Subject: avonex experience

From: erickson virginia p <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 5 Oct 1996 20:45:29 -0500

I have been on avonex for 6 weeks.  I have found some good and some bad 
to it.  On Monday, the day after the injection I have had severe 
headaches on 3 of the 5 day-afters.  I have had no site reaction, I have 
found the mixing process and injections no more difficult than betaseron.   
One comment abou the mixing - make sure you mix it long enough so that no 
particles come to the top if it is let sit a bit after mixing.  It is 
slightly harder to mix that betaseron.

The good news is that I am tolerating avonex better than betaseron.  I 
had extremely elevated liver function and low blood count blood test 
after only one month of 1/2 dose on betaseron. I stopped taking the drug 
and it took 6 months for my blood tests to become normal.
My first 2 blood test with avonex have been normal.  

I keep hoping that the headachs go away soon.  My Dr. has seggested that 
i pre-medicate all day on Sunday before I take the injection in the 
evening.  I plan to try.

Best of luck to everyone else who is trying avonex.

Virginia
Urbana, IL