Where to inject?

[ffjosh]

I need other places to inject.

I currently inject in the stomach
Back side of the lower back
Top of legs.

Im having a hard time with my legs because there isnt much fat there. Also I can't do my arms.

Any other more fat areas I could do?

[MarkLavelle]

Have you tried the autoject for your arms and legs? You should be able to find a depth setting that works even if you hardly have any fat. I would probably start with 4 and go lower if that still hits muscle...

[marybenes]

Ther are seven approved sites for injecting. I would suggest calling Shared Solutions to ask their advice.

When I do my arms, I sit in a ladderback chair and prop my arm on it to get to the area I need to inject.

[Cat Mom]

Which med are you taking?

[Jules A]

I skip my arms and rarely do my stomach because they don't have much fat but added my butt, all 4 sides of my thighs and my hips where there isn't a shortage of padding.

Definitely ask your health care provider before doing something that isn't normally recommended though.

[ffjosh]

Im doing the top of my legs, both sides of my belly button, and the back side of my love handles. Its the only spot I really have any fat.

I dont have ANY fat on my legs so I have to pinch the skin up and take the injection otherwise im in ALOT of pain.

My DR wants me to put it into my arm but I have less fat there then my legs lol

[Mamabug]

Ther are seven approved sites for injecting. I would suggest calling Shared Solutions to ask their advice.

When I do my arms, I sit in a ladderback chair and prop my arm on it to get to the area I need to inject.

Abdomen, hips, thighs, arms. And, yes. 7 approved sites. Calling Shared Solutions will only give you those 7 approved sites. That is the only information that they are allowed to disperse. However, your doctor's office may be able to suggest additional sites.

I was unable to inject in my legs, arms or hips, due to pain, welts, etc that hurt so much that I had to take OTC medication round-the-clock (the pain woke me up at night). The pain continued for 3 days at each site. After multiple calls to Shared Solutions, I even had their nurse come out to re-train me to make sure I was doing it correctly. I was, and it did not improve at all.

I finally talked to my MS Specialist, and she approved a 4x/wk at 4 sites in my abdomen plan. I've been doing that for almost 4 year., almost the whole time I've been on Copaxone (I initially was on Betaseron for 5 years). My MS has been under better control for the past 2+ years than it had ever been during the 10 years that I've had it.

There are studies (although sample sizes are small, so some physicians may discount its validity) that indicate that Copaxone, every other day, is just as effective as injecting it daily.

~ Faith

[Cat Mom]

You can do the entire circle on your stomach, not just the sides but all around, just stay 1 inch or so away from the belly button.

[Brass]

I had problems with bruising which lasted for about a week after injection when i injected my front thighs, so i called shared solutions to ask if i could inject the inside of my thighs instead as i have more fat, they told me to ask my Neuro which i did and he said no problem

[4boysmom]

Check your needle depth if using the autoinjector.

I rotate a lot!

I do outer thigh, inner thigh, up and down jiggly part of arm, all around bellybutton, all around hip area. I think if you have fat there, you're good.

[Ambushed1]

No Ochy Injections

I changed my needle depth to 7, instead of the pre-programed 6, and it doesn't hurt like it did b4. I rotate daily to the 8 spots. Up Left & downright side : theigh, belly, hip, arm. then arm,hip, belly, theigh. Using the auto-inject makes arms & hips e-z. Talk to your nurse, she can show you how it is done. Best wishs for your continued well being.

[Kimmy92279]

I inject into all 7 sites (and rotate within those sites as well). I can barely get my arms and I have to lay my arm on my bathroom sink to get the skin to a spot I can reach. And my arms always have the worst bruising and the lumps stay much longer than anywhere else. Though I have found that Arnica Gel or Cream works well for making those fade faster.

I've been on Copaxone now since January and I think my reactions are slowly getting a bit better. Still have reactions but at least the spots don't itch for 4 days afterward now.

[merganser]

I, too, don't have enough fat in enough places, even though I gained about 15 pounds in the last 9 months (on purpose).

I have a 6-day rotation: right thigh, left thigh, right hip, left hip, stomach, one arm (alternating). Within each of those areas, I try to have 2 or 3 different spots, for example on the thigh, top upper, top lower and outside. I'm always looking for spots without lipoatrophy divits and without bruises, etc. Sometimes it's difficult.

I keep track of where it really hurts, where I get bad bruises, where I hit blood, etc. so I can maybe avoid those precise spots in the future.

I put Benedryl spray on immediately after the shot, then ice it for 10-20 minutes, depending on the pain level and then spray with Benedryl again. Most of the time I have very little residual redness or swelling the next day. Sometimes though...big bruises, swelling that lasts for days...

[twisterred]

I inject manually, soI don't know if these areas can work for others.

I have found areas that work well for me.
I know they aren't approved, but I too was running out of areas.
The back of my thigh, the upper ham string area works for me as well as the upper, outer side of my thigh.

This has greatly reduced scar tissue on my stomach and bum.
Once in a blue moon, I will inject in my arms.
But I don't 99% of the time. Too painful for me.

It's trial and error, so see what works for you.

[newme]

I had a Shared Solutions nurse come visit me a couple of months ago. I have been on Copaxone for 7 years so this is not my first nurse visit.

She said that I only have one spot on my arms that is still "good" for the shot so I should have someone else do it for me or find another spot. But, she would not say where. That is up to the doctor to say.

My doc said that I could do several on my stomach or on my thighs. Just make sure it is rotated.

So I now do far outside stomach - right and left - or upper thigh instead of arms. Then I save closer to the navel (but not too close) for stomach days and lower on the thigh for thigh days. It makes rotating a little more challenging but it seems to work for me.

Just talk to your doc.