Rebif and high fevers

[pattib]

Good morning--At least better than last night. I am questioning if I had a reaction to rebif last night and wonder if others have experienced anything similar, and if so what did you do? About 2 hours after my injection last night I woke up with neck pain and an apparent fever. my husband couldn't find the thermometer so basing fever conclusion on the extreme shivers, and feeling cold, like I could not get warm, while he reported that I felt hot. I had taken naproxen before the injection, but then took a couple of ibuprofen after awakening with the extreme shivers. Took about 1/2 hour but shivering and pain ended and I was able to go back to sleep. I had a similar reaction several months ago, but had forgotten to take ibuprofen with injection and related it to no fever med. At this point, I don't know if I want to continue rebif, it was a very scary reaction for me. At one point I questioned if I had experienced a seizure. When I called ms lifelines after the first time this happened, the person that I spoke with said she had never heard of anything like that happening before. Has anyone had similar reactions? What did you do? If you continued to take Rebif did the reactions continue? Get worse?

[Kimba22]

Hi Pat,

Sorry to hear to hear that happened. Glad the Ibuprofen helped. I haven't read this happened to anyone else, but will share my experience.

I was on Rebif 2 1/2 years (Avonex, another Interferon 1a, for several months prior to that) when suddenly I developed a high fever about 90 minutes after my injection. But mine didn't go away. My primary care doctor sent me to the ER, suspecting it was connected to pacemaker infection I'd had a few months earlier. But, no infection (fever lasted a good 36 hours). Given my next scheduled dose of Rebif injection (48 hours later), another high grade fever. It lasted another 24 - 36 hours. And so it went, repeatedly... for next 3 months! My fevers were recorded as high as 106 F. Remember my teeth chattering, and I would become delirious. When the fever would break, I'd break out in a sweat. It was horrible.

Sundays (MWF injection schedule, so extra day between shots), I'd finally start to feel like myself again. Sent home once on a Monday, only to end up right back in the ER with another high fever later that evening. Infectious disease doctor couldn't find anything wrong. Neurologist insisted my fever had nothing to do with Rebif, and that I needed to stay on the drug. Finally one Sunday (when my head got clear enough) I decided to refuse my next shot. Neuro again stopped by to lecture me to stay on the drug -and it wasn't causing my fevers. Refused it anyway. The cyclical nature of my fevers just seemed suspicous, and I just had to know if it was because of the Rebif. Guess what, no fever. Neuro insisted it was a coincidence. Reported side effect to FDA. Two months later tried the med again, and had another high fever 90 minutes or so afterward. Stopped taking Rebif.

A few years later, another neuro asked me to try it again. But this time, titrated my dose upward very, very slowly to only the 1/2 dose. Just under the 1/2 dose, had another high fever. Doc also had my blood checked to see if I'd developed neutralizing antibodies. Nope. At the time (it's been several years), none of my neurologists had heard of this type of adverse reaction. But know without a doubt, it was from the Rebif.

Let your neurologist know what happened, and good luck with whatever you decide to do. Please continue to keep us updated. Good luck!