Injector depth setting

[pballer76]

I just had my sixth injection. How do I get the depth setting correct? I did my abdomen at 6 and it caused some muscle soreness. I used a 5 on my hip and it bumped out immediately. Isn't the injector supposed to be easy? Is the depth an issue if you inject manually?

[22cyclist]

I would give my SS nurse a call. They can walk you through setting the autoinject again. As far as manually injecting...my favorite choice, you are injecting at an angle with the bevel up, so you can see and feel when the needle goes in enough to inject. It is a much less painful, and doesn't make bumps way of getting the medication into your body. The SS nurse will also come out and show you how to do this technique as well if you so desire.

Good luck!
Lisa
Moderation Team

[MSer102]

A lot of people find that injecting manually prevents a lot of the injection site reactions. Unless you have trouble with manual dexterity, you can probably get much better control by injecting manually and you haven't complicated your life fooling with depth settings on a contraption that most people don't actually need for getting the medicine in anyway. Your Copaxone nurse can help you figure out what the best technique is for you.

The only time I ever used the autoinjector was to reach around my backside where I really didn't have the dexterity to hold the syringe at the right angle and push in the plunger at the same time. Everything else was manual. I could control the depth and speed and didn't have the trouble with injection site reactions that a lot of people have. Ask your nurse about it.

[Cat Mom]

I manually inject but if this method isn't an option, try pinching (big pinch) the area and then inject. I don't have much fat so this way ensures it does go into my fat. Good luck, please let us know how it's going!

Jen

[ElliotB]

I find using the Autoject both convenient and helpful. But it is important to get the injection depth correct. If you inject too deep, you inject into muscle and that can be a bit painful for the day. If you inject too shallow, you end up with a lump. I have been using the Autoject with great success since I started Copaxone a few months ago. I now have the correct depth setting for almost all my injection sites (I am still fine tuning some of them as necessary).




One of the best things about the Autoject is that the injection depth is fully adjustable and the injection depth is consistent. If you take the time to fine tune the depth setting for each injection site, the process becomes a lot more efficient. Keep in mind that the correct injection depth is just below the skin. As your skin thickness varies from area to area (and can vary even within the same general area), it is important to make adjustments to the injection depth for each injection site as necessary until you get it right.

If I find I have injected to deep, I make a note in my injection log and try a bit shallower on the next injection. If I get a bump/lump, I go a bit deeper for the next injection. The process is quite simple.

You will become an 'expert' in no time! Good luck and I wish you success!

[DianeD]

To me the depth is more difficult to gauge manually.

I just had my sixth injection. How do I get the depth setting correct? I did my abdomen at 6 and it caused some muscle soreness. I used a 5 on my hip and it bumped out immediately. Isn't the injector supposed to be easy? Is the depth an issue if you inject manually?

I've done both, currently do manual. I get the big red welt and a lump either way. I think I'm good at injecting, not needle phobic either, but for me it's the same.

My training nurse said to try to go as deep as you can, but for a while I did only the '4' setting. That works well enough for me. With the manual injecting I go all the way in the length of the needle as it is hard to keep the needle from moving if you don't. It might just be me, I have numbness in my hands so that makes it a bit tricky.

Diane