A full list of side effects is included in the manufacturer's Patient Information Leaflet for pre-filled pen. Before starting Rebif, you should have blood tests to measure blood cell counts and check liver function.
Once you've started treatment, you'll have blood tests to measure blood cell counts and monitor liver function, generally every three months for the first year, then less frequently.
Depending on local practice, the tests may be carried out at a local GP surgery or it may be necessary to attend a hospital clinic.
During the coronavirus outbreak, you may find that your regular blood tests happen less frequently, may take place in a different location or may temporarily stop. The Association of British Neurologists has assessed the risks and benefits of blood monitoring for people taking Rebif, and has recommended a safe minimum schedule for all DMDs during this period.
The recommendation for Rebif is that the first blood test, 3 months after starting to take the drug, is essential, but that further tests can be halted temporarily. If you notice any new or worsening MS symptoms, you should contact your MS team. Interferons are proteins that occur naturally in the immune system.
It is thought that beta interferon acts by reducing both inflammation and the immune response that is attacking the body's own myelin. Rebif has been studied extensively since the early s. The following study first demonstrated the effectiveness of Rebif:. This clinical trial compared two doses of Rebif or placebo in people with relapsing remitting MS. Both doses also reduced the severity of any relapses that did occur. Rebif also delayed the progression of disability, and a larger proportion of people were relapse-free with treatment compared to placebo.
A separate report on MRI results found that Rebif reduced the number of brain lesions compared to placebo. This study was set up in to evaluate the long-term benefits of beta interferons and Copaxone glatiramer acetate. At the end of the study, changes in disability levels were compared to those recorded from an untreated group. If you are considering treatment with one of the disease modifying drugs for relapsing MS, this book will help you to understand how the drugs work and to have informed discussions with your health team about your treatment options.
Compare the different types of disease modifying drugs DMDs that are available to treat relapsing MS. Find out about people's different experiences of MS drugs and treatments, from DMDs to alternative therapies.
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Rebif contains the active drug interferon beta-1a, which is a protein found naturally in your body. Rebif comes as a liquid solution. These syringes can be used with an optional autoinjector device to help make administering your injections easier. Rebif is also available in single-dose, prefilled devices called Rebif Rebidose autoinjectors.
Rebif is given by subcutaneous injection an injection under your skin. Your doctor will show you how to administer Rebif injections to yourself. In clinical studies , Rebif was effective in treating the conditions listed above. Rebif contains the active drug interferon beta-1a, which is a protein made by living cells. Rebif is available only as a brand-name medication. Rebif can cause mild or serious side effects.
The following lists contain some of the key side effects that may occur while taking Rebif. These lists do not include all possible side effects. For more information on the possible side effects of Rebif, talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
They can give you tips on how to deal with any side effects that may be bothersome. The most common side effects of Rebif are flu-like symptoms, such as muscle aches, tiredness, fever, and chills.
For most people, these side effects either get better or go away over time. But exactly how quickly the side effects go away is different for each person using the drug. If you have questions about how long you may have certain side effects from Rebif, talk with your doctor.
Most of these side effects may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. Call your doctor right away if you have serious side effects. You may wonder how often certain side effects occur with this drug. As with most drugs, some people can have an allergic reaction after taking Rebif. Symptoms of a mild allergic reaction can include:. A more severe allergic reaction is rare but possible. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include:.
There have been reports of people having severe allergic reactions called anaphylaxis after taking Rebif. Call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to Rebif.
You may have reactions at your Rebif injection sites. These reactions can include pain and skin necrosis death of skin cells. This percentage varied depending on the dose of the drug they used. In rare cases, people had skin necrosis at their injection site. In addition, in a study that compared Rebif with Avonex another multiple sclerosis [MS] drug , injection site reactions occurred in:. While using Rebif, if you have areas of skin that are red, swollen, or bruised, call your doctor right away.
