This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hey everyone,

I am posting something that is actually happening to my fiancee. She was diagnosed with MS in October 2005, and has been taking a form of Interferon since then. First, she took Avonex which I injected for her. That did not stop exacerbations, so she switched to Rebif.

After taking Rebif for around 5 months, all of a sudden where she injects she is getting a site reaction that is immediate. It looks almost like a mosquito bite, hard to describe. If she massages the area it will go down after about 5 minutes.

This is a strange development and we are wondering if there is something wrong? Is this normal? Is there anyway to fix it?

Thanks for any help and support!

Derek

This has never happened to me, so I can't really help you. Call your nurse/doctor or Rebif's hotline to ask. My guess (which is hardly even educated) is that as long as the bump goes away, it's not a big worry.

Interferon's a harsh thing, and you don't want to get it on your skin (and yet we inject it under our skin...). Try to make sure there's not a drop on the tip of the needle. Pulling up on the plunger ever so slightly before removing the cap sure helps with this.

carolsue

Does she pre-warm the injection.

5 minutes in the armpit will bring the serum up to her body temp - less of a shock to the system. Also, inject slowly. With that very tiny needle, a speedy injection turns the syringe into a high pressure hydraulic cutting device.

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Carpe Diem