Injectable drugs for MS

[tj707]

I had a friend who told me that she had to give herself an injection everyday for her MS. Now I have another friend who has MS, and she wants to know what the other person was injecting. She doesn't want to take it; she's just curious. Does anybody know what type of drugs people inject themselves with for MS?

[mrknuckle]

Hi tj---------------

Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone, and Rebif are the four I know about,there may be more......Avonex,Rebif and Betaseron are interferon drugs Copaxone is a mix of amino acids and is probably what your friend is taking (based on a daily dose) the interferon drugs are usually taken at least two days apart----I take Avonex weekly on Fridays IM (in the muscle) I believe the other three are taken just under the skin (like a insulin shot).

I am kind of new to this MS so if I have misspoken hopefully one of the old timers will correct me.Hope this helps.

God Bless----------------knuckle

[MSNik]

Knuckles information is correct. The only drugs available for MS are injectables..and the only people who take them have relapsing/remitting MS (generally speaking). Once the disease progresses to other states, there arent any drugs recommended; although some doctors will continue a patient on an Interferon or Copaxone for awhile to see if it helps...

Copaxone is injected daily...Rebif, 3 times a week, Betaseron is every other day and Avonex is weekly....some are intramuscular, some are subcutaneous (into the skin, not the muscle). Some are stronger then others, Rebif being the strongest of them all.

Your friend who has MS must have reasons why she wouldnt want to use a drug- most people are afraid of the idea of injecting...its scary at first; however its easy to get used to! Statistics say that using one of the MS drugs helps to keep the disease from progressing and prevents new symtoms from starting. Your friend would do well to come here and read some posts and ask some questions! We would be glad to help her thru this...or with any questions she has...

Hope this helps.
Nikki

[tj707]

Thanks for the info. My friend asked me what the drugs were.

Originally Posted by mrknuckle

Hi tj---------------

Avonex, Betaseron, Copaxone, and Rebif are the four I know about,there may be more......Avonex,Rebif and Betaseron are interferon drugs Copaxone is a mix of amino acids and is probably what your friend is taking (based on a daily dose) the interferon drugs are usually taken at least two days apart----I take Avonex weekly on Fridays IM (in the muscle) I believe the other three are taken just under the skin (like a insulin shot).

I am kind of new to this MS so if I have misspoken hopefully one of the old timers will correct me.Hope this helps.

God Bless----------------knuckle

[tj707]

Hi Nikki,
Actually my friend lives in England. I mentioned to her that my American friend had mentioned to me that she had to inject herself with a medication for MS. My friend in England had never heard of any injectable drugs for MS, so she asked me what I was talking about. I didn't know the name of the drug that my American friend was injecting, so I decided to ask on the Healthboards. I was planning to tell her about Healthboards, so she can read what the other people with MS are talking about.
Thanks!

Originally Posted by MSNik

Knuckles information is correct. The only drugs available for MS are injectables..and the only people who take them have relapsing/remitting MS (generally speaking). Once the disease progresses to other states, there arent any drugs recommended; although some doctors will continue a patient on an Interferon or Copaxone for awhile to see if it helps...

Copaxone is injected daily...Rebif, 3 times a week, Betaseron is every other day and Avonex is weekly....some are intramuscular, some are subcutaneous (into the skin, not the muscle). Some are stronger then others, Rebif being the strongest of them all.

Your friend who has MS must have reasons why she wouldnt want to use a drug- most people are afraid of the idea of injecting...its scary at first; however its easy to get used to! Statistics say that using one of the MS drugs helps to keep the disease from progressing and prevents new symtoms from starting. Your friend would do well to come here and read some posts and ask some questions! We would be glad to help her thru this...or with any questions she has...

Hope this helps.
Nikki