There's always a trick or two to making it through the day with arthritis and our members usually come up with the best of them. As we're always looking for the easiest way to do things, we asked:
Any tips or tricks you can suggest to others taking these medications that help deal with side effects?
Humira is the easiest medication I've been on It's pre-loaded needles. No mixing, no instructions. Just take the needle out of the box, take off the needle cap, push the liquid to the top, and inject.
I like this medication also, because it is developing great statistics that I've read from the ACR meeting notes recently, that you linked us into here. - Susan/Humira
Need something to deaden pain in the shot...like a numbing med. - Jennifer/Kineret
Take syringe out of fridge about 10 minutes before injecting. Rotate sites - inside/outside thigh. both legs, 4 quadrants of stomach and (if someone else can do injection for you and you don't mind) upper arms. I had site reaction after 3 weeks - I was just using stomach as it stings much less, but had reluctantly to include thighs as well. I have learnt to grin and bear the stinging. Cortisone ointment helps site reaction, and in any case this stopped after 2 to 3 weeks. Some people find icing the site prior to injections helps with the stinging, but for me this made the site reaction worse. If you're like me you will be terrified the first time you inject, but because the injections are daily you get used to them very quickly - after about 4 days in my case. It took 8-10 weeks for the drug to kick in, and since then there has been steady further improvement. - Gill/Kineret
Make sure you are aware of all the possible side effects and drug interactions before taking the medication. RESEARCH. RESEARCH. RESEARCH. Discuss all of your concerns with the doctor BEFORE taking the first dose. - Pam/Humira
When giving myself the injection, I hold my injection site between two fingers. Sometimes, when my FM is not flared, it helps diminish the burning sensation from the Humira.
If the burning is just too much that day, I sit quietly on my bed and just inject it slowly.
I keep an ice bag for after the shot and find that that helps in reducing the redness around the injection site. - Babcia/Humira
The injections don't burn as badly if injected slowly. - Angela/Kineret & Humira
I let the Humira sit out about 5 minutes before injection and think it is better not to rub it after injecting. I just hold a cotton ball on the injection site for a minute. - Barb/Humira
Be married to a nurse,so she can give you your shot. It kind of burns a bit. - Thomas/Humira
I let it warm up for maybe 20-30 min b/4 I inject it. It still burns going in, but a short wait and I inject a little more and then wait a few seconds and inject the rest. - Barb/Humira
I didn't have side effects. There is a little stinging when the drug is being injected but it doesn't last long. I am more than willing to grin and bear the few seconds of stinging for such good results. - Anne/Humira
Giving myself the shot is tricky and it burns. I wish I had a trick for that. - Faith/Humira
Since the Kineret has a burning sensation when going in, I take a deep breath and then exhale while I'm injecting the medication. It either helps or distracts me enough that it doesn't seem so bad. - Beth/Kineret
Let the alcohol rub dry before injection. - Roberta/Humira
Room temperature injections only! Cold really hurts - Chloe's1/Kineret