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The Importance of Therapy
Video Title
Starting treatment as early as possible is one of the best ways to manage your relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.1 If left untreated, MS can worsen over time. A study of nerve damage found that even in the early stages of the disease, there is evidence of permanent damage.2
MS may even be active when you are not having symptoms. Early and continued treatment with an approved MS therapy can reduce relapses (worsening or new symptoms) and may help reduce new damage.1
National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) recommendations1
- The NMSS recommends that you consider starting therapy as soon as a positive MS diagnosis has been made, or after a first attack for those at high risk of MS
- Early relapses—even those that are seemingly benign—may cause permanent damage, reinforcing the importance of early treatment
- Stay with your treatment for the long term unless your therapy causes intolerable side effects or shows a clear lack of benefit
Talk to your doctor to see if COPAXONE® is the right therapy for you.
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References:1. Disease management consensus statement. National Multiple Sclerosis Society Web site. http://www.nationalmssociety.org/download.aspx?id=8. Accessed June 22, 2010. 2. Trapp BD, Peterson J, Ransohoff RM, et al. N Engl J Med. 1998;338(5):278-285.
- COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) 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.
Important Safety Information About COPAXONE®
- The most common side effects of COPAXONE® are redness, pain, swelling, itching, or a lump at the site of injection, flushing, rash, shortness of breath, and chest pain. These reactions are usually mild and seldom require professional treatment. Be sure to tell your doctor about any side effects.
Some patients report a short-term reaction right after injecting COPAXONE®. This reaction can involve flushing (feeling of warmth and/or redness), chest tightness or pain with heart palpitations, anxiety, and trouble breathing. These symptoms generally appear within minutes of an injection, last about 15 minutes, and go away by themselves without further problems.
A permanent indentation under the skin at the injection site may occur, due to a local destruction of fat tissue. Be sure to follow proper injection technique and inform your doctor of any skin changes.
After you inject COPAXONE®, call your doctor right away if you develop hives, skin rash with irritation, dizziness, sweating, chest pain, trouble breathing, severe pain at the injection site or other uncomfortable changes in your general health. Do not give yourself any more injections until your doctor tells you to begin again.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.