My Copaxone 'routine'

1. take shot out of fridge right after doing daily shot (so it's room temp for the following day)
2. I don't pre-heat/ice, or post heat/ice
3. I wipe a HUGE area with the alcohol, and I wait a full minute
4. I manually inject all areas now, EXCEPT the hips. I tried the autoinjector on my arms 1 time, and the pain was UNREAL. Same with the stomach. 1 AI shot was good, the following one felt like someone had shot a dart into my stomach and I was reeling in pain.
5. After a shot I take the cotton ball asap, and I press down FIRMLY (don't rub) for 30 seconds. I find this reduces the lump and burning a bit.

I know it's not feasible for everyone to do manual injections, for various reasons, but my experience has been, other than hips, the AI HURTS me like heck in other spots, versus manual shots (and most of the time, the manual shot I don't even feel going in).

I am very similar in my routine to Laura. I do mine as the last thing I do before i get in bed at night.

I usually take the shot out of the fridge 1-3 hours before I inject and let it sit to reach room temperature. I wipe a large area and then give it time to dry while I load the syringe and get a cotton ball ready. Then when I inject, I pinch a large area together (on spots that I can reach to do that) so that there is plenty of skin and fat to inject into instead of muscle. As the shot is going in, I release what i have pinched up. Then immediately as I take the needle out, I put a cotton ball on it and hold it for 30-45 seconds with solid pressure (no rubbing). Then I throw the cotton ball away and coat the area with Benadryl Gel.

The benadryl seems to cut way back on the swelling the next day and cuts way back on the itching. I still get a bruise every once in a while, but I am very careful to avoid any area where veins are visible under the skin when I pick the injection site.

Just thinking - maybe your needle is set too deep - you might be going through fat and into you - I don't have that problem except on my right thigh so I change the setting a bit -

sorry this is happening red.
i take 4 syringes out at a time; (the med can be out a month according to the company).

i stand in the BR and do my abdomen and butt. that's 4.
then i sit at my kitchen table to do my legs and arms. that's 4.
thus i take 4 doses out of the fridge at a time.

i've been on C since '03. i guess i've been lucky because i havn't had many problems. i used to get bad site reactions but they've gotten much better.
i experimented a lot with the depth setting. and i too use the AJ.

maybe you can go to your dr's office and do an injection in front of the nurse and she can critique your technique. gosh, good luck.

Okay, I have to confess - I stopped using the alcohol wipes....I kept forgetting and then when I did it, I realized that it stung more when I used them - which I see is apparently from not letting it dry.

On other issues - No problem with the med not making it to the fat layer. I'm all fat layer. LOL. "very cushioned" - I like that phrase, thx, Fin Lady.

When the Copax nurse came out a while back to train me - she walked in my house, tiny little thing that she was, looked at me - and said, "Oh, you're a big girl, this is gonna be easy!" ...and I thought to myself, "I think she just called me fat!"

The pain went away after about 20 minutes last night.

I'm not brave enough to try the heat again. However, I took out the shot in the morning and it is now after 10pm and I will use it shortly. Sigh.

One day I may be brave and try the manual inject. Eeeek.

But my question still remains: HOW can you tell if the needle is dull??

~Keri

Beats me if you're using the AI, since it's concealed. I always visually inspect the tip of my needles before injecting Also look for the cloudiness in them (this is my fault, I sometimes forget to look at the liquid inside).

No issues so far for mine.

You really should be using the wipes. There is a chance you can accidentally get an infection. Just let the alcohol dry before you use the Auto Inflictor.

Erin - I agree....I know I am "bad" by not using the alcohol wipes....but I also have this strange thing - when I do use the wipes....by the time it has dried, my eyes have lost the spot that I had selected to do the shot!! (I guess it's such a vaaaaaaaaaaaaaast area!) LOL

I definitely do not like the "warm" shots. I wonder if SS "has" to say use it warmed up b/c that was the latest recommendation from the FDA apparently - but for years and years there were positive results without the shots being brought to room temperature. However, now more than ever, I'm way too chicken to risk it. So warm shots and pain for me!

Okay - edited to add: I just read Batman's post....and realized I should just use the wipes on a huge area...so this way I'm bound to hit a good spot. But then again, then my body will stink like alcohol wipes. Sigh.

~Keri

(4 to 7 months left and counting!)

Oh, Laura - I look at the needles after I take them out of the doo-hicky. I can't tell if they're dull or not. I guess it's a needle rupturing your skin - it's gonna hurt either way....but I swear, the first 3 weeks I did it in January, I had NO reactions.

I wipe a HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGE area with the alcohol and let it dry. Then I'm not worrying about if I missed a spot

Dunno about the needles then... I've never noticed a problem with the needles themselves, only that the AI hurts terribly on me cept in the hips.