multiple sclerosis
"For what it's worth, I would not recommend switching to Glatopa yet (as it's still too new in the market). I was on Copaxone for 5 years and was doing great before the switch. Had I known what I know now, I would have opted for the alternative Copaxone financial assistance (a reimbursement program) to stay on the daily shot once Kaiser auto-switched patients to Glatopa (for cost saving purposes to them) without ensuring the negative side effects to patients because basically they just don't care. All that being said, within 6 months of switching to Glatopa, I ended up in the hospital with Transverse  Myelitis for 10 days (with a 100K hospital bill) which is more than a relapse it's a completely new lesion on the spine. Anyway, while in the hospital a doctor told me that a generic does not have to be exactly the same ingredients as their predecessor. She said the generic drug can contain up to 20% of new proprietary ingredients). Wish I had known. It's unbelievable that Kaiser (or any doctor) would just switch patients to a new drug without that full disclosure or before the medication has been truly tested as a genuine safe replacement. I have since been referred to MS Center (where they don't recommend Glatopa - go figure). My new doctor (at MS Center) put me on Tysabri - which I hear is the "cadillac" of current MS treatments. Anyway, been doing fine on it so far with the exception of lingering nerve discomfort from the Glatopa relapse (for which I also take Gabapentin).   Soon I will be back 100% and in the meantime...All is well!"