I started my Copaxone injections on February 2nd.  This seemed to be a lot easier than what I imagined!  After the first week, I had injected at all of the sites and thought that it was strange how my legs and stomach would hurt sometimes for days afterwards.  I finally called Shared Solutions and asked if maybe I was hitting muscle when I injected because I'm not a very big person and don't have a lot of skin on those areas.  The nurse there thought it sounded like I had and had me move the setting on my autoject from 6 to 4 so the needle doesn't go in as far.  That seemed to really help!

After 3 weeks of injecting I started to get big, red, itchy lumps.  I was told this was very common and would eventually lessen and go away.  During that week I also had a temperature of 99.6, which they also said could be from the Copaxone.  Since the Copaxone 'messes' with the immune system, the nurses told me that my body may have actually been trying to fight it off like it would an illness.  I also began feeling dizzy, nauseated and run down.  I quit doing my shots for 3 days and began feeling better.  In the mean time I went to the doctor to get checked for a urinary tract infection, which came back negative and he couldn't find anything else that could be causing me to feel that way.  I started my shots back up and felt the same way for a day and then I seemed to feel fine.  I almost wonder if maybe I was trying to come down with some type of virus or flu bug.  The lumps I get don't seem to be as big or red, but they still itch.  I usually rub Benedryl cream on them several times a day to take away the itch.  I've also been taking Tylenol a little before I inject  and little while afterwards and I've always iced the areas before and after.  So, like I said in the beginning doing these shots was nothing like I imagined it would be.  I have always disliked needles and that feeling soon passed.  I think having the autoject really helps that though.  If I had to inject manually I'm not so sure I'd be as brave!  I've only been doing the shots for a month and so far I have not experienced any of the nasty, dreaded side effects (heart beating fast, difficulty breathing, etc.).  Knock on wood I don't EVER get them!

I did stop doing the shots again!  I was started feeling dizzy and sick again.  Everyone kept telling me that they didn't think it was from the Copaxone and my neurologist thought that it was the actual MS making me feel this way.  (You can read My Most Recent Experience to see more about this!)

I started the shots again at the end of March.  Things seem to be going good with them.  I still have the itchy lumps, but they don't seem near as bad as when I did the shots the first time.  The Benedryl cream seems to really help stop the itch!  I did, however, have a mild reaction.  After a few minutes of doing my injection I started feeling 'funny'.  Then it felt like all of the blood in my body went to my head and my heart began to beat faster, but not racing.  After probably about five minutes everything seemed to go away and I felt fine.  I called Shared Solutions the next day and talked to the nurse about it and she agreed that it did sound like a mild reaction.  Since then I seem to be doing fine after the injections!