copaxone shots getting better and better

[doublevision1]

Six months into my treatment, I am finding my Copaxone shots to be going surprisingly well.  No longer a need to pre-warm the site, no need for ice afterwards.  The severe sting and burning is gone.  The temporary redness/bumps are goine within a day or two.  

One thing I am doing more consistently is injecting deeper with the autoinjector.  I now adjust it to 10, the deepest it will go. I make sure therer is enough flesh to go into so I don't go too deep.  I haven't had any bleeding or backflow of medicine since switching to 10.  

Just want to share this with those who may be new to Copaxone and having trouble.  Initially I found the sting and buring to be quite uncomfortable, so it's nice to see that my body appears to have adjusted well to this foreign invader.

[Heather3418]

I am just starting into my 12th month of therapy on Copaxone.  Keep in mind please, that I am in the 13th year since diagnosis.

I just had a brain MRI to check on the progress or lack thereof of Copaxone benefits.  When I first started the Copaxone I had 12 lesions in the brain.  Non-enhancing lesions.  On this MRI it was noticed that I had minimal "volume loss" since last MRI.  I also still have on the average of 12 lesions, with a couple shrinking in size.  So if you asked me whether Copaxone seems to be effective, I think it probably is.  

I have had two relapses since starting the drug.  We will see what the next 12 months brings.

When I was on Avonex for three years, I did not have one new lesion appear in that whole time and no brain volume loss.  But that was over 5 years ago.  I do believe, however, that Avonex was really good for the MS and kept my lesion load at bay with some shrinking of the spinal lesion.  I had on average 2-3 relapses per year.  Even after going off of Avonex, it was 2 more years with no DMD;s before they started to see an increase in lesions again.  Avonex side effects never went away for me and I was "flu-struck" for almost a full 4 days after injection.  That's why I gave it up.  But I still think it's an excellent DMD.

With Copaxone, I notice I have less and less skin=injection site reactions, but the shots in the touchie still cause the biggest lumps.  And dern, that's the fattiest area on my body.  I have had medication squeeze out of the injection sites many times and on average, have a small amount of blood 4 out of 7 shots.  The back of the arms are the second worse place for lumps.  I use to have big lumps with Copaxone now they are dime size and no prepping for the shots.  I just make sure that it is room temperature before injecting.

Heather

[Lulu54]

Magnet - It's a chart that is titled
ROTATING YOUR INJECTION SITES

it came in my blue bag of information
it is about the size of a sheet of paper and is a magnet and also had a white board marker with it.

It is a larger diagram of the small book picture and conveniently hangs on my refrigerator.  

I am positive if you contact Shared Solutions they would be happy to send you one or two!  They are happy to do anything to keep you on their drug.

I looked and don't find any identifying number on the sheet so you will just have to describe it.  Good luck!

Lu

[Fluffysmom]

P. S.  I forgot to say that I'm happy for you, that your own shots are going so well!  K.

[Fluffysmom]

Hi, just peeking in to say that this information could be helpful for those of us who self-administer allergy shots.

I often have back-flow of meds and l sometimes bleed quite a lot.  It seems to me that the darn needles are long enough and go deep enough already, but I'll ask my allergy tech about it when I go in next month to test my progress.

The only thing I've discovered to help myself is to fill my syringes and let them come to room temp. before injecting; doesnt' sting as much.

Thanks for the ideas that I can use to improve my own injectables experience!

Kathy

[patientx]

When I realized I hadn't been rotating within each site, I started using the pictures in the Shared Solutions book, like doublevision mentioned.  But it's really only an estimate of the location.  I did read where some people are more precise, using tracing paper or foam to mark where they did the shot.  Too much effort for me...

[doublevision1]

To keep track, I use the injection diary I got from Shared Solutions.  One new page and blank picture each week.  So I pencil on the diagram where I injected.  I agree, it's hard to note exactly where the shot went in, but marking it on the picture helps to keep track.

Lulu, what is this refrigerator magnet body drawing?  I didn't get one of these in my bag of tricks from Shared Solutions.

[doublevision1]

Yes, I have been rotating sites regularly:

Mon - R thigh
Tue - L thigh
Wed - Abd (alternate weekly on R and L side)
Thu - R buttock/hip
Fri - L buttock/hip
Sat - R arm
Sun L arm

And yes, I change the specific injection site within each area above, so I avoid injecting in the exact same spot again for several weeks, allowing it time to fully heal.  

[Lulu54]

DV- the Shared Solutions nurse on the phone had me back my needle off to a 9 almost immediately after I started the copax and like you I find it made a big differencei n the discomfort.  I won't lie and say I don't feel the after effects, but they are minimal and I don't have the urgent need to ice the injection site like I did initially.

Patientx, I have been on copaxone just under 3 months.  I am trying to rotate within each injection area but find it is impossible to keep track of exactly where I shot that area last week and last month.  I'm doing my best to move around and figure that is all I can do. I used the refrigerator magnet body drawing I was given and filled in the areas - but then I ran out of areas on that drawing and have been to lazy to erase it and start over.

My best, Lulu

[patientx]

I'm curious; have you been rotating the shots within each injection area?  I was reading some of the Copaxone information again, and saw the "checkerboard" diagram they give for each area of the body.  I realized I hadn't been following this for the past 2 months.