Rebif injection site reactions

Common Questions and Answers about Rebif injection site reactions

rebif

- For the last 5 or 6 weeks, I've noticed I get a red mark at the injection site the day after injecting (I never got any marks for the first few weeks) - The red spots seem to be lasting longer and longer as time goes on, about 8 or 10 days now - These spots seem to be getting larger as time goes on (the one on the back of my arm is about 3" around) - Sometimes I get pain around the red area, feels like a bruise (eg, butt and back of arm feel bruised, shot butt 8 days ago and arm

With Copaxone I do not have any medication side effects, but do have injection site reactions. After 7 months of being on the daily injection, I notice that even my injection site reactions are getting less and less. This is MY experience. I really am sorry to hear that you have become frustrated wtih rebif. Perhaps you would do better on a lose dosage and Avonex may be for you. Hope you feel better and decide which treatment to use in the near future.

I never had the problems straight away they started after about a week . As for injection site reactions just redness day after injecting which faded after 4 to 6 days just remeber to rotate sites. However dont forget what dont suite some people can be good for others.The only other thing i found was i was tearful but that could of been cos i was struggling with all these new symptons , SO remember it could all be good for you keep me up to date on how you get on and good luck .

At first i had flu like symptoms (nearly exactly 6 hrs after doing the needle) but if you have panadol one hour before the needle you will not have many symptoms and the flu like ones go away. Only other problem ive had is injection site reactions but if you rotate where you do the needle and dont inject in the same spot for at least 2 weeks you should be ok.

I occasionally got headaches but with panadol once again before the needle seemed to stop this happening. The only other problem i had was injection site reactions, just make sure you change around where you are doing the needle. Dont inject in the same spot for at least 2 weeks. I have tolerated rebif very well and have gotten used to it over the years. It has been proven to slow down my MS and i have not had a serious relaspe since beginning the medication.

) rub on the site after the injection. For me this made the itching worse with my rebif. It is possible that you may need to switch to another med. I know I am not ready to inject daily with Copaxone :( I hope you get good answers.

I didn't get any reactions to rebif, at all. A headache the morning after, which was resolved with a cup of coffee. No site reactions. The rebif pen is adjustable, and my MS Lifelines nurse had me set it at 1. If you choose to go with rebif, stay away from the Rebidose injector, if you are thin. It is not adjustable. It is set at 2, and because I am so thin, I only have a few areas, that I can inject.

I started rebif in January on the titration pack, everything was good, minimal side effects. Ive been up to 44s for a while now and I have just started getting some site reactions. Not every time, my belly and thighs seem to be more reactive. Until about 5 minutes ago I thought they were limited to red, tender spots and bruising but now I have found an area on my thigh that appears to have a large (3 inch?) knot deep under the skin. It doesnt hurt, Its not red, but it is pretty solid.

unless they incorporate a feature that automatically instructs new users that their selected depth setting is incorrect, which would be a much more expensive sensor I'm sure, I don't really see the Rebismart being too much of an improvement. It won't lessen most of the common injection site reactions, and firsthand training will still be the best method of developing a starting skill in administartion.

Now that I'm taking rebif I'm noticing injection site reactions. I know it will happen, but is there anything I can do or something others have done for it. Please help!!!!!!

, no site reaction problems. For my third shot, on my right outer thigh, I prepped by chilling the injection site before my shot to see if this would lessen the redness. I had also heard that thigh area was bad for reactions and wanted to try to prevent this. Well, I soon afterwards, I got a huge hard lump at the site which as dimished a lot, but I can still feel it two days later. Does anyone know what the lump is, ie: is it fluid collecting under the skin?

I have site reactions from the rebif and if I do my shots in the morning I get the flu-like symptoms. I take tylenol 1 hour before my shots and do them before I go to sleep. I'm not sure about rebif and pregnacy,this you should discuss with your neuro.A friend of mine is on rebif and she had similiar symptoms ,but they have resolved. If they persist then you might want to discuss this with your neuro.

Well, I am so sorry you must officially join the ranks but I understand the peace of mind that a diagnosis brings. I was dx'ed last fall & started rebif this past Feb. The injections didn't hurt & I had no site reactions, & I liked that I only had to inject 3x per week. Was on it for 8 weeks when my liver enzymes elevated. This is listed as a side effect but not many users actually experience this. I had no history of liver problems.

