Copaxone and hard spots

[bfine]

Good morning,
I was wondering if anyone else has problems with shots and hard spots. I have been taking copaxone for 3 years & just recently I have had trouble injecting. I use the autoinjector. When I inject I'll wait until it sounds & looks like the medicine is injected but when I take the needle out some of the medicine sprays out. This doesn't always happen but it has started happening more often. I try to feel before injecting but I guess I can't always feel those hard spots. Any suggestions?
Have a Great Day!
:)

[stitch]

Hi bfine,

Have you tried leaving the needle in just a bit longer? Another thought, perhaps your muscles are contracting, even slightly, beneath the injection site? Spasticity can be very mild, almost unnoticable.

Some suggest placing a warm damp cloth on the target area just before injecting. I haven't tried this myself but I know others who claim it helps.

I've used Copaxone > than 8 yrs. I find that each shot is more challenging than the one previous. I have very few suitable sites left and each shot requires careful placement. If I'm not dodging hard lumps or welts, I'm looking for the least dented area. I find that the lumps tend to gradually go away but the lipoatrophy is permanent. I wonder where I inject in the event my whole body implodes? ;)

Hope this helps. Good luck.

[bfine]

After posting I decided to call the doctor. He told me to give my body a rest & stop the shots for a week. He also suggested using a warm cloth and to message the area 24 hours after taking the shot. He said that might help prevent future hard spots.

So I guess I will take his suggestion. No shots sound good for a week. Although it might be hard to start again after having that pleasure! Of course I will though--because I want to do anything that will help fight this battle.

Thanks again for replying----Best wishes to you and all!:)

[stitch]

Enjoy your Copaxone vacation. If the problem is recurring once you resume, it's time to call your doc again.

Take care bfine. I hope you give an update once you've resumed treatment.

[sha5on57]

Every three months I take a week off - the neuro said that would be ok

[xo++]

Hi bfine,

I had this problem too, in my stomach. On occasion the tissue there seemed apparently more dense, and perhaps had become more dense as a result of injections. The autoinject often lacked the power to deliver the entire dose.

So I began manually injecting in my stomach, and that solved the problem.

I hope your physician is correct, but I'm skeptical that a week off will make the dense tissue less so, if your problem is the same as mine.

Good luck. :)
Mark

[Jules A]

My autoinjecter is two years old and I've been wondering if its not getting kind of sluggish from age. I get small lumps in my arms and stomach some times also.

[sha5on57]

I get a new autoinjector evey year. I call shared solutions and they have my neuro fax an order and I get it in the mail.

[mark53]

hi, i've had that happen to, i sometimes i wonder if maybe it's the syringe/needle/Med and not me or the AJ ? you can get a new AJ if you want. i think manually is the only way to be sure :eek: :(

[sandee]

I've had the same problem happen to me too usually in the hip area. I have less fat back there I though that had something to do with it. Kind of suprises you when you take it out and get sprayed with the stuff. :)

Sandee

[paj]

Hi bfine,

I had this problem too, in my stomach. On occasion the tissue there seemed apparently more dense, and perhaps had become more dense as a result of injections. The autoinject often lacked the power to deliver the entire dose.

So I began manually injecting in my stomach, and that solved the problem.

I hope your physician is correct, but I'm skeptical that a week off will make the dense tissue less so, if your problem is the same as mine.

Good luck. :)
Mark

I manually inject as well. Got annoyed with needles that "stuck" and not getting all the meds. I could tell that it hadn't injected all the way cause the little indicator on the side hadn't gone all the way down.

When I manually inject if it seems to stop, I can tilt the syringe a little and then it all goes in, just fine. (sounds scary but its really not).

My belly is my favorite spot because it has the most fat.....but because its my favorite spot, it has more "lumps". I don't seem to get many dents there though....Wish I would, was hoping that was one way to lose some of that FAT!

paj

[frame]

ive started injecting into my back and only my back
its been an untapped resource for over a year now.
so my legs and stomach are on a nice little vacation for a while. they already look a lot better.
but yeah, massaging the area 5 or 6 hrs later helps a lot.
ive noticed as the weather drops to around 0 that the bumps stay longer and harder.
anyone else?