Avonex pen injections

[dtaylor1101]

I have been on Avonex for almost 3 months. When I started I titrated with the regular needle. The 1st two shots were painless. The next two hurt a lot. I wasn't worried about it though because I was going to start the Avonex pen.

When I started the Avonex pen, I have had the same experience. The first few injections were painless. The last two have been pretty painful. I thought at first that I was injecting too low on my outer thigh but when I went higher, it didn't make any difference.

Has anyone had this experience with the Avonex pen and if so, do you have any tips to help relieve the pain?

Thanks!

[BigA]

What kind of pain? Injection site pain? Make sure the needle is going into muscle and not just under the skin. Pain on injection? Ice it. first do your alcohol wipe and let it dry. Take the pack that comes with the avonex and wash it with soap and dry with a clean paper towel. Hold it for a few minutes over where you're going to inject. Bang - you won't feel a thing.

Headache or bodyache? Aleve or ibuprophen. I would not use Tylenol (paracetamol/acetaminophen) as it's hard on the liver.

Muscle pain? Try injecting in your arm. Someone can do it for you or otherwise, I can do my own arm.

Let me know any questions. I'll try to help.