One of the most common ways to manage your MS is by taking an injectable therapy. There are several types of injection therapies designed to help reduce the frequency of relapses — some even slow disability progression. While all of these MS treatments are given by injection, they are administered differently — either into the muscle or under the skin.
Intramuscular (IM) Injection for Multiple Sclerosis
An IM injection is given directly into the muscle tissue of the body, such as the thigh or upper arm. People taking IM injections for MS report few injection-site reactions.
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A common assumption about IM injections is that they will be more painful because they use longer needles than injections under the skin, but the level of discomfort may be similar with both. Injection pain is caused by the high density of nerves at the skin surface, which all injections pass through.
IM injection pain can also be reduced by allowing the medication to come to room temperature before administering, and by icing the injection site before and after injection.
AVONEX, a once-a-week MS medication, is approved by the FDA to treat relapsing forms of MS, to decrease the number of flare-ups, and slow the occurrence of some of the physical disability that is common in people with MS. AVONEX is approved for use in people who have experienced a first attack and have lesions consistent with MS on their MRI. AVONEX is available as a prefilled autoinjector (AVONEX
® PEN™), a prefilled syringe and in powdered form.
AVONEX may help you stay active longer.
Slows down progression of physical disability
Reduces the number of flare-ups
Reduces brain lesions
AVONEX reduced the number of newly active lesions by 89%
AVONEX reduced the size of existing lesions by 91%
Easy to start on and stay on
Convenient once-a-week dosing
Unlimited $10/month copay program
Access to a full network of personal support services
Delivery options
Your healthcare provider may prescribe one of three delivery options for AVONEX
®
AVONEX PEN, a single-use, intramuscular autoinjector that is prefilled for once-a-week use.
AVONEX Prefilled Syringe, a manual intramuscular (IM) syringe. AVONEX Prefilled Syringe can be used with two needle sizes, giving your doctor the flexibility to choose the option that's right for you.
AVONEX in Powdered Form, which you mix yourself and inject with a manual IM AVONEX syringe.
Common Side Effects with AVONEX
® Injection Treatment
The most common side effects of AVONEX are:
Flu-like symptoms
Fever
Chills
Muscle aches
Tiredness
Many people find that the flu-like symptoms they commonly experience when starting AVONEX lessen or go away over time.
To help you minimize the impact of these flu-like symptoms, your doctor may recommend that you build up to a full dose of AVONEX gradually, over the first month, using a process called "titration." A study showed that people who titrated AVONEX experienced fewer, milder flu-like symptoms.
This is only a partial list of possible treatment side effects. Please refer to the AVONEX Patient Medication Guide for a full list of possible treatment side effects. Always talk to your healthcare provider about any questions you may have about side effects.
If you experience any new or worsening side effects it is important to speak with your healthcare provider.
Information referenced on 5/2/2011 from AVONEX.com
No conclusions regarding comparative safety or efficacy of products can be drawn based on this information.
Some simple strategies that have helped patients better manage their symptoms are:
Staying well-hydrated.
Taking over-the-counter medicine for pain and fever-reduction.
Administering injections at night to sleep through any potential side effects.
Scheduling your injections over the weekend.
Subcutaneous MS Injection
Subcutaneous, or under-the-skin, injections use a needle to deliver medications into tissue just under the skin. A common side effect associated with subcutaneous injections is injection-site reaction such as swelling, redness, and pain.
Subcutaneous Treatments
BETASERON is approved to decrease the number of relapses and for use in people who have experienced a first attack and have lesions consistent with MS on their MRI.
Common Side Effects with BETASERON
® Injection Treatment
Gradual dose titration and use of analgesics during treatment initiation may help reduce flu-like symptoms.
Delivery Options
You may take Betaseron with a manual syringe or with the optional BETAJECT
® Lite autoinjector.
If you experience any new or worsening side effects it is important to speak with your healthcare provider.
Information referenced on 5/2/2011 from BETASERON.com
No conclusions regarding comparative safety or efficacy of products can be drawn based on this information.
