SIDE EFFECTS OF COPAXONE

[sandie490]

Hi everyone,

My sister has been on Copaxone now for about 6 months.  This past month she started getting this heavy restricting feeling in her chest, between the rib cages.  She said it almost feels like something is sitting on her chest, it's hard to breath in deep.  It feels like an asthma attack without the weezing. She does have asthma but its not the asthma. I told her it might be a side effect of the meds, but now we are wondering if it could be the ms.  She did speak to her neuro, they told her to see her cardiologist because she does have a mild mitral valve prolapse. She went for all the heart tests and everything is fine.  Any ideas on what it could be?  Could it be the MS hug?   Thanks  Sandie

[jensequitur]

Sometimes I get shortness of breath for no reason at all.  I think this is different from the MS hug (although today I had/have both) because my lungs just feel like they're not getting enough air.  

Sometimes it's because of hypotension - changing from upright to sitting, or vice versa.  

Today it was just a low-level shortness, that lasted until it turned into an MS hug.  (Or spasms of the intercostal muscles - whatever it was, it was painful.)

[Quixotic1]

Sandie - If this sensation of tightness in your chest is occurring only immediately after an injection and lasts 15 minutes or less and doesn't occur that often - then it certainly might be the Immediate Post-Injection Reaction.

However, the way you describe it, it sounds like the sensation of having somethting wrapped around your chest is lasting for long periods of time.  In that case it is very likely the MS Hug.

The timing and duration will be the key to what it is.

Quix

[starryeyes1]

It might be the post injection reaction that the medicine warns about. I have had 3 times so far where I had an adverse reaction. Some speculate that its from the medicine hitting a vein or artery, but no one really knows why this happens. I am glad that she had the cardio tests done. Where did she inject into? How long did the event last? Hopefully, this isn't a common occurance.
Best of luck to her!