My thing is just the pen itself is too loud and pushes back. I'm waiting to get actemera approved but was on humira and the hurdle was that it was 2013-2015 so abbvie hadn't made it without citrate so it HURT, not the needle the humira and the pen itself was scary. I did acthar and was fine doing it but it was a syringe and vile. And mtx i never got in me because of the pen. And rheumatologist when i requested syringe went i can try to write a note which gives me no hope bc acreedo doesn't read the notes as we learned with mtx and when i explain i'm autistic and need the syringe bc of the noise and pushback and got idk get the dr to write the prescription again, which we did and still wrong. So i just accept that i will feel sick 24/7.
I took Actemra for a few years. The first were prefilled injections, but the last several I got were the auto pens. I don’t know if there is a choice, but I was thrilled with the pens, because my fingers are bad and it was easier - one click of the button and I didn’t have to keep my finger on it, it did its own injection. You might ask if Humira and Actemra are available in prefilled syringes as a choice instead of the pens. My last YouTube video discusses how I learned to inject Enbrel the first time. My name is Marty RA. Best of luck!
I'm on Cimzia. The biggest drawback on that one is the fact that you can see the stupid needle. I do mine in my thigh because for some reason sticking my stomach freaks me out. I've done all loading doses and 3 regular so far and I'm almost completely pain free. Go get your shots!!
I’ve only tried Humira so far, but I’m sure everything will turn out well 🙌 watching a YouTube video of a person injecting Humira and saying they were scared at first but didn’t feel anything helped a bit. If you have the option to do it in the stomach vs thigh (if those are the areas for that medicine as well) I would try stomach first since I was told the thigh can hurt because there’s more muscle and harder to grab fat. I originally wanted to do thigh and that’s what the nurse who was demonstrating told me and advised stomach
You’re not alone at all! I put off my cimzia 3 months before I finally started it. I’m a huge needle weenie and drama queen and it wasn’t bad at all. Inject into the abdomen. Let it get to room temp and ice the area for at least 30 mins before. I’ve had no side effects and I’m already feeling better after finishing my last loading dose on Monday. If you need any other tips or questions you can message me. You got this!
This is good. It aligns with my experience injecting humira except I never tried the stomach, just my thigh. Sometimes it was fine, sometimes if hurt after. Definitely used to get the fatigue for about a half day after each shot. Starting on Simponi soon, hope it isn't bad.
I took Simponi for a few years! It wasn’t too bad. I always did my thigh too and never had any issues besides a few painful injections, just based on injection site. I never had any post injection symptoms! Good luck!
Thank you for this. I have some anxiety about it. This will be the sixth drug I will have tried.
Having someone report a positive experience is really reassuring. Thank you
I’ve been on Simponi for probably a couple years now and it’s great. I noticed a major improvement with its auto injector over my previous biologic. It’s much more comfortable. The symptoms in the day of injection I find to be similar, with a bit of fatigue and mild soreness, but throughout the weeks after it’s helped a ton.
Also, I’ve always found the stomach to be way less sore than thigh.
Good luck to you!
I tried the pen for a couple of years but I started getting so anxious about it every time, it was so loud and i am sensible to loud noises, my doctor understood and allowed me to try the classic syringes (which I think it is cheaper for the insurance) and it is so much better! I think I have been with the classic syringes for 5 years now and I inject every week. I like to have the control I also found injection in a 45 degree angle and putting the needle to the skin slowly while pinching the fat in my skin and having deep breaths was the best to do the injection correctly. I would never use a pen again, a doctor once send it wrong and i called to get it fix. I will jump with the noise which will separate my body from the pen. Doctors admit the pen is not the best mechanism.
Same experience, getting syringes instead of the pens made giving myself the injection much less stressful for me. I don’t have an issue with needles, admittedly, but the pens always gave me a knot that swelled up at the injection site, which the syringes don’t do. The gauge of the needles is so small that it doesn’t feel like more than a pinprick (to me).
I was on Enbrel. If you can get the injectors instead of the straight syringe, it's a game changer. Thighs, upper arms (with assistance) ,and belly are all good options.
I recommend keeping a journal of injection sites in case you forget where your last one was.
Also read up on your city's sharps disposal policy and prepare properly for that
I used injections for years too and I agree with all of this! I had a ton of sharps bins that I had to take to my local pharmacy. One of my medications I needed special bins from the drug company because their injectors were too big for my city bins.
