I also take Copaxone and (like you) I too have been experiencing untriggered facial flushing. It doesn't even have a correlation to the day I take my shot since it happens on the in between days too. I am on the 40mg every 2 days perscription. I had also wondered if the symptoms and medicine were related. I brought it up with my nurse and she said it was normal to experience this occasionally. I do experience it quite frequntly, however. Up to almost once or twice a day.
I have not been officially diagnosed with MS but have many symptoms and my doc has ordered MRI and spinal tap to test. I wanted to reply because I, too, have new flushing of the face in the past few months. No obvious triggers and I'm not necessarily "hot" when I get them. I'm only 27, so I don't think this could be due to early menopause. I'm finding the more and more I research and read forums that my story sounds an awful lot like anyone diagnosed with MS. I have had tests done and eliminated all other autoimmune diseases, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid, Lyme disease, HIV and Hep AB and C.
I have this symptom a lot. I am 59 and started menopause at age 50. It could be hormones but the hot flashes seem early in your case. Do your female relatives have a history of early menopause?
Also, ask the doctor to check your thyroid. Many MS patients have thyroid issues and this can come on with age. I first began taking thyroid hormone in my early 40's. A really good gynecologist who has menopause specialty experience can help your discover the root of the flushing. I always have that flushing with a glass of wine. It could be an additive in the wine.
In the meantime dress in layers so that you can take off a cardigan when you need to. I wear cotton or silk clothing which are very friendly with hot flashes. Good Luck!
Heh you, how about the big word MENOPAUSE !!! I started my flushing when I was about your age. Then I had my ovaries removed 2 years ago. So, they say we are have MENOPAUSE symptons... I ask ... " I don't have the parts for menopause" ..... and they continue say it is.
So, could it be related to the Gabapentin, that gets me someetimes., ...
Hope this helps.,
Candy
((HUGS))
thanks all. Kelly I will have a look at that site later.
I mentioned it to my pharmacist and she thought meds were unlikely, her immediate reaction like some of you was hormones. ugh. feels too early to me but I guess I need to stop thinking I'm still 25 and come to grips with the realities of aging. ;)
I will mention it to my GP and neuro, just in case.
So next question, for those who have gone through or are going through menopause, how many of you have had flushing as a symptom and is there anything to treat/minimize it? Along with the redness there is some warmth in my face but not burning, and no hot flashes or anything like that.
I get it in my knees, too! So bad that just last night, I could not sleep. Sooooo fun, I tell ya.
Hi...here's a link that says that Erythromelalgia could be secondary to MS (and other disorders/diseases). And it says that it could cause redness & burning in the extremities and less commonly in the face, ears, or knees.
http://www.merckmanuals.com/professional/cardiovascular_disorders/peripheral_arterial_disorders/erythromelalgia.html
Saw a pencil drawing somewhere this week, trying to depict a flushing of the cheeks characteristic of one of the MS mimics... Sorry, bur memory's not terribly specific... lupus, maybe? Not sure. If I come across it again I will surely try to post it here.
I get a burning, red left ear (outer only), a red nose, as well as hands that are red and hot. sometimes my face does this, too. we documented this with pics.(it is cartoonish--so red) I have eryrhtromyelgia--(my neuro said he's seen it in a few ms patients over the years)--facial flushing alone could be anything. Do you have burning with the flushing?
Hey DB,
Hopefully it's not one of your meds. Even though you been on them all for a long time, varying immune reactions can happen at any time. Hope not, but it's worth a look into.
My only second thought is hormones :(
I get this and just presumed it was rosecea? I've never asked a doctor about it BUT lately it's been pretty bad and even my eyes burn and my chest and face look burnt so I may make a gp appointment now I've read this post, just to check it out. It seems to me that while lots of sx are nothing to do with ms, so many things get worse. I also get hyperhidrosis and it's been loads worse since I've had ms.
Thanks for the input. I did read up on carcinoid syndrome but like you say, Kelly, doesn't seem likely as yes I've got no accompanying symptoms.
Anne, I did consider the hormone angle, and this may be a possibility, though I have no other signs of early menopause, and menopause tends to come later than average in the females in my family.
I'll mention it to my GP at my next appt. He is sending me for some annual routine bloodwork that is very thorough, so perhaps that will turn something up.
Would be great if this is nothing to be concerned about medically, then I can focus on the vanity which is that I know over time, persistent flushing can cause permanent blood vessel damage in the skin. Which is a real drag, since right now my youthful complexion is about the only thing I have going for me, lol. And to be totally honest, it's not actually all that youthful anymore.
You are a 44 year old female. Is it possible this is hormone (think peri-menopuause) related. I'm a 46 year old female and I know I started with more frequent facial flushing over the past two years.
I know it's easy to think that everything is MS related but It may have absolutely nothing to do with your MS and everything to do with the fact that you are a 40 something year old female.:-)
Hi, It sounds like you don't have any other symptoms that you've noticed i.e. stomach getting sick or anything else? Carcinoid syndrome & mastocytosis can cause flushing - but they also cause other symptoms that you would be aware of, I would think. Both of these cause flushing for no reason, or there are triggers that cause the flushing, like alcohol. Those are the 2 diseases they're looking at for me.
I wonder if a lesion in your hypothalamus might cause flushing, but I don't know. I think lesions there may cause autonomic dysfunction.