Injection locations

[Westgrl]

Just curious if anyone has done their injection in the stomach & if it hurt more?

So far I have only done my thighs. The red spots linger a couple weeks though so rather than risk injecting too close to a spot still recovering, I think I may have to take the plunge. Stomach scares me a little, just seems like such a tender spot. Plus it seems like it would be harder to push the pen down (I don't have a "hard" belly lol) unless maybe I pinched an area.

[kim-mastro]

Stomach Injections

I was nervous about injecting in the stomach, too. But now that's the easiest and least painful for me. A little bit of stomach fat makes helps!
Hope it works for you!

[TravisT]

i injected into my belly this last injection.. I had have had no issues. the injection was easy just like when I injected my thigh. not even a prick of a feeling. I'm more worried about injecting into the back of the arm.

[TravisT]

This past Sunday morning I noticed an injection site reaction in my abdomen. Almost a week later. It was a light pink spot about 2-3 inches in diameter. A little itchy,but it was a like that all week. Nothing major. I did not get this with the first injection. I think I'm going to try the back of my arm next time. I am a little weirded out about this site since I can't see it. Has anyone out there injected into the back of their arm using the pen?

[Westgrl]

Well, I tried to inject in my upper arm. Keep in mind I have very soft arms and lost 90 pounds so they are a bit "flabby". I pressed as much as I could and it just wasn't enough pressure to inject. It pressed in quite a bit but not enough to trigger it. I decided to try a different location & found out the hard way that once you start to release the pen & stop, it locks it. I can't use it now so I will have to call them to get a replacement. My nurse had not warned me about that. I think the only way I will be able to do my arms is with assistance from someone else to pinch an area.

I was successful with the abdomen though! I was very pleased how I didn't feel anything. I continue to get the red site reactions but I have noticed they are smaller each time. I didn't get the stiffness in my muscles this time around either but I adjusted the time too.

[Foxfire]

My thigh and arm had terrible injection site reactions. The stomach was great, it was easy and painless and no site reactions

[SandyP]

My Neuro said I could also use my hips and he was involved with the Plegridy Clinical Trials.

I plan on using this injection site as I prefer it to arms, but will still use my arms. I rotate sites in the following order R arm / L arm / R stomach / L stomach / R hip / L hip / R leg / L leg. That is 4 months of injection sites to use before having to start over.

[Nabbosa]

It Gets Better

Just a quick note, in case you haven't seen my posts in other threads: the injection site reactions get milder over time.

The first one I did in my arm (around Thanksgiving, I think) had a bad reaction - so that the study coordinator had me take OTC allergy medication. The next one didn't require that - just prescription-strength hydrocortisone cream (which I had left from the reactions I had from Beta shots). The last one in my arm a couple weeks ago left a red spot, but it barely itched. I didn't even use the hydrocortisone cream.

The study coordinator told me it's a histamine reaction, much like you'd get when you have a bug bite. If you're not used to the subQ injections, I could see that it could freak you out. I got smaller versions of this with the Beta - so that I would skip my arms in the summer so I could wear sleeveless shirts.

My point: it does seem to calm down over time. I just hit 6 months on Plegridy after 6 years on Beta.

[Mamabug]

My stomach is the only place I inject. Injections in my thighs, arms and hips cause pain that requires round-the-clock OTC pain meds and last for three days. No pain, at all, in the stomach. Lots of fat there; probably helps.

Oh. I do Copaxone. Didn't read this carefully enough before I posted. Sorry.

[teacher4life]

Hip injections

My Neuro said I could also use my hips and he was involved with the Plegridy Clinical Trials.

I plan on using this injection site as I prefer it to arms, but will still use my arms. I rotate sites in the following order R arm / L arm / R stomach / L stomach / R hip / L hip / R leg / L leg. That is 4 months of injection sites to use before having to start over.

SandyP,
I was going to ask my neuro if I could use my hips as well because there is fat there. The Plegridy info and the nurse say NO to hips, but I may not have a choice! I'm glad you posted this, yet will ask my doc just to confirm! Thanks.

[TravisT]

Since February, I've tried all recommended locations (backs of arms, abdomen, thighs). I've only had comfort with my thighs. The abdomen and arms always resulted in a big pink blotch after about a week and it itched like crazy.

I have been using only my thighs for the last 6 injections with no issues. I have a lot less fat on my thighs, so I wonder if that is what is making the difference.

I have also found that only Naproxen really helps with warding off the side effects. Which I discovered by reading in posts here. Acetaminophen kind of worked, but, not like naproxen does.

Hope this helps someone.

Travis

[suzb808]

Plegridy Injection sites and reactions

I started Plegridy in March of 2015. I had used Betaseron since 2009, and was tired of having to take so many injections. The biggest problem I had was site reactions like red blotches, swelling, hot spots, and pain. It occurred to me this was similar to a histamine reaction from a bug bite or poison ivy, so I decided to take an antihistamine 2 hrs prior to my injections. Well, the last 3 injections had no reactions at all.

I also spoke to my Dr about injection sites, because Betaseron allowed me to use my hip as an injection site, but Plegridy did not list this as an approved site. He said I could use the hip site for injections. Another suggestion from the nurse was to warm the injection to body temperature prior to injecting, so now I hold my shot under my arm for 5-10 minutes prior to injection.

Hope this helps some of you. I know it was ground breaking for me.

[Shutmedown]

Debilitating Pain

My stomach is the only place I inject. Injections in my thighs, arms and hips cause pain that requires round-the-clock OTC pain meds and last for three days. No pain, at all, in the stomach. Lots of fat there; probably helps.

I have not injected in my stomach and have only used my thighs and back of the arms. I too am suffering from three days of hip and joint pain with no relief from OTC pain killers. Did you do anything else different, or just change the site? Was your pain joint related or at the injection site? I will try this site next Friday on my next shot. Thanks for the tip.

[Onnie9902]

Hip injections

My Neuro said I could also use my hips and he was involved with the Plegridy Clinical Trials.

I plan on using this injection site as I prefer it to arms, but will still use my arms. I rotate sites in the following order R arm / L arm / R stomach / L stomach / R hip / L hip / R leg / L leg. That is 4 months of injection sites to use before having to start over.

This may sound dumb but when you inject in the hip, how and where do usually inject in the hip area? I am tempted to just lay on my stomach and have my husband inject in the upper corner of the buttock but I don't know about it. Does anyone have a stinging sensation while injecting plegridy?