Copaxone & Bleeding question?!
 

Hi Everyone,

I've been on copaxone for 3 weeks now - and it seems that 9 times out of 10, I bleed when I shoot up. (tee hee - how often do you get to say that you shoot up and you're not a junkie?!) :eek::p

Okay - back to seriousness -

By bleeding, I mean more than just a drop or two....sometimes it's more than that. Also, I was used to the "welts" that can form from the copax - as I used to take it back in Jan/Feb. However, this go around, I end up with huge black and blue marks! I have one on my thigh from two weeks ago - and at its biggest, it was over 1inch by 1inch!

I look before I take the shot - and try my best to miss any veins....I'm not sure what else to do. I use an ice pack after the shot. I use the autoject - and there is NO way I can inject manually - I can not even fathom it!

Yes, I will try to call Shared Solutions tomorrow to check this out - but being that they don't actually use the med - sometimes better info comes from here!

So - any suggestions? Ideas?

Thx,

Keri

Hrm. It seems that I have 1 or 2 tiny drops of blood at most when I inject my Copaxone. I've been on it since mid to end of May of this year.

I always inject manually however. I'm tempted to try the autoinjector for a bit, just to see the difference in site reactions after.

In any event, I'd contact Shared Solutions and ask about the bleeding. Maybe a nurse can come out and watch your technique. Since you're using the AI, perhaps the setting in some areas needs to be adjusted.

Where on your thigh are you injecting?

I bleed when I inject too far back, or too far over from my thigh.

It actually happens to me more often now that I inject manually, probably because I'm actually trying to spread out the areas that are getting injected. Looking for areas that I havent already injected a few hundred times.

Also, how deep do you have the injector set for? Maybe you're injecting too deeply and hitting veins?

I bleed when I inject too far, or if I hit a capillary bed. When I hit a cap bed its ALOT of blood. it rolls down my arm, leg, or wherever I poked.

I used to winch and wait for the IPIR as its more likely if you clip a vein, but when it didnt come, I started to not be so panicked over it.

If your using an AI adjust the setting to less. After the injection PUSH straight into the area. DONT RUB! copaxone is a sharp crystal type med, and rubbing it breaks open the crystals. just PUSH firm hard pressure for 15 to 30 seconds. it pushes the meds from the upper layer of fat to the deeper layers. it was a miracle for me.

try ICE before hand. ICE will shrink those blood vessels and make them less of a target. It will also help with pain control. Some times SS says to use heat before, but I always found I bled like crazy.

DONT do it right after a hot shower. or use ICE before hand.

good luck.

Sorry that you've been bleeding so much from your shots :hug: Let us know what Shared Solutions says...

I seem only to get bleeders on my thighs if I inject too close to my knee or too far down my leg. I used to get bruises when I had the autoinject too shallow or too deep. I'm helped a little that I have some big freckles by the perfect areas to shoot the copax. :rolleyes:

For the hips, I generally make my hand into a fist. I place the heel of my hand on the hip bone, and make sure that where I inject is close to where the knuckles of my fingers land within the injection site they give you for it. If I don't do that, I always get a bleeder there.

I haven't had problems with the other sites yet. Hope SS can give you some more ideas. :hug:

I have had bleeding issues too. It does depend on where I inject

My injections tend to bleed more in the hip area. Most of IPIRs occur when I inject my hip also. SO my neuro just said skip that area all together. Just rotate the other sites.

Good tips in the posts... I always learn so much from you guys! :hug:

great suggestions.
all i can add is to have that cotton ball ready to put down over the injection site as quickly as possible. no bleeding, no bruising. i agree with the ice.

don't use an alcohol wipe as that just makes bleeding worse.

I always have the cotton ball ready before I take the needle out. I just put the cotton ball right next to the needle, and as I pull it out, I just roll the cotton onto the site.

that's true erin.
but when i inject my right arm with my left hand and use my left hand to pull the AI out, i then have to reach for the cotton ball and it takes a few seconds.

if however, i'm injecting my abdomen or legs i have more freedom in the use of my hand.