These steps include:. Liver effects, including liver damage, have been reported in people taking Rebif. In fact, changes in blood levels of liver enzymes are a common side effect of the drug. Liver enzymes are certain types of proteins made by your liver. And in some cases, increased enzymes can be a sign of liver damage. Before and during Rebif treatment, your doctor may order blood tests to measure your liver enzyme levels.
Liver effects caused by Rebif can sometimes be serious. Symptoms of liver damage may include:. If you have any of these symptoms, call your doctor right away. In clinical studies , high levels of certain liver enzymes occurred in more people taking Rebif than in people taking a placebo. A placebo is a treatment with no active drug. And more people taking Rebif had higher bilirubin levels than people taking the placebo. High blood bilirubin levels may be a sign of liver damage.
In rare cases, people who took Rebif required a liver transplant because of liver failure. You may have flu-like symptoms while taking Rebif. In fact, flu-like symptoms are the most common side effects of Rebif. This percentage varied depending on the dose of Rebif used. If you have flu-like symptoms while taking Rebif, talk with your doctor.
They may recommend that you take over-the-counter pain or fever-reducing medications. These medications could include acetaminophen Tylenol or ibuprofen Motrin. Both of these drugs may help reduce your flu-like symptoms. For most people, flu-like symptoms caused by Rebif either get better or go away over time.
But exactly how long the symptoms last will be different for each person using Rebif. Keep in mind that you may have an increased risk of infections while using Rebif. These changes may include having depression or thoughts of hurting yourself or attempting suicide. And keep in mind that depression is common in people with multiple sclerosis MS , which Rebif is used to treat.
If you have feelings of hopelessness or depression, talk with your doctor as soon as possible. And if you have thoughts of hurting yourself or attempting suicide, call your doctor or right away. However, weight changes may be a sign of liver damage, which is a possible side effect of Rebif. If you notice changes in your body weight while taking Rebif, talk with your doctor right away. They can check to see if your weight change is due to a condition that needs medical attention.
Rebif may also be used off-label for other conditions. With MS, your immune system attacks the protective covering, called the myelin sheath, around your nerve cells.
This damage reduces communication between your brain and the nerves in the rest of your body. Over time, MS leads to lesions areas of damage in your brain and spinal cord. The condition can also cause certain disabilities, such as having trouble walking or balancing.
Rebif contains the active drug interferon beta-1a, which is a protein that occurs naturally in your body. But in clinical studies , the drug reduced MS symptom relapses and delayed disability caused by MS. In clinical studies, Rebif was effective in treating MS. Below, we describe two studies that looked at using this drug in people with MS.
In a 2-year clinical study , Rebif treatment was compared with that of a placebo treatment with no active drug. In order to participate in the study, people had to have had an MS flare-up at least twice over the past 2 years. In addition, people who took Rebif had fewer brain or spinal cord lesions on MRI scans than people who took the placebo.
MRI scans are imaging tests used to check for brain or spinal cord lesions in people with MS. And lesions on the brain or spinal cord indicate areas of damage. In a 1-year clinical study , Rebif treatment was compared with Avonex treatment. Avonex is another medication used to treat MS. In this study:. Your doctor may recommend that you take certain other drugs before injecting your doses of Rebif.
Flu-like symptoms caused by Rebif may include fevers, chills, and muscle aches. They may also include tiredness and headaches. To help reduce flu-like symptoms, your doctor may recommend that you take an over-the-counter pain or fever-reducing medication. These medications include acetaminophen Tylenol and ibuprofen Motrin. Other drugs are available that can treat multiple sclerosis MS , as well as clinically isolated syndrome CIS.
CIS is a condition that causes MS-like symptoms. Some medications may be a better fit for you than others. They can tell you about other medications that may work well for you. Note : Some of the drugs listed below are used off-label to treat these specific conditions.
You may wonder how Rebif compares with other medications prescribed for similar uses. Here, we look at how Rebif and Avonex are alike and different. Both Rebif and Avonex contain the same active drug: interferon beta-1a.
