What happens if i miss a dose of copaxone

A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine. It is given as a shot under your skin, usually in the hips, stomach, thighs, or upper arms. You or your caregiver may be trained to prepare and inject the medicine at home. Be sure that you understand how to use the medicine. If you use this medicine at home, you will be shown the body areas where this shot can be given.

Use a different body area each time you give yourself a shot. Keep track of where you give each shot to make sure you rotate body areas. This will help prevent skin problems from the injections. Do not inject into skin areas that have scars or dents. This medicine should come with a patient information leaflet and patient instructions.

Read and follow these instructions carefully. Ask your doctor if you have any questions. The dose of this medicine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of this medicine.

If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so. The amount of medicine that you take depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the number of doses you take each day, the time allowed between doses, and the length of time you take the medicine depend on the medical problem for which you are using the medicine. If you miss a dose of this medicine, take it as soon as possible.

However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses. You may also store glatiramer injection at room temperature for up to 1 month. Before you use glatiramer yourself the first time, read the written instructions that come with it. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to show you or the person who will be injecting the medication how to inject it. Glatiramer comes in prefilled syringes. Use each syringe only once and inject all the solution in the syringe.

Even if there is still some solution left in the syringe after you inject, do not inject again. Dispose of used syringes in a puncture-resistant container.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about how to dispose of the puncture-resistant container. You can inject glatiramer into seven parts of your body: arms, thighs, hips, and lower stomach. There are specific spots on each of these body parts where you can inject glatiramer. Refer to the diagram in the manufacturer's patient information for the exact places you can inject. Choose a different spot each time you inject your medication.

Keep a record of the date and spot of each injection. Do not use the same spot two times in a row. Do not inject near your navel belly button or waistline or into an area where the skin is sore, red, bruised, scarred, infected, or abnormal in any way.

You may experience a reaction immediately after you inject glatiramer such as flushing, chest pain, pounding heartbeat, anxiety, difficulty breathing, closing of the throat, or hives. This reaction is most likely to occur several months into your treatment, but could happen at any time during your treatment.

These symptoms will usually go away without treatment in a short time. However, if these symptoms become severe or last longer than a few minutes, call your doctor and get emergency medical care. Glatiramer controls multiple sclerosis but does not cure it. Continue to use glatiramer even if you feel well. However, weight gain can also be related to multiple sclerosis MS , which Copaxone is used to treat.

For example, two of the most common MS symptoms are fatigue lack of energy and trouble walking. And both of these symptoms can make you less active than usual, which may lead to weight gain.

On the other hand, there have also been some reports of weight loss in people using Copaxone. However, these reports were rare. The most common side effects of Copaxone are skin reactions that occur at the injection sites.

These reactions may cause bruising, redness, swelling, lumps, pain, or itching. In clinical studies , the following injection site reactions were reported:.

During studies, injection site reactions were more common in people who took Copaxone 20 mg daily than they were in people who took Copaxone 40 mg three times a week. If you have an injection site reaction to Copaxone, the reaction should ease within a few days.

Rarely, Copaxone injections can cause skin damage at the site of your injections. In some cases, the skin damage caused by Copaxone injections can be permanent. Instead, you should rotate your injection sites each time you take a dose of Copaxone.

Some people have a reaction from Copaxone right after receiving an injection of the drug. This side effect is called a postinjection reaction. It can cause symptoms including:.

Symptoms of postinjection reaction usually improve within 1 hour after your injection. But if your symptoms feel life threatening, call Some people only have a postinjection reaction after their first injection of Copaxone.

But other people might have a reaction after each injection of the drug. Post injection reactions were less common in people who took Copaxone 40 mg three times a week. In this particular study, no one taking a placebo had a postinjection reaction. As with most drugs, some people can have an allergic reaction after taking Copaxone. A more severe allergic reaction is rare but possible.

Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include:. Call your doctor right away if you have a severe allergic reaction to Copaxone. With a postinjection reaction, you have certain symptoms, such as chest pain, right after taking a dose of Copaxone. See the section above for information on postinjection reactions. In the studies, some of this chest pain was related to postinjection reactions.

However, if you have pain that either lasts longer than a few minutes or is severe, call your doctor right way. And if your pain feels life threatening, call These drugs include mitoxantrone and cyclophosphamide. They can help you find ways to manage this side effect. As with all medications, the cost of Copaxone can vary. To find current prices for Copaxone in your area, check out GoodRx. The cost you find on GoodRx.

Your insurance plan may require you to get prior authorization before approving coverage for Copaxone. This means that your doctor and insurance company will need to communicate about your prescription before the insurance company will cover the drug. The insurance company will review the request and let you and your doctor know if your plan will cover Copaxone. If you need financial support to pay for Copaxone, or if you need help understanding your insurance coverage, help is available.

Teva Neuroscience, Inc. This program offers financial assistance, including a copay card that may help lower the cost of Copaxone. Copaxone is available in a generic form called glatiramer acetate. And generics tend to cost less than brand-name drugs.

To find out how the cost of generic glatiramer acetate compares to the cost of Copaxone, visit GoodRx. Again, the cost you find on GoodRx. They may have a preference for one version or the other. Copaxone is taken by subcutaneous injection an injection under your skin. Your healthcare provider will teach you or your caregiver how to administer the drug.

Copaxone comes as a solution inside single-dose, prefilled syringes that have a needle attached. Instructions for injecting Copaxone doses are provided in the paper leaflet that comes from your pharmacy with Copaxone. These resources explain more about how to use Copaxone syringes and the auto ject 2 device. And they explain the injection depth settings you should choose when using the auto ject 2 device.

Talk with your doctor about which of these injection areas is best for you. Keep in mind that each time you inject a dose of Copaxone, you should rotate the injection sites you use.

Dosage schedules for Copaxone are as follows:. Reminders can also be set in the Copaxone tracker app. The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended.

However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to fit your needs. Copaxone comes as single-dose, prefilled syringes. Copaxone has the following recommended dosages for multiple sclerosis MS :. Your doctor may prescribe either of these dosage schedules, depending on which one is best for your unique situation. Below, we describe what to do for each recommended dosage.

Your doctor or their medical staff can recommend when you should take your next dose of the drug. If you typically take Copaxone 20 mg daily, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If you typically take Copaxone 40 mg and you miss a dose, take it the following day at your usual time.

Then take your next dose 2 days later at your usual time. Try to go back to your typical schedule the following week. But remember, there should always be at least 48 hours between your doses.

For example, if you usually take Copaxone on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, but you miss your Monday dose, take your missed dose on Tuesday. Then take the rest of your doses for that week on Thursday and Saturday. The following week, you can go back to your typical schedule. Copaxone is meant to be used as a long-term treatment. Copaxone may also be used off-label for other conditions.

The drug is also approved to treat clinically isolated syndrome CIS in adults. It should not be used for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. As always, you should consult with your healthcare provider about your specific health needs. What happens if I miss a dose of Copaxone? Stacy Wiegman, PharmD. If you miss your dose of Copaxone glatiramer , take it as soon as you can.