....you might also check with your dr's office staff. they may be able to give you some help. i would also call shared solutions. since you're so new to injecting i think they'll be able to help you.

Hi Keri,

This is Steve, from July at Johns Hopkins, I have no idea why but I registered under my middle name for this board!

I know that you said no manual injections, but that has been helpful to me. I can take the needle and push it in ever so slowly and I can tell what I'm pushing into whereas the auto-injector, that's like pulling a bullet back into the gun. I wonder if the Shared Solutions nurses helped you, could you learn to self-inject?

Thank you everyone.

I stopped using the alcohol wipes a while ago. First it was because I kept forgetting - so I put a bunch of them in a container right on my counter - but then I decided that the shot stings more when I used the alcohol - so I said $crew it. :)

Second - I don't think I have the AE set incorrectly - the setting is from when the nurse originally came out in January. And I'm a big girl - LOL - I remember the first thing the nurse (a tiny little thing) said when she walked into my house - "Oh, you're a big girl - this is gonna be easy!" I remember thinking, "sheesh, I think she just called me fat" - except the word I used wasn't sheesh! :p

I never thought to inject over a freckle - I got lots of those, too - well, on my arms anyhow! Oooh, fat and freckly. Maybe I should start a club?

Tonight, for the first time, I didn't bleed! Too funny. I shot up (tee hee) over a freckle on my arm.

I don't use a cotton ball - though I suppose I could. I mostly grab a paper towel to get the blood - then I grab the ice pack. I also think that when I use the med STRAIGHT from the fridge - and not room temp - I have much less of a reaction! Do you think it's okay not to bring the shot to room temp first? I'm taking note of how the shots affect me - and it seems that even leaving it on the counter 5-10 minutes, I will bleed a little...but tonight, did it straight from fridge - and no reaction - and it barely stung - or at least, stung much less.

I didn't call SS today....I'll try to get around to it tomorrow - I need to anyhow - b/c the first few shots I did - didn't inject all the way....the box was "older" - had been in my fridge since Feb when I stopped Copax....so I went into the new box I just got - and those were fine. But I really want SS to replace that other box - considering I paid $600 for it!!!

Anyhow - while I'm on the fone with SS - what other "goodies" do they have? LOL. I love the things drug cos give out! I have ice packs (I love them - since they are gel packs and don't harden!)....I have the box that will hold 5 shots.....I don't think I have much else....I'm always reading about things people have! So, do tell!!

Thank you everyone for listening.

Oh yeah - about pushing on the site - is that necessary?? I don't usually do that either... I don't rub them the next day either. I try to ignore it altogether. And definitely on the big bruises - I can't imagine rubbing those!

thanks,

~Keri

ps/for those of you who manually inject - how oh how do you do it?!?!

Absolutely fine. Most don't inject straight from the fridge, because they have the opposite reaction that you do. However, we're all different of course, so if you find 'shooting up' (teeheet!) cold Copaxone is best, go for it!

I manually inject, and it's just always the way I've done it. I'm in such a habit of doing it now, it's second nature.

The SS nurse convinced me to do my first injection manually in the stomach, and I never changed from that.

I pinch 2 inches of skin in the area I'm going to inject (cept for the arms/behind, where pinching just doesn't happen the same) and wait a good minute + so the spot's numb, and then just go for it.

You should really use the alcohol wipes, but let the alcohol dry before you inject (should take about 30 seconds or so to dry) If you let it dry, then you dont get the sting of the alcohol.

I was going to do without the wipes too, but my dad (a nurse) convinced me not to when he described what an abscess looks and feels like. (yuck!)

I hear that. I've had an abscess before (not related to my injections). I still have a darkened patch of skin as a result of it :(.

I always use the alcohol swab and let it dry, however I wait a good minute before doing the injection.

Just find your comfort zone! :)

I'm a big girl here too, LOL. But still found that I had to change the setting for the top of my thighs since most of the cushion for them is on the underside. I'm a 6 for my thighs, and an 8 everywhere else.

LOL, wish that was true for dress sizes too. :D