Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Support Group

If you look on page two of the Discussion topics, there's a thread called "When do Rebif side effects end?" (or something close to that). You might finds some of your questions answered there, and if you post, that topic will come back to the "main" page.

-Karen

I will tell you my experience with rebif, but I am one of those persons that medicine side effects highly effect me. I had to stop taking it because it would make me so sore I could barely move. That and while I was on it I started getting worse so it wasn't helping me anyway. I would say just try it and see how you do, you can always change.

I am currently on Rebif, but I have been since my diagnoses in June 2006. I find that if I take a fever/pain reducer at least an hour before injections, then I do not suffer any of the flu like symptoms which are associated with the medication. I usually try to inject about an hour before bed time and I sleep through most of anything that might try tro unsettle me. i find that taking about 800 mg. of the fever/pain reducer has really been helpful. Also, if needed the next day due to headaches, I take the Excederin Tension Headache and WOW!!! the headache is zapped with a half hour. As for the injection points, Which there are eight of them on my body, most of the time I only get a lasting pink mark. The worst points are in my lower arm muscles or the hips, but those are mostly covered anyway. Surprisingly, the ones that I mind the least are in my stomach. I never thought I would admit to it, but if I could do all my injections there, I would. I have been very thankful to have the Rebif. I know what I was like before I started it and i won't go back to that again.

I have been taking Rebif since I was diagnosed in March. It took about 6 months for the flu like symptoms to go away. I take ibuprofen an hour before the shot, which i take before bed. I do get a red mark where I have injected and sometime it bruises. The problem I am having with the Rebif is my elevated liver enzymes. They got pretty high and I am now on a the middle dose of the Rebif 22mcg, instead of the 44mcg. I have to have my enzymes checked once a month. Good luck! Jan

FYI for the Rebif burn marks: I have found that aloe vera gel works WONDERS on those red spots. I try to remember to use it right after I inject, and if a mark does come it is much smaller and lighter than it would have been without it. It also works wonders on sunburns too!

It seems as if Rebrif is just like MS. It's just about different with everyone. :)

I do the same as others here where I do the shot before bed and take Aleve. Aleve was the only thing that worked for me.

I have had exacerbations since I started taking it, but I've also been untreated since around '03/04 & with size and number of lesions I think I've been doing ok with it. It's only been 6 months so we're going to do another MRI and some more bloodwork soon to find out more concretely. Good luck, Siferd and take care.

--L.

I will gladly tell you about my experiences with Rebif. I've been taking it for about eight months now, and I'll admit that I HATED IT in the beginning--I mean, the side effects were crazy..the headaches were massive, the chills at night would not let me sleep, and I ALWAYS felt tired. I would say about a month or a few weeks ago, I noticed that these got better for me. I mean, I still do get headaches after injecting, but, they are not massive, and if I drink a lot of fluids, they don't even come. Before I was on Rebif, I was on Copaxone, which didn't work for me. I did get attacks--lost vision and balance, but with Rebif, I haven't had any new ones. I actually got the results back from my recent MRI, and it showed that I have NO NEW LEGIONS!!!! which made me REALLY happy.

oh, and i forgot to add that the site of the injection does get red, and sometimes, they even bruise. But, I put cocoa better the nexr morning, which helps me not to scare because of the medicine.

I've been taking Rebif since December. At first, the flu like symptoms were awful, but now that it's passed, I've been feeling great! But I don't feel completely better, like I used to.

And the injection sites, for me, turn red, like a bee sting, and then gradually fade. Not all that sore, though. :)