I am stuck with it. Have my good and bad days and am absolutely running out of real estate as they say and YES it is depressing but at least we have something to try. It gets better and it gets rote and every once in awhile you take a day or 2 break (1/2 life long so no worries) and you press on. Sucks but better than nothing in my book. If it is any consolation the first few years are the worst. After that you have something to blame rotting teeth, sinus trouble, weight gain or whatever on - Copaxone!!

Personally I love the fact it is a daily injection because it has become part of my daily routine. Now about these lumps have you tried heat or ice before or after or both with your injection? I have started doing something recently that has helped alot. Take your injection after a shower. When I do this my lump is very minimal. They other trick I have learned is before you inject hold the syringe upside down so the air bubble is at the top and gently depress the plunger until the air bubble is gone. Since I have been doing this my injections don't sting.

Another trick I have come across is Arnica gel. It's sold at health food stores. It is an old gramma's trick to reduce swelling and bruising. What are our lumps.... swelling. So you do your injection wait 3-5 minutes for the injection whole to seal. Take some of the arnica gel and rub it around your injection site. Now here is my idiot disclaimer. Arnica gel is a natural remedy. To get the gel to last they put Alcohol in it. When you are applying it do not... I repeat do not push the gel into your injection hole. Alcohol burns when you do this but it works really well for me. Put it on and let it air dry and your lump ( at least for me) won't hurt near as bad. I only have to use the gel once or twice a month since I do my shower trick and my air bubble trick. Hope this helps

I have been taking the shots for over a decade and it has been worth it because my MS has barely progressed.

I saw my neuro doc this week and he says that the oral pill is on the horizon that is really promising. He doesn't want me to go on the other oral drug because I am over 50 and he says that there is a heart risk but the new pill soon to be available within the year is promising so stay with it and you will probably be able to go off the shots before too long.

And the shots do get easier. I am on Avonex now and like those people better than the Rebif support. I got scar tissue from my Rebif shots but I don't get them from the Avonex shot because it is in the muscle.

I only joined this forum this morning,

I have only been on copaxone since 19th last month, what I have found with the injections is to use the ice pack which came with the injections, it stops the stinging then I massage the site or just use my hand and go around very slowly with no pressure, it was my MS nurse who told me to do that, I might get a lump but next day its ok,

one reaction I've had was a couple of days ago as there was no one to help me I did it myself, it was stinging and red and hot but its ok now its not something I will try again, I will wait for someone is here to help me