Been on it for 10+ years and have had few changes in my MRI status (well actually never had an MRI in 9 years and when I finally got one it was fairly benign in the brain and my lesions were spinal like I knew from the past). My reason for going on this drug was no flu symptoms and no worries with liver function. YES I hate the daily injections and YES I have red hard areas all over the place and YES I am running out of real estate and my arms are dented but I still walk and talk and think. Does this help who knows? Yes it gives you depression and anxiety and palpitations. All of the DMDs carry trade offs. You just have to choose which one is best for you. BG-12 is coming out probably within the next 2 quarters but I will do a wait and see there as not enough studies for me but so far it looks promising and it is a pill! So I don't think you need convincing but what I think you do need is to do the research and see what side effect profile you are willing to live with and remember not all drugs work for everyone and sometimes there is need to change after weeks, months, years etc. Do I see progression - yep but could be a lot worse and after all this is a chronic progressive disease and there Is NOTHING out there which will stop it totally. Hope this helps.

Been on it 1 1/2 years (dx'd 2 yrs ago). It is the safest, most natural with the least side effects (only topical ones). When I started manually injecting I had complete control! After the body adjusts to the meds, no more itching, minimum welts. It's every day but has no other side effects. Good luck, I am totally happy with this drug. xo laurel

I wish I would still be taking it. A rare few have a side effect called IPIR, immediate post injection reaction that is a very unpleasant experience but according to everyone completely harmless. A very very few are prone to them, and I am one of them (4 IPIRs in less than a year) and I think I would even power through if I hadn't started having panic attacks after (because of) my 4th reaction. If you can do the manual injection instead of the autoject, the site reactions should be less. For me, I would have a bit of a bump that you could see for a few days and sometimes feel for a week, but they would go away completely on the autoject and much less with manual - and I never had anything permanent. They will send a nurse to your house to train you. I really do wish I could stay on it, but my body's reaction was just not tolerable. Every other side effect I experienced was fairly inconsequential and very bearable to me.

Reading about Copaxone doesn't do it ANY justice! It was the third 'disease modifier' I used and I wish I had started with it. Not only was it the most effective, it was the least painful, had the fewest side effects and the best patient financial assistance programs.

That said, I did experience 2 IPIR events within the three years but the normal injection reactions were mild (lump) swelling with some itching that a cold pack helped. And yet, still far better than the others.

Had my first injection today, it felt much less painful than I had expected, a little burning afterwards and pain thru my arm but went away in 15 minutes.

Well, maybe too soon to tell but so far so good..lol

I have been on Copaxone since I was first diagnosed and I LOVE it. Like others, I chose it because of the lack of flu-like symptoms. Daily injections are a pain, but they are bearable. The itching post-injections is not severe. My MRI's have been very clean since I started taking it. I have not have a single flare up since 2009. I have only had one IPIR, which is certainly unpleasant but it went away very quickly and I haven't had one since. The Shared Solutions staff are very helpful and are available by phone 24/7 if you run into any problems with the medication or with injecting.

Hope this helps!

thank you for your imput about this. The doctor didn't want me to get back on Tysabri, as I tested positive for the JC Virus. So, I guess Copaxone is the route I will be going now.
I did Avonex nearly 4 years ago, so, I have experienced that route.
But, now I guess, Copaxone is the direction I am heading.

I really don't look forward to this one. I hope that it is good to me, as it sounds like it has been good for some of you!

I will be doing the auto-inject I guess. What exactly is an IPIR? I don't know what that means.

Sherizi

I am also curious what IPIR is , I know what it stands for but what are the symptoms?

oh and I was gonna say sherizi, that it has been a week for me now and no welts,itching or marks YET.

yaay..one week down and many years to go...lol

mteverest. I looked up the meaning of IPIR. It stands for Immediate Post Injection Reaction.

sherizi, I still don't know what exactly happens when you get IPIR?

Well, It may be different for each person, but, the nurse today told me I could expect to have reactions that very. Some of the issues are redness, swelling, itching, welting. lumps at injection site.

Sometimes a "flushing" can happen. Meaning that you can get a heat-strike/ moment for about 15 minutes. Somewhat like a hot flash. But, not all folks who take Copaxone, could have that happen.

Well, I hope this infor helps some!

Potentially kissing goodbye to Copaxone. I have been on it since first being diagnosed in 2010; it was the first drug I used, initially frightened at the thought of having to inject for the rest of my life; I soon got used to it; it was made a part of life; and it's just been easy. Unfortunately, the mri's haven't been good since being on Copaxone; the neuro is a bit concerned and has mentioned Tysabri; which has got me even more afraid than what the Copaxone did.

For anyone just starting out with the Copaxone; it helped me out dramatically (I believe); it helped greatly with the fatigue; and the welts and itchiness, it doesn't last for long; there's a bit of a sting initially, but that's it; I inject only in my thighs; one night it's one, then next night it's the other... the autoinjector that the MS nurse gave me made injecting less of an issue! Too easy!

Good luck! It's a great drug, just not for me say the pictures! Ahh well...