First Avonex injection today..any tips?
Today I will be starting with my injections of Avonex .. feeling a bit nervous.. has anyone got any tips..? I've taken the pen out of the fridge and have some paracetamol ready to take later.. Nurse coming about 3pm.. Just a little worried about side effects as I am having a relapse at the moment which is affecting my eye sight and leaving me dizzier than usual.. my legs seem a bit weaker than usual but as I have been house bound since 8 days ago I haven't had much exercise.. Has anyone else got any experiences of Avonex to share on here..?
@northernlass: take Paracetomol an hour before your injection (say 2 pm), take paracetamol again an hour after your injection (4 pm) and a couple hours later again (6?)... Your nurse can advise on the score with timings but that worked for me for the year and a half I was taking Avonex :) It's good to keep hydrated after the injection I found too... Plenty of water or some hydrating drink like lucozade sport I found useul, but plenty of water did the trick! Best of luck with it and it'll all be over before you know it! ;-) Cheers Brian
@Northernlass- I was on avonex for a couple of years and never experienced any of the flu-like side effects, the only thing I'd get was a headache the next day and this got less over time. I used to take paracetemol an hour or so before my jab and then ibuprofen a couple of hours after (or vice versa, whichever came to hand first). I heartily agree with the advice from Brian re staying hydrated- I definitely noticed that my headaches the next day were worse if I was dehydrated or hungry so make sure you're well stocked with drinks and snacks. Good luck, it never reaches the point of being fun but you do get used to the jabs surprisingly quickly! Will be thinking of you at 3! Take care, Jane x