COPAXONE Reviews (GLATIRAMER ACETATE)Average Rating: 3.5 (300 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare COPAXONE with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Age oldest to youngest. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on COPAXONE: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR COPAXONE | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 1 | MS | Copaxone was great for one year. Then one evening right after the injection I got a bitter taste in my month, my chest felt like I was having a heart attack and the pain went down my spine and hit and bladder (which I lost control of) My face was beet red and hot and I truely thought I was dieing. Then after that passed in about 20 minutes I starting shaking and was freezing and couldn't breath. My blood pressure was sky high..... This has happened four times this past yr and told my Nero that there is NO WAY I am taking this med | It is a scary medicine.....Did it work or help...... who knows. Weight gain was immediate upon starting injections.. | F | 70 | 2 years 30 mg 1X day | 6/16/2011 | 3 | MS | I take my shot at 11 pm feels like a bee sting, the shots in my arm creates a bruise for a day. | I am hoping it will postpone my gradual decline. I did notice it helped my eye starting to twitch so that was an improvement! | M | 69 | 6 months | 12/21/2005 | 2 | RRMS | Brief stinging similar to a bee sting. Welts at first, few later. Arms are most sensitive and I don't usually inject in arms. Feel more tired than prior to taking it. | It is, in my experience, almost impossible to recognize results with this med. Would my MRI show stable lesion formation anyway? I went 15 yrs without taking a DMD. Neuros want their patients on this, but admit it's not a cure and maybe it will halt progression... | F | 66 | 10 months 20 mg 1X day | 1/23/2011 | 2 | MS | After 4 yrs began experiencing bad side effects seconds afer injecting; nausea, weakness & sweating lasting about half hour.Events increaed from every 3 mos to every month | neuro told me to discontinue copaxone immediately - will see what's next when I see him next month | F | 66 | 5 years | 7/9/2007 | 1 | multiple sclerosis | Anxiety, loss of appetite, mood swings;fatigue | Beeen on 20 mg for 14 years and am switching back ASAP | F | 64 | 6 weeks 40 3X W | 8/21/2014 | 5 | Multiple Sclerosis | Have been on Copaxone for 18 years,(study participant), and have NEVER experienced the "post injection" reaction like you describe. Have been extremely happy with the lack of adverse reactions to this medication. | F | 63 | 1 days 20 MG | 3/31/2013 | 3 | MS | Horrific injection site reactions, hard as a rock, bruising, lumps, bumps. Nausea, night sweats, eating away at my teeth, IBS exacerbations , weight gain | Despite the reactions I will stay with this or just go off of it until something "better"comes alone. Slow progression of disease with lack of endurance, lack of appetite despite weight gain which is steady, walking but short distances but no major exacerbations. | F | 62 | 13 years 20 mg 1X day | 5/8/2014 | 3 | RRMS | I was not sure that I would handle daily shots, but my oldest son is a juvenile diabetic and has taken many shots a day since he was 13, so he said, "get over it! :-)", so I decided to simply make the decision without the fear. I had some injection site redness (minor) even though I did not rotate as was recommended, but used only the buttock switching side each day. | After 9 years of using Copaxone daily, my MS continued to advance slowly until I could not use my left leg well, I had almost no short term memory storage, mental fog big time, and oh, the fatigue! In the spring of 2009, I lost my job and the employer provided health insurance. With no way of continuing to buy the Copaxone at $2,600 per month, I needed to take my health into my own hands. I had heard of LDN, but not looked into it because it seemed too good to be true. But at that point, what did I have to lose? Nothing. Low Dose Naltrexone has NO side effects and no down side and costs about $30 per month. I started on May 1, 2009 and by the middle of June, I was riding horses in the mountains of Colorado at 62 years of age. I had not ridden for some years and the difference between taking Copaxone and switching to LDN was the difference