Copaxone Allergy Developed
Filed Under Multiple Sclerosis General, Multiple Sclerosis Treatments, Multiple Sclerosis and You |
On a personal note, it looks like yours truly will be leaving Copaxone behind and switching over to Rebif. After taking (and loving!) Copaxone for 2 years, I’ve suddenly decided to develop an allergy to it. About 10 minutes after injecting, I break out in hives and itch like crazy. The first time, I thought it was just a fluke, took an Atarax, felt better and didn’t think much of it. Maybe it was just a coincidence that it happened as I took the injection!?
Okay, I admit that I was a little gun shy after that. I happened to read the patient information (don’t those scare you to even read???) and it mentioned that if you have an allergic reaction - like HIVES - you should contact your doctor immediately! Do you think I did that??? Of course not! Took the Atarax, got better and went on.
Now, I wasn’t sure, after reading that, that I wanted to risk it so I went without for a week. Took an injection, while making sure I still had an Atarax left, and the same thing happened. I guess that’s a wrap on the Copaxone for me, as much as I like it.
I was at my neurologists office this past Friday and he wants me to switch to Rebif. Not sure quite how that’s gonna work out though! I started on Avonex but never could tolerate it very well. Since Rebif is an interferon also, I’m afraid I won’t get along with it. I know the dosage is different and it’s subcutaneous. Maybe I’ll do okay with it. I certainly don’t want to do without anything and my neurologist says that I’m not a candidate for Tysabri yet and that he still doesn’t recommend it even if I was.
We’ll see how it goes with the Rebif, for now, I guess!
I AM curious if anyone else has developed an allergy like this after extended use of Copaxone! If it happened to you, leave a comment and let me know how long it took to happen.
– Vince
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5 Responses to “Copaxone Allergy Developed”
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I also loved taking Copaxone for my MS! Everything seemed to be going great for almost a year and a half - with no real side effects, site reactions, or that day after feeling of crud. Then sddenly, directly after injection of Copaxone I would begin to develop these huge areas near my injection site - usually one one foot by one foot. They looked and felt like bee stings and would take quite some time to go away. I am now taking Rebif and am pretty happy with the drug - thus far - and only when I take Advil with it. The only complaint I have with Rebif is the day after feeling of crud - but, you have to keep going.
I miss my Copaxone already! I just started on the Rebif titration pack. I’ve had a total of 3, 8.8 mcg injections so far. Three more of those and I get to move up to the 22 and then up to the 44.
I have a suspicion that I’m not going to like this stuff though. I originally started on Avonex and never could quite get used to it. They tell me that, since the Rebif stays in your system, due to injecting 3 times weekly, that it’s easier to adapt to than Avonex which is only injected once a week. I guess that Avonex creates more of a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.
I do hope that the Rebif and I will get along. If not, maybe I’ll have to look seriously at Tysabri. At least take it into consideration, although I’m still a little scared of it!
Thanks for posting Jenny and drop back by sometime!
Vince
I had a similar experience… I started on Copaxone. Tolerated it well, and loved it about as much as I could love injecting myself daily… I don’t think I went 6 months and I had a severe allergic reaction to it - alaphyaxsis. It was nasty. Went to an allergy specialist so they could “desensitize” me to it - then back to Copaxone…. didn’t go another 3 months when it happened again but this time landed me in the emergency room. Severe.
Then switched to Rebif - again tolerated it well, until my liver functions continued to spike. Finally elevated so severely that they took me off it. I just started Tysabri last month. Went for my second infusion (first was great) during the infusion, broke out in head to toe hives… back to the drawing board… anyone else?
Are you sure the allergy was to the Copaxone? My wife took Copaxone until she switched to Tysabri after several relapses. Her allergic reaction was to Tegretol, not Copaxone. Once she stopped taking Tegretol for trigeminal neuralgia and started Neurontin (Gabapentin), the hives disappeared and have not returned.
Lee, thanks for stopping by! I wish it wasn’t the Copaxone that was causing it but it definitely was unfortunately. I’d inject and within 10 or 15 minutes, max, I’d be itching like crazy and breaking out in hives. This was totally predictable. As for other meds, I’m still taking everything else the same as before so it’s not those causing it.
I guess I’m slow to develop allergies to things. I took penicillin several times before developing an allergy. Ceclor is another antibiotic that did the same thing to me. I must have taken full regimens of it 12 - 15 times before suddenly having a major reaction to it. It’s kind of strange how those things happen!
Anyway, the neurologist moved me to Rebif, which I took a few times, and quit. As for now, I’m taking no shots whatsoever. The Rebif makes me feel like absolute crap, just as the Avonex did in the past. For now, I think I’m going to wait for the oral medication to hopefully make it to market. I don’t remember the name of it but it sounds really promising and I believe it’s in a Phase III trial now.
How is the Tysabri working out for the wife? I’ve thought about going that route but I’ve been a little nervous about trying it in light of the previous PML issues. Of course, from what I’ve read, there have been no further cases of PML since they stopped doing the combination of Avonex and Tysabri together.
Thanks for stopping for a visit. I don’t always update this as regularly as I should (MS, lack of focus, and fatigue - imagine that!) but I do try to answer back to comments promptly! I hope to see you around again!
Vince