This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

Aloha Folks,

I'm new to this. Diagnosed with MS in March, and injected with Avonex for the first time yesterday.
I read that injecting during the day could be preferred, as to allow the body to better thermoregulate and not develop a fever.
The pen is fairly simple to do on your own. Just read the instructions very well, and watch a video if you can. You could also have your doctor help you.
I injected at noon and took 400mg of ibuprofen at that time, as well. Within 3 hours I had a splitting migraine which continued to get worse throughout the night. I took 200 mg more ibuprofen in the middle of the night,i as I additionally developed body aches and became extremely cold.
Took another 200mg of ibuprofen at 8AM, and by 10AM I was feeling pretty good.
I'm thinking I may try week's injection before bedtime, and try to sleep through the headache? I'm also not sure if maybe Tylenol or Aleve would be better than the Advil that I'm currently taking.
Any advice to help avoid these Avonex aches is greatly appreciated.

Brittany

wahinewithms wrote:I'm new to this. Diagnosed with MS in March, and injected with Avonex for the first time yesterday.
I read that injecting during the day could be preferred, as to allow the body to better thermoregulate and not develop a fever.
The pen is fairly simple to do on your own. Just read the instructions very well, and watch a video if you can. You could also have your doctor help you.
I injected at noon and took 400mg of ibuprofen at that time, as well. Within 3 hours I had a splitting migraine which continued to get worse throughout the night. I took 200 mg more ibuprofen in the middle of the night,i as I additionally developed body aches and became extremely cold.
Took another 200mg of ibuprofen at 8AM, and by 10AM I was feeling pretty good.
I'm thinking I may try week's injection before bedtime, and try to sleep through the headache? I'm also not sure if maybe Tylenol or Aleve would be better than the Advil that I'm currently taking.
Any advice to help avoid these Avonex aches is greatly appreciated.

I'm sorry you had to go through this. I have felt your pain. I have found Aleve to be hard on my stomach so I choose not to take it. Regarding Tylenol, I have tried alternate dosing with ibuprofen, e.g., every 4 hours take alternate doses of ibuprofen and Tylenol. You might give this a try to see if it's any better. I also suggest that you take your initial dose of ibuprofen around 30 min before your shot and not at the same time. Experiment. Find what works for you and what doesn't. Keep notes. I used a little 4"x6" notebook to keep track of my injections, ibuprofen usage, side effects, etc.

400 mg ibuprofen 30 minutes before injection, 600 mg 2 hours after injection.

I gradually decreased it to zero. Took about 3-4 months for me.