between counting my time, hoping to not deteriorate, to getting my life back! By November 2009, I can almost believe that I don't have MS. I know that I still have it, but with no symptoms, it is no longer a guiding force in my life. So, the side effects of Copaxone are not the problem, the lack of positive improvement compared to the use of LDN, is what makes the difference. A person does not have to stop the Copaxone to start the LDN. Anybody who is just a bit curious, can Google LDN and consider getting their lives back too. | F | 62 | 9 years | 11/9/2009 | 5 | RRMS | Injection site soreness. | Switched to 40mg, 2months ago,experienced more symptoms,so say hint back to 20 mg,as soon as new script,arrives. | F | 61 | 4 years 20mg /40mg 1X day | 1/30/2015 | 5 | RRMS | I experience the usual site redness, bee string appearance, and wt gain. | Asked WHOM motivates me to take the THERAPY...it is NOT a medication, ME,ME,ME I am the only one who suffers if I don't, my Dr.,hubby, son, don't!!! Take responsibility for YOURSELF. If you are deciding to "go off" copaxone, ask yourself how you will feel NOT being on it..you can't answer that one!!! Let alcohol swabbed area DRY before injecting!!! | F | 61 | 6 years 20mg 1X day | 6/14/2011 | 4 | Relapse/Remitting MS | common injection site reactions...lump, redness, stinging, itching. Also had 4 extremely bad reactions. Heart palpatations, shortness of breath, pain up and down my spine followed by at least 1 hour of severe tremors and shaking. | I was relieved to read that others have experienced the severe shaking after having a reaction to an injections. Several had told me that the shaking had nothing to do with the injection and was extremely rare. I have learned that if the injection is unusually painful going in it is likely I will have a severe reaction. I always take my injection at night so that if I have a reaction, I am home and able to ride it out. The benefits of Copaxone out weigh the few bad reactions so I will continue to take it. | F | 61 | 4 years 1ml 1X day | 10/13/2010 | 3 | MS | I had my first severe Copaxone reaction yesterday a minute or two after my 8:30am injection. Up to now it's been occasional mild injection site pain and/or itching that I can ignore. This was NOT a half hour or so episode. First hour or so - dizzy, extreme stiff to the point of being unable to stand or crawl or change position much, nausea, flushing, breathing took effort for a short time only, my spine did a bucking bronco. Next couple of hours or so I made it to my walker and at some point made ginger tea, still had nausea and stiffness/weakness and the bucking bronco spine, plus severe chills and all body tremors. For the rest of the day all that was milder and I was pretty stiff and sore. I was able to eat a banana, an english muffin and a few bites of pot roast by eating a tiny bit at a time. Today I'm sore from all the jerking, a little stiff and low appetite. No injection this morning and not sure if it's safe to start again, not knowing the exact cause, not knowing if it | Copaxone is the only MS drug I am willing to take - a personal decision. If anyone has had a reaction this severe PLEASE let me know what you did about it and why. And just to complicate it all - if I stop copaxone now I'll remain in the donut hole for the rest of the year, which pretty much means I won't be able to afford a large portion of necessary meds for 10 months. | F | 61 | 19 months | 3/2/2009 | 1 | Multiple Sclerosis | F | 61 | 40mg 1X day | 6/9/2015 Patient History | 5 | ms | The usual nasty skin reactions most times. I HAVE FOUND THAT KEEPING ABSOLUTELY STILL FOR ABOUT 1/2 HR. AFTER INJECTION HAS HELPED DRAMATICALLY WITH THE PAIN. After 13 yrs. my skin is in pretty good shape (discoloured, lumps but no degredation). I have had the severe body side effects occassionally. In the last few years have become more frequent, severe, lasting longer (several hours). Yesterday was really bad so I am researching if there is anything I can do to lessen the reaction. | The first time I had a severe reaction was about 1 yr. after taking Copaxone in 1998. My MS doctor took me off it immediately. After about 6 month I felt my symptoms getting worse so I asked to start again. Copaxone has really helped and I do not want to stop, but am concerned about