interferon dosage comparison, other diseases

some ms patients take interferon for many years.  sometimes 4 years or more.
how do they live through that? they use different interferons than we do and im trying
to compare their dosage level and side effect level to ours. one study i looked at said that a dose of 30 micrograms/week of  IM interferon beta-1a  was well tolerated but a dose of 60 micrograms/week caused severe flulike symptoms and elevated liver enzymes. im assuming that this type is similar to infergen, really strong.
it seems like pegasys and pegintron dosages are somewhat similar.   180mcg/week pegasys  is maybe like 120 pegintron (based on reported side effects and my wild guess) (for a 170 lb person)

based on general  complaints about infergen dosing, it seems to be much stronger.
recommended dosing is 3 to 9mcg, 3 times a week. this would only be 27mcg/week
on the high dose side. for relapsers they recommend 9 to 15,  3 times a week which still totals
only 45 mcg/week  comparatively a small dose with a lot of bad side effects.

does anyone have a familiarity with the different manufacturing strengths that would account for
this variability of effect? or is is just that each molecule is fairly different from the other and
gives different reactions at different dosages.

does any one know people with multiple sclerosis who took
harsh doses for extended periods? how do they fare? how about the hep b versions of interferon?
do those patients get hammered like we do? what about skin cancer patients?

[nygirl7]

I had read that as well.  My cousin has MS and it has taken him from a strong healthy 40 year old man to living in a wheel chair.  I was wondering HOW in the world he could handle the interferon on TOP of the MS...I mean so easy we have it yet all we do is moan and groan.  I don't know how they handle both things.  It's amazing to me.

[susan400]

Usually for a previous non-responder and/or relapser the dose on the Infergen is daily dosing at 15.  At least that's the general way that it's being used by many knowledgable Hep C docs at this point in time.

Susan