If you experience injection-site reactions such as swelling, redness, and pain, you might try:
Rotating your injection site.
Leaving a healthy amount of room between your injection sites.
Placing something cold on the injection site before and after injection.
Avoiding using perfumes or creams near the injection site.
Washing your hands and the injection site with soap before injection.
COPAXONE is indicated for the reduction of the frequency of relapses in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, including patients who have experienced a first clinical episode and have MRI features consistent with multiple sclerosis.
Delivery Options
You may use the COPAXONE Prefilled Syringe as a manual injector or use it with the
autoject® 2 for glass syringe. The
autoject® 2 for glass syringe is a handheld and can help with hard-to-reach areas on your body.
Some Side Effects with COPAXONE
® Injection Treatment
If you experience any new or worsening side effects it is important to speak with your healthcare provider.
Information referenced on 5/2/2011 from COPAXONE.com
No conclusions regarding comparative safety or efficacy of products can be drawn based on this information.
Lipoatrophy photo courtesy: Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences,
Volume: 31, No. 1, February 2004, Page: 61
If you experience injection-site reactions such as swelling, redness, and pain, you might try:
Rotating your injection site.
Leaving a healthy amount of room between your injection sites.
Placing something cold on the injection site before and after injection.
Avoiding using perfumes or creams near the injection site.
Washing your hands and the injection site with soap before injection.
EXTAVIA is an interferon beta indicated for the treatment of relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis to reduce the frequency of clinical exacerbations. Patients with multiple sclerosis in whom efficacy has been demonstrated include patients who have experienced a first clinical episode and have MRI features consistent with multiple sclerosis.
Common Side Effects with EXTAVIA
® Injection Treatment
EXTAVIA is injected under the skin every other day using the EXTAVIA Auto-Injector II or by manual injection.
If you experience any new or worsening side effects it is important to speak with your healthcare provider.
Information referenced on 5/2/2011 from EXTAVIA.com
No conclusions regarding comparative safety or efficacy of products can be drawn based on this information.
If you experience injection-site reactions such as swelling, redness, and pain, you might try:
Rotating your injection site.
Leaving a healthy amount of room between your injection sites.
Placing something cold on the injection site before and after injection.
Avoiding using perfumes or creams near the injection site.
Washing your hands and the injection site with soap before injection.
REBIF
® is approved to decrease the number of relapses of the disease and slow down the occurrence of some of the physical disability that is common in people with MS.
Delivery Methods
You may use the REBIF syringe alone or with the Rebiject II
® autoinjector. The Rebiject II is for use only with REBIF premeasured, prefilled glass syringes and is available exclusively for REBIF users.
Common Side Effects with REBIF
® Injection Treatment
Let your doctor know if you have any of these symptoms or feel sad, tired, hot or cold, or experience hives, rashes, bruising, yellowing of the skin, or a change in body weight (gain or loss).
If you experience any new or worsening side effects it is important to speak with your healthcare provider.
Information referenced on 5/2/2011 from REBIF.com
No conclusions regarding comparative safety or efficacy of products can be drawn based on this information.
If you experience injection-site reactions such as swelling, redness, and pain, you might try:
Rotating your injection site.
Leaving a healthy amount of room between your injection sites.
Placing something cold on the injection site before and after injection.
Avoiding using perfumes or creams near the injection site.
Washing your hands and the injection site with soap before injection.
Low numbers of a certain kind of white blood cell
General weakness
A permanent indentation under the skin at the injection site due to a local destruction of fat tissue
Low numbers of a certain kind of white blood cell
An abnormally low number of white blood cells in the circulating blood
Difficulty in breathing
Muscular pain or tenderness
Bleeding from the uterus that is not associated with menstruation
Abnormal accumulation of fluid in the tissues of the arms or legs
A vague feeling of bodily discomfort
Low numbers of a certain kind of white blood cell
An abnormal enlargement of the lymph nodes
High blood pressure
Extreme tension of the muscles or arteries
General weakness
Localized tissue death that occurs in groups of cells in response to injection injury
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