give it up and go on LDN? Man, if I had LDN 21 years ago, I would not have the permanent damage sustained in the last few year's attacks before starting LDN in '03. '02 messed me up good.

I often wonder what life coulda been had I found LDN younger.

I am on Avonex too. I hate it. I just started s I am going to do it for another few weeks. If the side effects don't get better I am quitting them. I haven't experienced mood swings or anything but I get so sick from them. Its a pretty crappy way to spend my days off. If you are having such bad effects from it quit them. Try LDN like that man said. I might.

If the Avonex is affecting your mood in this way, call the doctor who perscribed it and let him know. You can also call the Avonex company--they have a nurse on call, I think, as does the MS Nat'l society. One of these places will have an individual that should be knowledgeable.

Best of Luck!

Michelle

I don't want to talk [too] bad about avonex, but when my neuro told me 'how' they advise people to take it, I could not imagine HAVING to OVERDOSE, Yes, OVERDOSE, on a pain killer, ibuprofin suggested (and I'm sensitive to ibuprofin!), BEFORE and then AFTER.

I cringe when I see people on Avonex telling someone else something like "oh, just take FOUR advil's an hour before, and then FOUR MORE an hour after"

or something like that.

A Buzzer goes off bzzzzzzzzzzt sorry, TILT.

But that's just my opinion.

I refused all the CRABs when I was DX'd, they tried to play let's make a deal, too. I told them once the only one I'd remotely consider would be copaxone, but NOT every day. The MS nurse tried to bargain every other day "just as effective, they won't tell you that though" and then when I said NO, she tried a rebif schedule, ever other day. Ah, ok, so every 3rd day is OK.. thanks for that info. I don't trust any of them. I don't like the Angle. But that's another story.

If you're New to MS, and new to any of the treatments, I'd spend whatever energy I had in checking out LDN. When I was a lone voice it was tough, but there's now hundreds if not thousands on it all over the world for all sorts of diseases, some are even doing better than I am.

10/20 is the 3rd Annual Conference and it's booked solid; http://www.ldninfo.org has more info

If I didn't LIVE it myself, I'd be skeptical too. But I have 4 1/2 years of documented medical situations with various specialists that just can't deny the seeming effectiveness of my superbly orchestrating immune system (read my 10/2004 staph infection post in the mystory thread link above)

GOOD LUCK TO US ALL :)

I only share out of love of my life now, no financial interest all :)

oh, I thought I posted it in this thread

it's http://www.larrygc.com/mystory

Hi I am on Avonex now for 7 weeks, the first few weeks were terrible but they are getting better week by week. The only side effect I get now is I sleep the whole day when I have the needle and my muscles ache all over for a day or two but otherwise all the other side effects seem to have gone away, knock on wood, but I think it's great. I am having more good days lately. So, It maybe different for everyone but they say it takes about two months for the side effects to go away. I hope I helped, Margaret.

Interferons (and that is what Avonex is) are associated with possibility of depression. in fact a contraindication for this medicine is a history depression or depressive related symptoms (anxiety, suicidal ideations). The interferons for MS are low dose compared to interferons used for Hep C. (our own body produces interferon)
I just started it 3 weeks ago and have flu like side effects. Some of my MS symptoms feel like flu. so in deciding about drugs, i figured "hell, I already feel like crap and fluish, how much worse can this be.
My understanding is that it can take up to 6 months for these to settle down.
i have been told over and over that MS is an individual disease (like a finger print to a person). I think treatment has to be individualized to the person and works for that person.
In your particular case I would be back at the doctor's office ASAP
AND call the case manager with Avonex. let me know if you need the number.

Finally, i would try loading up with 2 advil and 2 tylenol before the shot and add 2 more advil 2 hours after the shot.
this cocktail is absolutely within therapeutic limits and tylenol and advil are NOT in the same class of medicines at all.
in fact 2 tylenol and 2 advil are a great headache cocktail when your head is (i call it) raging (migraine or tension).

good luck. hang in there!
lisa

i'm on copaxone it's not an interfearon and no side effects.you may want to ask your dr. about it

Try a sandwich when you start getting depressed, seems to help me. GL

ok, i am new to all this.. i just started rebif and am familiar with other meds but what is LDN?

click on the links in the bottom of Reply #4, and my link in #5.

LDN is Low Dose Naltrexone

You can also click on the LDN Treatments link on the main MS Community page

It's usually compounded into a capsule of 3.0 MG or 4.5 MG and you take one a day, after 9pm standard time, but before 3am

It helps orchestrate your immune system and is now being used for a wide range of AI type diseases... MS, fibro, lupus, altzheimers, cancers, fms, cfids, cfs, psoriasis, pd, als, pls, crohn's (actually healing some), autism and MORE

http://www.gazorpa.com is another good info site

Thanks everyone for the advice...I am going to talk to my Nuero about LDN. I am just wandering why he never mentioned it to me before. I go to an MS clinic that is supposed to be one of the best in the country, so why not mention LDN?

LDN is not an approved med for MS. Im glad to hear so many people feel it helps them but I've heard similar claims about bee stings, histamine creams different diets ect. I'm twenty yrs. fighting MS tough for sure but hang in. There are better therapies coming

no you haven't heard SIMILAR claims about bee stings.

LDN is being used around the world by people with AI diseases, it's being tested, examined, poked and prodded.

Bee stings don't work very long, we know that now.

LDN has people on it 9 years and under still doing as well.

LDN won't be Offered by docs.

If you go to a Restaurant, are you going to be offered Tap Water with Lemon or a bottle of wine?

LDN simply helps orchestrate ones immune system, that's it, very simple, almost homeopathic.

Nay sayers can say what they want, those who go on LDN, stay on LDN, and a vast majority find a life they never had before.

My life is Better than it's EVER been. I haven't even had a sniffle in the last 4+ years. Anything that tried to take hold disappeared within days.

Stuffy noses in the morning are gone within an hour.

And I have medical documentation from a KILLER staph infection that reversed and retreated with 2 doses of Levaquin. Unheard of in my podiatrists 23 year, at the time, practice. He had the antibiotic drip already ordered and was stumped.

LDN is the real deal, it's proved itself. It's keeping people with lots of diseases alive and functional. It's helping people with crohn's HEAL.

Dr. Jill Smith, Dr. J McCandless, Dr. Myra Gironi, Dr. Mir, all are doing testing and working with LDN for various diseases.

The PROBLEM? I'm no profit. Costs me $14.94 retail, no insurance claim. That's not keeping Pfizer, Teva, Shering Plough and others In Business.

good luck to you all... when God throws information in front of you, you choose to read more or just continue to suffer white coat syndrome.

no w/c for me, thanks. I was nearly in one forever, I'm nearly running now.