I know it's tough.. I would scream in pain.. swore I needed a shot of whiskey before taking it.. huge red knots that would itch for days.. I looked like a dog scratching fleas..
After the first month, the pain stopped.. I still get the knots redness and itching.. but no longer use my ice pack unless I'm having pain. I think you just get used to it.. the best u can.. the mental part is the worst.. I get settled in the evening in my chair.. and think oh god I've got to take that damn shot.. but I know it's best... hang in there sweetie...

Thank you. I'm sure it will get better. But for now, I feel like I need to be mad at the world....

Hi There,
Sorry to hear that you hare having such a hard time, starting Copaxone myself next week, not dreading the shots, just the side effects. Will hold thumbs that the site reactions start getting less and less.
Lots og Hugs

Vent away! Hopefully it gets better for you soon, I know how much it sucked when I started copaxone. I was scared, pissed, confused and had tons of questions and found this great website that is full of people with lots of usefull knowledge and advice! So keep on venting!

Hang in there. We do understand your pain and frustration. Shared Solutions calls and checks to see how you are doing in the early stages. I would suggest calling them if you haven't already heard from them. They may give you a few tips. Ice does seem to help to numb the injection spots. I alos found that heating the areas that gave me the most trouble also helped to ease the pain a bit. It didn't help with the whelps or the itching. I think it just took my body time. You may also want to try adjusting the depth. I gone as low as a 4 on my thighs but recently went back to 6 all the way around which has reduce the whelps. I've been on copaxone going on 7 months and it does seem to get better with time. I still use the ice pack when the burning starts but it have gone a few times without it. I bought a heating pad but don't really need it anymore. One suggestions that was provided by some friends on DS was to take the injection after a warm shower or bath. That really seems to make it a bit easier. But with all that said I think it takes our bodys some time to adjust. One way I rationalized and dwhat helped me get through it was that my body was attacking the injection sight instead of my brain. Take care of yourself and hang it there.

Everyone is telling you that it will get better, but if I was you I would be complaining to your neuro that you just can't take Copaxone! Those side affects are totally unacceptable to me. We have enough in our lives to deal with having MS, that having red angry welts on our body shouldn't be another one!

Im totally down with telling my neuro I can't take it. But he insists that I take something and Copaxone is the only one I will touch. I don't want to have blood tests and monitoring. I have enough health problems to not have a medication causing more....

Are you using the auto-injector? I have a feeling that some nurse/trainers are better than others. I do my shot in the bathroom right when I get out of the shower in the a.m. By the time I put my supplies away, I get a little stinging and then I just hold a cotton ball there and count to 10 and it's over. Occasionally, I will get a welt but not so much anymore. I have been on copaxone for 4 months.

It should and will get better. I've been on it for 1 1/2 years. In the beginning, I had the same welts, pain, itching. I do think the body gets use to the medication (a month?) not sure how long. But for me, the GODSEND...was manually injecting. The needle is really thin, get a nurse to teach you (shared solutions will send one out). The auto-jet is wound too tight! A bad design. The numbers you can adjust do little to ease the pain when you release. The thought of using it makes me sick now! This will save you. There is light!!! xoxoxo

the 1st 4-5 months were horrible for me. The welts were huge and all day all I could think about was the shot later that day. It hurt when I walked for the whole week then it was time to do my thighs all over again. After about 5 months it got alot easier and now at 7 months the welts ae much smaller and its not as painful. Just hang in there and know it gets alot easier

oh and zyrtec helps alot for the itching

2yrs on Copaxone, stop to switch to Avonex, chickened out & now waiting to go back on Copaxone. I won't lie & say the welts will go away but it does get easier. I stopped using heat/ice and found it less painful. Also make sure the alcohol is DRY!!!! Before I stopped taking it It was just another part of my day,no big deal. Copaxone has the least side effects,I'd rather have a welt then the flu, some choice.

Sorry you have to go through all this, MS SUCKS but at least we're trying do something about it.
Hugs
Tammy

My husband was gone last night and he usually does the back of my arms but my mom is a nurse so I let her do a manual injection. I didn't realize how forceful the autoject was.... I did get a VERY SMALL welt but it didn't hurt and the itching/burning was far less than with the autoject. Anyone have tips for manually injecting?

You are absolutely allowed to vent. I'm sorry you're having a difficult time and I hope it gets easier, no matter what you decide. Hang in there.

I want to encourage you to hang in there! I felt the exact same way, and then I found this site. Some of the same wonderful women replied to my cries of woe, and they told me that it will get better. They were right. The pain does start to lesson with time, and the welts will not always be as bad. But I was given the advice too to use a heat pack for 5 minutes and then ice for 1. I think this is a very important step in this process, even though tedious and time consuming. I made a warming pillow out of rice. You can even put it in a sock with a plastic rubber band to hold it together. Heat that up a reasonable amount in the microwave, and do heat the sight for 5 minutes. Try manual vs. the autoject too b/c everyone reacts differently to those and how each affects the site. Icing for 1 minute is important too, and not longer b/c it can freeze the skin. Lastly, I put lanolin on my sites right after. It helps minimize the reaction too. I am not itching like I was in my first month, and the bumps, while hard, are not the size of softballs!

Trust me, I know it is not easy, and quite frankly sucks. It is a constant reminder of having MS. I was on Tysabri before this, and that was way easier. But, I am encouraged now being on Copaxone for almost 3 months that it DOES get easier, and it does help you from getting worse. When I was off of T and switching to C, I had to wait for 3 months. I progressively got worse, and gained three new lesions. I could feel it affecting me too. But, after C, lots of tears, anger, itching, and frustration, I am seeing the benefits, and I have energy again, am walking better, and have fewer "off" days.
Hang in there! You are not alone :>)