@mandarey 

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mandarey

Medications

I am currently on Avonex and was wondering about people's opinions about different treatments. I have RRMS and have had 2 exacerbations in 2 years. I feel like the Avonex is contributing to my depressed mood and I am also tires of injections. Any thoughts and opinions would be greatly appreciated.
@JohnathanMac

@mandarey I am on Avonex too, it is less than desirable I know, the pain the day after the injection is the issue with me. Stiffness and mass fatigue are other delightful "gifts" that come along. Sadly I have never had any other medication, I took Avonex because it was just one injection a week rather than several for all the other medications. I hate needles as well and again chose this because I could not see the needle. As for the other medication my MS nurse advised me of, they where all injection based and the only oral meds she could advise me of where for PPMS or SPMS so I don't know if you would be able to get any other that are not an injection for RRMS. I hope you find something that fits you better and are happy with it. Best of luck :)

@Martyparley

Hi Mandarey, I started Avonex about 8 months ago. I was diagnosed in 2000 with RRMS and was one of the first to be put on Beta interon when NICE approved it. This was injection every other day and I managed with it for about 12-13 years until regular injection site infections made me reconsider using it. This became a mental bock for me, even though I am fine with needles. Without telling my nurse I stopped using it as it was causing me more pain to take it, outweighing the benefits. When I told my nurse she gave me a list of alternatives including some tablet-form options such as Fingolimod (this has a better success rate than the interferons, but mainly for those suffering more regular exacerbations). I decided to choose the weekly injections of Avonex as this suits me better because my symptoms are better managed. Good point about the needle being hidden as well, it really does help! Regarding your depressive mood, I kept a diary of how I was getting on with Avonex to see if it was causing depression or not. This gave me more of an informed opinion and rather than blaming all my symptoms on this or that, I could chart my progress. Remember - it is all about quality of life, your life. Don't take things simply because you are told they should make you better, but try to pay attention to yourself and you will soon work works and what doesn't. Hope this helps M