Problems I wonder if anyone has encountered.

[kate25]

I recently was diagnosed with MS in March of 2014. Of course with my luck, the week I went blind in my left eye every neuro-opthalmologist happened to be on a convention, so for a whole week i was tossed around to 5 different eye doctors, then finally me being in the medical field & worried I had a tumor behind my eye, asked the last doctor for a referral for an MRI on my brain..
After my MRI i asked for the fax of my MRI to be sent to my office that I work at. The fax was there when I got to work that Saturday morning, all I saw was demyelinated disease on the sheet & knew it was MS & broke down into tears.. I'll never forget that day.
Although I live on Long Island & Winthrop Hospital in Mineola is known for one of the top research centers for MS, I did not want to go to them for my problems with MS because I was already seeing a neurologist for ADHD there (may sound weird but I did not want to mix up two doctors at the same office).

I now see one of the top MS neurologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital the Weill Cornell Medical Center. With the help of my aunt who works at New York Presbyterian Hospital they took me in as an emergency the following Monday after I received the MRI Fax. I must say though, I love my doctor, he is so nice & so sweet & always makes sure I am doing okay & feeling well.

I was put on Copaxone 40mg 3 times a week at first.. I was not giving myself the shots (although I inject people with novocaine everyday, I could not have the guts to give the shots to myself) but the doctors I work for were giving me the shots (they happen to be Oral Surgeons & inject people everyday also, so I know they were giving me the shots correctly.
3 weeks into the Copaxone, I started to get welts at every injection site.. I rotated every injection, & would have severe burning pain for about 30min-1hr/1.5hrs after. The medicine was not being absorbed into my tissue.
So my doctor then switched me to Tecfidera..

Well I did the starter pills in the beginning of August. Nothing at first, except flushing, burning sensation (normal it says & they tell you on the side effects, was not worried). the following weeks i had a slight stomach pain (which was nothing considering I have the worst GI tract ever!). It wasn't until maybe a month into taking it that I had severe stomach pains to the point that it felt like my insides were burning (like an ulcer) & I could not even walk, I would cry & felt like I was dying in pain for a good 2hrs (1hr after taking the pill). I went to every doctor, my GP, a Gastro, My MS Dr, & took many tests but then It went away about 2 weeks later- but that pain, I wish on no one!

Now months into taking Tecfidera, I have had strep throat 2 times, I have had 2 UTIs (which I have never had in my 25 years of life), my sleeping problems (insomnia & narcolepsy) have increased tremendously to the point that I can not even wake up in the AM, my left arm has gone numb with tingles once, my eye gets fuzzy when looking back & forth quick, I get dizzy all the time, I can not concentrate & I have gained over 4lbs (with eating less), however since I have been diagnosed, due to my folic acid & vitamin D levels being so low in combo with the Tecfidera my hair has grown (which it has not grown in over 3 years) & I have no more stomach pains & flushing comes & goes occasionally 1-2hrs after taking the pill.

I do not know if this is the right drug for me, however I have more than 20 lesions in my brain, 0 on my spine (fingers crossed I never will), no new lesions since my last MRI's! & some have even shrunk.

I just want to know if anyone has experienced any of this from Tecfidera because to me, the weight gain is out of control for someone like me, with my fast metabolism & the sleepiness makes me a zombie its terrible I feel like I can get nothing done during the day & it feels like mono x100 but worse!

[Jimpsull]

I am quitting Tecfidera due to lymphopenia

[lyndacarol]

kate25, I have sent you a private message (PM). Click on "new messages" in the upper left-hand corner to retrieve it.