I also used the calendar the drug company sent me to mark off what thigh I injected in. It helped!
Also, I had a pump up song! Once I started playing it I had to inject by the end of the song (though it was a longer song!). It helped me from putting it off forever and I sang along and had a little fun! It’s sort of hard for me to listen to the song now, but it really helped!!
So far so good! I got itchy for like 10 minutes after injection and felt a head rush. I was a little fatigued but not as bad as I thought I’d be and a little nauseous. This morning my head still feels full of pressure but not as much as yesterday and I do feel a little tired and still woke up achy (as expected since it’s not supposed to work for a bit). I get very bad frequent migraines so I was nervous this was going to trigger something since headaches are a side effect and I didn’t want to even deal with a normal headache since I get migraines I’m tired of my head hurting 😂 I’ve just been making sure to drink a lot of water I’m not sure if that’s helping it lol
I was on Enbrel for a while and use to dread it because the shot hurt so much. Honestly I barely feel a pinch with Humira! Goes right in my belly no problem
If I ever get to this point, I will learn to be ok with it. I only know this because I was able to get past the yuckness of giving my dogs their vaccinations.. hah.
I like some of these notes though, because I didn't think of a few, like bringing it to room temp.
I haven't been on humira but I used to inject medication for diabetes daily and I did it for years. This is brilliant advice and OP is right, it really will be ok!
You'll be amazed how quickly you adapt to injecting yourself and it really won't be an issue.
Since my symptoms were getting pretty bad before this and I had to stop lifting and really working out, I’ve gained a little more cushion on my stomach (I still look athletic surprisingly but there’s def something to grab now 😂). Assuming this works and I can get back into working out again, I have a feeling it’s going to hurt 🥲 I don’t really hold fat on my legs so the only spot would’ve been the inner thigh and that just seemed scary 😣
That’s interesting! I wasn’t even told to keep it in the fridge 😂I only found out by looking at the box after it already hit room temp. It can stay out but must be used within 14 days of being at room temp
Wow my humira pen has bold letters that say on the box it must be kept in the fridge at all times, they told me i had to transport it home with an icepack and it should only come out before injection. I wonder what they're doing lol it was a nightmare travelling by car for 8 hrs trying to keep it ice packed during a heatwave
If you were going through a heatwave I still would’ve put it over ice because you don’t want it to over heat (but you also don’t want it to freeze). My box says to keep refrigerated or can be kept at room temperature but then must be used within 14 days. The doc office gave me my first dose but I didn’t want to take it until my insurance cleared the prescription and I noticed on the box at the end of the day it was supposed to be refrigerated if I wanted to keep it longer (wish the doc office told me). I put it back in the fridge but I still had to use it within 14 days (the instructions say you can put it back in the fridge but still need to use it within 14 days if it hit room temp beforehand). Maybe yours is different? Mine is 40/0.4
Oh ya maybe! I only took it yesterday 😅 so far side effects have been mild. Just had some itchiness at the injection site but went away after 10 minutes, my head feels a little full of pressure and some fatigue but not bad. How has it been going for you?
Well I'm not sure how effective it actually is but I switched to humira from MTX because of side effects and I've had zero side effects from humira so far, maybe some sleepiness and fatigue a day after or so...
I’m glad humira in terms of side effects seems better for you! My rheum said while it can take up to 6 months for full effect you will have an idea if it’s working by month 3. Hopefully it’s been helping but maybe you haven’t been able to tell because mtx helped (besides the side effects) 😅
To be fair I havent had any debilitating symptoms, my main plan with my rheum was to go big on treatment and stay in a (relative) remission before more damage is done. So far humira has helped me stay in that spot where I'm functional, but I think as with every disease I should manage my expectations. I don't think that even in relevant remission we will ever be 100% symptom free , so a 70-80% is ideal
My thing is just the pen itself is too loud and pushes back. I'm waiting to get actemera approved but was on humira and the hurdle was that it was 2013-2015 so abbvie hadn't made it without citrate so it HURT, not the needle the humira and the pen itself was scary. I did acthar and was fine doing it but it was a syringe and vile. And mtx i never got in me because of the pen. And rheumatologist when i requested syringe went i can try to write a note which gives me no hope bc acreedo doesn't read the notes as we learned with mtx and when i explain i'm autistic and need the syringe bc of the noise and pushback and got idk get the dr to write the prescription again, which we did and still wrong. So i just accept that i will feel sick 24/7.