severe reactions. Others have suggested 25 mg. of benadryl and an Epipen. I will try the benadryl and talk to my Dr. about the pen. Anyone have any other ideas? | F | 60 | 15 years 20 1X day | 10/20/2012 | 4 | RR MS | Lipoatrophy on upper arms, some anxiety, the usual burning and itching, but they left after I'd been on drug a month. | I took a break off Copaxone and went to Tysabri from Feb, 2012 to Feb. 2013 as my neuro wanted me to. I did NOT. I was scared of Tysabri. After finding that it caused me severe respiratory distress and bladder infections, I went back on Copaxone last week. For the first time in 7 years I had a site reaction: a huge red welt of hives, hot as a furnace. I put cold on it and it left after 25 minutes. This drug has been very good for me, and oddly, when I started it I ceased having migraine headaches. I do occasionally have weak legs after injecting, and reactions can happen no matter how many years you've been on the drug. As I already had depression, Avonex or Betaseron weren't options. The only real concern I have is of lipoatrophy, as I'm running out of places to inject. I've hit a blood vessel occasionally, never pleasant, but nothing permanent. Basically I'm grateful indeed for this drug. And they're coming out with a once-a-month version of it, I heard this week. Should be interesting. | F | 60 | 7 years 1X day | 5/11/2013 | 4 | MS | One episode of rapid heart palpitations, perhaps injected into a vein. Pain at injection site for 20 minutes at bedtime, thigh sites are the most painful. | Taking it with Avonex in Mayo Clinical Study, side effects are OK compared with the Avonex injection, which are flu like and make Mondays a challenge after a Sunday nite injection. Trial is very encouraging for combining the two drugs, though. | M | 60 | 21 months | 3/30/2009 | 2 | MS | After taking it a 14 months, I began to be allergic to foods I was never allergic to. After missing 2 shots within a week, I developed severe hives requiring Emergency room visits. | I regret having to go off of this drug because it was the least destructive choice of the CRABS, but if you are allergic, beware. | F | 59 | 14 months | 5/2/2009 | 1 | Multiple Sclerosis | I took the injections for 4 days..with no reactions. On the 5th day...I walked up 14 steps to go to bed about 4 hours after taking the shot I went to get up to go to the bathroom and literally landed on my face. I had lost all muscle control in my legs..I had been able to walk with not even a cane before all of this...I ended up bedridden for 4 months and then wheel chair bound. | Four years later i am now able to walk with a walker, though still no real strenght in my left leg so can't stand for any lenth of time.I had done my own house hold chores and grocery shopped and drove my car...now none of this is possible. I use a motorized scooter for shopping now and hopeing to get hand controls installed on my car. I would NOT recommend this drug to anyome. I had the MS for 22 years before this happened, with small attacks through out that time and always came back. | F | 59 | 5 days | 3/4/2007 | 1 | RRMS | took Copaxone for nine months. The infection sites were unbearable and stayed that way for days. I am full of unsightly pitts on arms, legs and hips. However, this is not as bad as the asthma allergies that came on suddenly. I am allergic to most food, grass, pollen but not animals. | As one that has experience in the medical field, it parallels to the allergic site reactions, then the sudden onset of asthma and allergies. I wish I had never taken this drug. It did nothing for my MS, My life with allergies and MS is trying to say the least. The drug company was very nice to me but it doesn't make me feel any better. | F | 59 | 9 months 1X day | 6/29/2012 | 4 | ms | 58 | 20MG 1X day | 11/24/2010 Patient History |
COPAXONE (GLATIRAMER ACETATE): This medication is used to treat a certain type of multiple sclerosis (relapsing multiple sclerosis-MS). It is a protein that is thought to work by preventing your immune system from attacking the nerves in your brain and spinal cord. This effect can decrease the number of periods of disease worsening (relapses) and prevent or delay disability. It is not a cure for MS. FDA Approval Date: 2014-01-28 (Sources: U.S. Centers for Medicare Services, FDA)