I think the pharmacist said that Glatopa only works for 40% of people who take it. So in summary: daily injections, reduced immunity, doesn't cure, stunningly expensive, and it might not do anything.
Is it really worth it?
Oh, and is the autoinjector a good thing or bad?
Tom
I would say to go with a stronger dmt like ocrevus that has a higher efficacy. I wish I had. I have been stable on ocrevus since 2018.
I started on copaxone then insurance switched me to glatopa and I relapsed. Hated the injection reactions and lipoatrophy. I rarely used the autoinjector.
Good luck with whatever you choose
You might find it interesting to have a look as these "DMT cards" which are being developed to help PwMS with their decisons over meds. You can access a copy of the cards from the links in the article (in the paragraph underneath the image).
gavingiovannoni.substack.co...
Glatopa and Copaxone are both glatiramer acetate - just that Copaxone was the profit making brand name version until it ran out of patent and other companies were then able to make generic versions of it. Glatiramer acetate is one of the earliest DMTs and one of the least effective but some people did quite well on it - although with MS being the unpredictable animal that it is it is always possible that they may have done just as well or worse on any of the other early not-so-effective drugs.
Is there a more affordable option? I thought it was one of the cheapest ones since it's generic now. I used Copaxone with the autoinject and it was simple to do. I don't recall any immune issues.
I used Copaxone for about 9 years, as my Neuro felt it was the safest option for me. I did well for a while, then I began having relapses, and we decided to go back to Beta.seron. Ocrevus and many of the newer Meds were not available yet. I tried the autoinjector but never used it again, as the syringe with needle did not go where I intended, but flew across the room! My aim was much better. The tracks left by those injections left terrible scarring on my body.
I took Copaxone (daily) for 3 years, went off it for 10 years, and then started on Glatopa 3 times a week 2 years ago. I really prefer the 3-times-a-week injection. You get a chance to rest in between shots and the whole thing isn't such a chore.
No problem with lipoatrophy but I'm pretty careful about rotating the injection sites. I didn't find the autoinjector to be helpful at all and never use it.
With the less frequent shots, you can get away with only 3 injection sites. I've done away with the arms and the hips as they were too difficult to reach without the autoinjector.
I don't know if this is helping to keep the MS from getting worse but I like to think I'm doing something, just in case it is helping. It seems better than doing nothing so long as the side effects are tolerable, and so far the side effects haven't been nearly as bad as with Avonex, which I also tried for 3 years.