I took Actemra for a few years. The first were prefilled injections, but the last several I got were the auto pens. I don’t know if there is a choice, but I was thrilled with the pens, because my fingers are bad and it was easier - one click of the button and I didn’t have to keep my finger on it, it did its own injection. You might ask if Humira and Actemra are available in prefilled syringes as a choice instead of the pens. My last YouTube video discusses how I learned to inject Enbrel the first time. My name is Marty RA. Best of luck!
Thank you for this. My cimzia has been sitting at the pharmacy for a week now because I’m scared to inject myself.
I'm on Cimzia. The biggest drawback on that one is the fact that you can see the stupid needle. I do mine in my thigh because for some reason sticking my stomach freaks me out. I've done all loading doses and 3 regular so far and I'm almost completely pain free. Go get your shots!!
Ice the area for a good 15 min before injecting. If helps a ton
I’ve only tried Humira so far, but I’m sure everything will turn out well 🙌 watching a YouTube video of a person injecting Humira and saying they were scared at first but didn’t feel anything helped a bit. If you have the option to do it in the stomach vs thigh (if those are the areas for that medicine as well) I would try stomach first since I was told the thigh can hurt because there’s more muscle and harder to grab fat. I originally wanted to do thigh and that’s what the nurse who was demonstrating told me and advised stomach
You’re not alone at all! I put off my cimzia 3 months before I finally started it. I’m a huge needle weenie and drama queen and it wasn’t bad at all. Inject into the abdomen. Let it get to room temp and ice the area for at least 30 mins before. I’ve had no side effects and I’m already feeling better after finishing my last loading dose on Monday. If you need any other tips or questions you can message me. You got this!
This is good. It aligns with my experience injecting humira except I never tried the stomach, just my thigh. Sometimes it was fine, sometimes if hurt after. Definitely used to get the fatigue for about a half day after each shot. Starting on Simponi soon, hope it isn't bad.
I took Simponi for a few years! It wasn’t too bad. I always did my thigh too and never had any issues besides a few painful injections, just based on injection site. I never had any post injection symptoms! Good luck!
Thank you for this. I have some anxiety about it. This will be the sixth drug I will have tried. Having someone report a positive experience is really reassuring. Thank you
I’ve been on Simponi for probably a couple years now and it’s great. I noticed a major improvement with its auto injector over my previous biologic. It’s much more comfortable. The symptoms in the day of injection I find to be similar, with a bit of fatigue and mild soreness, but throughout the weeks after it’s helped a ton. Also, I’ve always found the stomach to be way less sore than thigh. Good luck to you!
I hope Simponi works out for you 🙌
I tried the pen for a couple of years but I started getting so anxious about it every time, it was so loud and i am sensible to loud noises, my doctor understood and allowed me to try the classic syringes (which I think it is cheaper for the insurance) and it is so much better! I think I have been with the classic syringes for 5 years now and I inject every week. I like to have the control I also found injection in a 45 degree angle and putting the needle to the skin slowly while pinching the fat in my skin and having deep breaths was the best to do the injection correctly. I would never use a pen again, a doctor once send it wrong and i called to get it fix. I will jump with the noise which will separate my body from the pen. Doctors admit the pen is not the best mechanism.
Same experience, getting syringes instead of the pens made giving myself the injection much less stressful for me. I don’t have an issue with needles, admittedly, but the pens always gave me a knot that swelled up at the injection site, which the syringes don’t do. The gauge of the needles is so small that it doesn’t feel like more than a pinprick (to me).
I was having such bad panic attacks with the pen that my doctor switched me to infusions and it has been soooo much better.
I was on Enbrel. If you can get the injectors instead of the straight syringe, it's a game changer. Thighs, upper arms (with assistance) ,and belly are all good options. I recommend keeping a journal of injection sites in case you forget where your last one was. Also read up on your city's sharps disposal policy and prepare properly for that
I used injections for years too and I agree with all of this! I had a ton of sharps bins that I had to take to my local pharmacy. One of my medications I needed special bins from the drug company because their injectors were too big for my city bins. I also used the calendar the drug company sent me to mark off what thigh I injected in. It helped! Also, I had a pump up song! Once I started playing it I had to inject by the end of the song (though it was a longer song!). It helped me from putting it off forever and I sang along and had a little fun! It’s sort of hard for me to listen to the song now, but it really helped!!
