We are a charity and rely on donations

Charity Number: 1117194 (England and Wales)

Registered Company: 06000961

Registered address:
Shift.ms, Platform, New Station Street, LS1 4JB, United Kingdom

London office:
Shift.ms, Somerset House, Strand, West Goods Entrance, London WC2R 1LA, United Kingdom

©2024 Shift.ms

@Pumpkinbaby 

Last reply

Pumpkinbaby

Copaxone- depth?

Hi, I have just this week started copaxone. In my hips it seems fine, feels a bit like a bre sting for ten minutes or so but I can deal with that. The difficulty is with my thighs. It is fine injecting, I don't have a problem with that, but almost immediately after my skin around the injection site swells and goes bright red, then a few hours later it's like a big egg. How do you know if you're doing the right depth? The nurse was so lovely but she just gave me a depth to start off with and I don't know what the signs are you're going not deep enough or too deep?
4
@voodoo
@voodoo
 

i dealt with the same problem. i talked to my nurse and see changed my depth so i suggest you talk again with her. My skin does the same in my arms an thighs. Some tips that i follow for redness, itch and swelling is ice before the shot, aloe vera cream after, and for the swelling (witch is reduced with the fist two) i put on some natural arnika cream.

1
@Kate13
@Kate13
 

I used to be on Copaxone (now on Kesimpta). My Copaxone nurse told me that if I was getting stinging/redness/lumps, my injection depth may be too shallow and so the substance was irritating the skin. If I got muscle ache and felt like I’d been punched, I was probably injecting too deep. I would recommend going a bit deeper for your thighs. For me, I injected my thighs at about 7-8, my arms were about 5 and my stomach was about 9 (everyone is different depending on body type). You can always increase the depth a bit at a time and see what works for you. And if you have any issues or questions regarding the depth just contact your Copaxone nurse. I remember the bee sting feeling - that is completely normal. My nurse also recommended getting one of those microwaveable heat pads to apply to the area after injecting to reduce the pain. Also, you may or may not be aware of MS Together which is a relatively new charity supporting young people aged 18-35 living with MS in the UK. I only found out about it a few months ago and have found it helpful. Hope you find the right depth settings for your injections- it’s a little bit of trial and error in the beginning