Beginner's Guide to MS: Subcutaneous Injections, 7 Tips for Reduced Pain and Skin Irritation

By Lisa Emrich, Health Guide Friday, October 17, 2008

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For subcutaneous (under the skin) self-injections, these tips should help eliminate some pain and lessen site reactions. 1. Room Temperature Medication. Drugs which must be kept in the refrigerator for storage are often much less painful upon injection when at room temperature. I...

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Erin

10/20/08 10:51am

I find that if I use an alcohol pad over the injection site immediately after I remove the cotton ball, the alcohol soothes and cools the area. I don't notice any burn from the alcohol, other than what I'm already experiencing from the injection.

Lisa Emrich, Health Guide

10/20/08 12:36pm

Thanks Abby,

I had not thought of using alcohol AFTER the injection, but that makes sense. This weekend I attended a "Women with MS" breakfast where the head of NIH's Neurological Diseases center spoke.

In a discussion with a woman sitting at my table, the subject of injection tips and side-effects came up. She mentioned using Tucks pads right after the injection to calm and soothe the area. Witch Hazel would do the very same thing.

It think that the wet alcohol before the injection hurts because it's going directly into a fresh wound. Kinda like if you scrap a knee in a bicycle fall. The alcohol used to clean the wound burns like crazy, so that's why moms blow on it to help make it dry faster (and to distract from the pain). After the cotton ball, the wound would already have closed thus preventing that immediate burn.

I really do appreciate your input on this. See, I'm still learning new things every day.

Merely Me, Health Guide

10/27/08 10:15pm

Thanks for taking the time to write out all these tips. If I decide to go on Rebif I will definitely print out this list.

Lisa Emrich, Health Guide

10/29/08 10:57am

Sure. I thought that if even one person could use some tips, then many others probably could as well. I hope that it helps.

Diana

9/ 5/09 1:16am

It really makes injecting Copaxone less painful for me to inject with a cold syringe (just from the fridge) and numbing the injection spot before injecting with an icepack....

Thanks for writing down these tips!

eire

9/29/10 5:19pm

Why are we not supposted to take the air bubble out - that is the first thing a nurse would do? Nobody can tell me why we shouldnt??

Lisa Emrich, Health Guide

9/29/10 10:09pm

Hi Eire,

The airbubble helps to push all of the medication under the skin. The air itself doesn't end up being injected. But it does help to make sure that less Copaxone oozes back out onto the skin where it can burn and irritate more.

Skates

2/21/12 3:53pm

I don't think I've used ice to numb the area since starting Beta. I figure cold, constricted flesh will make the injection more...difficult. I used to have a heating pad on the spot before the injection. These days, I use the heating pad only as a source of comfort and distraction. In the future, I would love to try the warm-relaxing-bath-prior method. I'm happy to see that someone else has come to the "ice free" conclusion :)

Beginner's Guide to MS: Subcutaneous Injections, 7 Tips for Reduced Pain and Skin Irritation

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