Will reaction to Copaxone change with time?

I started my Copaxone this week and I have a trillion questions.  So far I've had mild to moderate injection site reactions with some stinging, redness, and large, softball size welts that disappear in about 4 hours.  Is this how it will always be or will I adjust to the medication and eventually not have much of a response at all?  It really isn't that bad, so I guess I can easily live with this.  I was just wondering.  Also, any insight on how to reduce the pain when injecting into the thighs.  That hurts!

Thanks!

Katie

[HVAC]

Everyone is different. It is common in the beginning to have big welts. Then later to always have the bee sting but have welts the size of quarters which disappear in a day or so. I gave myself the shots at night and took an antihistimine to help with the reaction. I was one of the lucky ones who only had the big reaction the first two weeks.

You have to play around with the depth. Some people go deeper some more shallow. You have to figure which depth works where. BUT NEVER I MEAN NEVER GO DEEP ON YOUR ARM. You can hit a nerve and it feels like hitting your funny bone.

Good luck.

Alex

[kimawhit]

Katie,
I have been taking copaxone for about 6 years and I still get the softball size welts on my tummy and my legs.  I ice pack the injection site after injecting in those locations and the swelling seems to subside quickly.  The stinging usually only happens to me when the area dampened by the alcohol swab is not completely dry-that smarts huh?
Kim

[Lulu54]

Hi katie - I am a copaxone use of 2 years.  Everyone reacts so different to these injections.  For me it took a good 6 weeks or so for my body to stop protesting by giving me a horrible stinging sensation.  I didn't have problems with the welts until about 18 months in, and then only ocassionally.  It makes no sense to me.

That daily injection is definitely not a favorite part of my day but I keep reminding myself that it helps to keep me independent.  In that light it is a small trade off.

Alex gives great advice about adjusting the needle depth to find a level that is comfortable for you.  I have enough body fat I can go pretty deep in all but my arms.  

Kim mentions an important point, too.  Those alcohol swabs can leave a damp residue and it can sting like crazy.  Someone here said they use a hairdryer to blow dry their skin before injecting.  

Keep at this - remember it takes about 6 months for the copaxone to turn our renegade system around from attacking our myelin.  

be well. Lulu

[Deb61]

For me, the welts started going down afterwards in about a couple of months.  You can no longer tell where I inject now (I'm coming up on 3 years with Copaxone).  I also have no dents or areas where you can tell that Copaxone has been injected.  

I used to have very large painful welts after injecting.  Sometimes it was the size of a baseball and was very warm to the touch.  For me, it helped to reduce swelling by injecting manually, but this can be very difficult for someone just beginning.  For the 1st year and a half, my husband did practically all my injections.  Now, I do all of the injections.  I don't even think about it anymore.  I inject myself when I take my nightly pills.  

As Lulu said, the alcohol wipes stings like crazy if you inject when the area isn't dry.  The area MUST be dry before injecting.  Many people don't use the alcohol swabs because they inject after their shower.  However, I have found that if I'm on a tight schedule, I don't like depending on the shower time to inject, so I use a hair dryer after applying the alcohol swab.  

If you have everything ready to go and inject immediately after drying the area with a hair dryer, your skin will be prime for a painless shot (it may take some time to adjust).  I have found that heat prior to the shot helped at the beginning stages (it probably still does now, but I don't hurt with a shot).  I don't do this now, but applying a cold gel pack afterwards will help with the pain.

Also, to avoid the wait time to let your shots warm up to temperature, take about 10 out of the fridge to warm.  I keep mine in my bathroom.  I prepare everything prior to injecting.  I get out a clean wash cloth to place everything on and wash my hands with an antibacterial soap.  I take the syringe out of the bubble wrap, get my cotton ball out, and have the alcohol wipe ready.  If I'm injecting in my arm, I have a clean, rolled-up towel ready to place under my arm pit to get the fatty area underneath my arm ready and placed where it exposes as much fat as possible (isn't hard for me, LOL).  

After I apply the alcohol swab on my skin, I take the hair dryer and dry just for a few seconds (don't burn yourself--move the dryer around).  I stand in front of the mirror so I can spot where I'm injecting like a golfer eyeing where their ball goes.  At first, I needed to go somewhat slowly to avoid the pooling of the medicine under my skin.  Now, I can't stand to go too slowly.  Going slowly in the beginning stages does really help with avoiding the welts, though.  However, you do risk a little uncomfortableness when the needle is still in your injection site when the area "wakes up".  My husband got this down to a science, though.  As soon as I told him the area was starting to hurt, he finished up the injection to avoid this uncomfortableness.  

Like a golfer who spotted where your ball goes, train yourself to spot your injection site, so you can get the cotton on your skin in the area where you inject.  A little bit of medicine sometimes oozes out and you want to keep the medicine in your skin.  Hold the cotton there for a few minutes and place your cold gel pack on your arm.  Distract yourself by watching TV or by talking to someone about an off-topic subject.  And voila--you can start feeling good about being on the road to haulting this MS monster.

Best of wishes,
Deb