This drug is a type of protein that occurs naturally in your body. Rebif and Avonex are both approved for use in adults with certain forms of multiple sclerosis MS. Specifically, these drugs are approved to treat the following conditions:. The syringes can be used with an optional autoinjector device to help make administering your injections easier.
Avonex is given by intramuscular injection an injection into your muscle. Rebif and Avonex both contain interferon beta-1a. Therefore, these medications can cause very similar side effects. Below are examples of these side effects. These lists contain up to 10 of the most common mild side effects that can occur with Rebif, with Avonex, or with both drugs when taken individually.
These lists contain examples of serious side effects that can occur with Rebif, with Avonex, or with both drugs when taken individually. The use of Rebif and Avonex in treating relapsing-remitting MS has been directly compared in a clinical study. In a week clinical study , Rebif treatment was compared with Avonex treatment.
Also, in this study, people who took Rebif had fewer brain or spinal cord lesions on MRI scans than people who took Avonex. Rebif and Avonex are both brand-name drugs. There are currently no generic forms of either drug. Brand-name medications usually cost more than generics.
According to estimates on GoodRx. Like Avonex discussed above , other drugs are prescribed for uses that are similar to those of Rebif. Here, we look at how Rebif and Copaxone are alike and different. Rebif contains the active drug interferon beta-1a. This is a type of protein that occurs naturally in your body. Copaxone contains the active drug glatiramer acetate. This is a combination of four amino acids which are building blocks used to make proteins.
Rebif and Copaxone are both approved for use in adults with certain forms of multiple sclerosis MS. Copaxone also comes as a liquid solution inside single-dose, prefilled syringes. Rebif and Copaxone both contain drugs used to treat multiple sclerosis MS. These lists contain up to 10 of the most common mild side effects that can occur with Rebif, with Copaxone, or with both drugs when taken individually.
These lists contain examples of serious side effects that can occur with Rebif, with Copaxone, or with both drugs when taken individually. The use of Rebif and Copaxone in treating relapsing-remitting MS has been directly compared in several clinical studies. And these studies were all evaluated together in one analysis. The analysis showed that Copaxone and Rebif as well as other interferon beta drugs similar to Rebif were similarly effective in preventing MS relapses.
The analysis also showed that people who took Copaxone had slightly more MS lesions on MRI scans than people using other drugs, such as Rebif. Rebif and Copaxone are both brand-name drugs. There are currently no generic forms of Rebif. Copaxone is available as a generic medication called glatiramer acetate. Glatiramer acetate is the active drug in Copaxone. Rebif is taken as a subcutaneous injection an injection under your skin.
Your doctor will give you your first Rebif injection and show you how to administer the injections yourself. These areas are usually found on the:. If you have a low body weight, you should inject Rebif into your thigh or upper arm.
Regardless of your body weight, you should rotate your Rebif inject sites. To do this, choose a different area to inject the drug each time you take a dose of Rebif. Doing this will help reduce your risk of scarring or skin irritation at the injection sites.
Injecting into these areas could increase your risk of irritation or infection. Rebif comes in single-dose, prefilled Rebidose autoinjectors and in single-dose, prefilled syringes. Here, we describe how to use the single-dose, prefilled syringes. You can use Rebif prefilled syringes either by themselves or with devices called Rebiject II autoinjectors. To use a Rebiject II autoinjector with a prefilled syringe, place the syringe into the autoinjector device.
You can use the Rebiject II autoinjector for more than one dose of Rebif. Using the autoinjector device with Rebif syringes can help make administering the drug a bit easier for you. This is because the autoinjector allows you to adjust the depth of the needle in your skin.
In addition, the autoinjector device has a signal that lets you know when your dose has been fully injected. Rebif comes in single-dose, prefilled syringes and in single-dose, prefilled Rebidose autoinjectors. Here, we describe how to use the single-dose, prefilled Rebidose autoinjectors. Rebif single-dose, prefilled Rebidose autoinjectors are fully assembled and ready to use.
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