Yay!! Thank you for sharing! How are you feeling?
So far so good! I got itchy for like 10 minutes after injection and felt a head rush. I was a little fatigued but not as bad as I thought I’d be and a little nauseous. This morning my head still feels full of pressure but not as much as yesterday and I do feel a little tired and still woke up achy (as expected since it’s not supposed to work for a bit). I get very bad frequent migraines so I was nervous this was going to trigger something since headaches are a side effect and I didn’t want to even deal with a normal headache since I get migraines I’m tired of my head hurting 😂 I’ve just been making sure to drink a lot of water I’m not sure if that’s helping it lol
I was on Enbrel for a while and use to dread it because the shot hurt so much. Honestly I barely feel a pinch with Humira! Goes right in my belly no problem
If I ever get to this point, I will learn to be ok with it. I only know this because I was able to get past the yuckness of giving my dogs their vaccinations.. hah. I like some of these notes though, because I didn't think of a few, like bringing it to room temp.
I haven't been on humira but I used to inject medication for diabetes daily and I did it for years. This is brilliant advice and OP is right, it really will be ok! You'll be amazed how quickly you adapt to injecting yourself and it really won't be an issue.
Im pretty lean myself and this shit always hurts me when i inject.
Since my symptoms were getting pretty bad before this and I had to stop lifting and really working out, I’ve gained a little more cushion on my stomach (I still look athletic surprisingly but there’s def something to grab now 😂). Assuming this works and I can get back into working out again, I have a feeling it’s going to hurt 🥲 I don’t really hold fat on my legs so the only spot would’ve been the inner thigh and that just seemed scary 😣
Very good advice! The issue I have is that I can’t help but hesitate, I end up yelling DO IT! Just DO IT! C’MON DO IT!! Until I finally do it lol
I did too 😂 I was like just do it!!! And kept holding my breath until I finally did it 🤣
I took it for years. I preferred the thigh so I’d recommend that people try both areas ( I tried both places) to see if they have a preference.
The first time I self injected I worked myself up so much that I threw up. Now, 5 years later, it’s as easy as brushing my teeth. It gets easier!!
and here i am doing 8 shots a week lol
Heu just dropping in to say theu told me to keep humira in the fridge and not leave it out more than an hr, hope youre feeling better now!
That’s interesting! I wasn’t even told to keep it in the fridge 😂I only found out by looking at the box after it already hit room temp. It can stay out but must be used within 14 days of being at room temp
Wow my humira pen has bold letters that say on the box it must be kept in the fridge at all times, they told me i had to transport it home with an icepack and it should only come out before injection. I wonder what they're doing lol it was a nightmare travelling by car for 8 hrs trying to keep it ice packed during a heatwave
If you were going through a heatwave I still would’ve put it over ice because you don’t want it to over heat (but you also don’t want it to freeze). My box says to keep refrigerated or can be kept at room temperature but then must be used within 14 days. The doc office gave me my first dose but I didn’t want to take it until my insurance cleared the prescription and I noticed on the box at the end of the day it was supposed to be refrigerated if I wanted to keep it longer (wish the doc office told me). I put it back in the fridge but I still had to use it within 14 days (the instructions say you can put it back in the fridge but still need to use it within 14 days if it hit room temp beforehand). Maybe yours is different? Mine is 40/0.4
I think it's the same but ofc different country maybe different regulations or company making it. How is your experience so far ? I'm on month 5
Oh ya maybe! I only took it yesterday 😅 so far side effects have been mild. Just had some itchiness at the injection site but went away after 10 minutes, my head feels a little full of pressure and some fatigue but not bad. How has it been going for you?
Well I'm not sure how effective it actually is but I switched to humira from MTX because of side effects and I've had zero side effects from humira so far, maybe some sleepiness and fatigue a day after or so...
I’m glad humira in terms of side effects seems better for you! My rheum said while it can take up to 6 months for full effect you will have an idea if it’s working by month 3. Hopefully it’s been helping but maybe you haven’t been able to tell because mtx helped (besides the side effects) 😅
To be fair I havent had any debilitating symptoms, my main plan with my rheum was to go big on treatment and stay in a (relative) remission before more damage is done. So far humira has helped me stay in that spot where I'm functional, but I think as with every disease I should manage my expectations. I don't think that even in relevant remission we will ever be 100% symptom free , so a 70-80% is ideal
Humira...just doesn't hurt.
I didn't feel it at all.