What things have you all tried that helps the most with the skin reactions associated with rebif injections. I am getting the red inflammation areas around my injection sites more often than I am not. They aren't infected, hot, etc., they just aren't very nice to look at. I've tried massaging the site afterwards like the rebif paperwork says and I've also tried not massaging. I've tried injecting manually slowly and also the auto-injector.

Jane asks the right questions. If you are doing Copaxone, site reactions like this are common. Be sure to rotate the injection areas and don't use the same spot again for several weeks. Massage the injection site (in the shower works best while your skin is wet) to help with the lump. You also may want to call the support nurse and talk about the depth setting on your autoinjector, if you are using one. Sometimes a change in depth will help with the lumps.

These issues are not enough for me to consider stopping the shots, but I was wondering if increasing injection site reactions are a normal part of the body trying to get used to the medicine? I figured you guys would have more honest advice and suggestions than Shared Solutions would!

I've been on rebif since about October and my pain shortly after my injection and the following day is VERY substantial. I can't bear to be touched because my skin feels like it's been burned (upper arms, upper legs, upper chest and back) and my spinal pain is just beyond the level of holy ow! Even when I'm not taking the rebif I have those pains but not quite as bad. My doctor is going to be switching me to Copaxone soon in the hopes that my pains won't be as severe.

That's worked out well for me, since I know how to premedicate and time the injection to sleep through virtually everything. I'm not wild over doing the deep injections, but I have no site reactions and it's all over in a flash anyway. As LA wrote above, she just couldn't tolerate Avonex over the long haul. Neither could Heather3418. Since all 4 CRAB drugs are similar in terms of effectiveness, it's just a question of which one fits best 'for you.

My question is how goos is rebif for treating MS.

Also if you end up with bruising, pain while injecting, or lots of red marks at injection site, do not hesitate to call and talk to a rebif nurse...they have tons of tips and tricks to make the injection and post injection syptoms go away. As far as injection training I believe rebif contracts with nurses, so they will find a visiting nurse from the closest city from you to come out and assist you with the training.

Avonex is weekly with a looong needle into muscle. Beta is similar to rebif (slightly different chemical composition), every-other-day injection; I think you have to mix up each shot -- but many are successful on Beta. I'm thin, and neuro said the daily Copaxone shots would be a problem, likely cause tissue necrosis & site reactions for me. Also the Copax can burn for 1/2 hr or so after injecting. I couldn't even consider the big Avonex needle!

Immunomodulatory Reduction in relapse rate and accural of neurologic disability Flu-like symptoms, fatigue, injection site reactions, liver chemistry abnormalities, depression Dosing depends on specific agent used Pre-and postinjection acetamiminophen or NSAIDs may reduce flu-like symptoms Monitoring ot CBC and liver chemistry is required every 6 months FDA class C drug - should not be used during pregnancy or lactation I hope you are getting better and it helps a little.

(And I took Advil Liqui Gel half an hour before I injected.) I have not had any site reactions, at all. It really wasn't until 3 & 1/2 months, before I had any major side effects. I developed severe migraine headaches. But another member, explained to me, that at 3 months, the rebif is fully in our systems, and therefore the side effects. Now, I take Advil Liqui Gel for Migraine half an hour before I inject. I still get the migraine, but it isn't as bad as it was at first.

For me this has made the shots pain-free. I don't inject my arms; my thighs are the biggest challenge, but the rebif nurse suggested going high up on the thighs, and towards the outside -- that has halped a lot. Belly shots seem creepy, but there's a good fat pad there, & are really fine. I do get red spot a couple of days after each shot, and it stays for 2-3 weeks, but no pain or itching.

7/6/11 I started my rebif! Gave myself the injection in my leg w/o the auto injecter! I think I will keep doin it this way. Maybe I'll try the autoinjector one day, but this is good for now. No site reaction seen yet. Upper right leg. Didn't hurt at all. Did it right b4 I went to sleep and woke up jus like Ido everyday. Love my GP and my Neuro so much. Amazing Doctors.

Talk to your neurologist next time and see what he thinks of these 2. Remember if you have a site reaction to call the rebif nurse immediately. Good Luck and keep me posted!

By the way, I DID hit a small capillary when the dreaded reaction occurred. There was a drop of blood at the injection site when I was finished with the shot. Shared Solutions even agrees, that they believe that this reaction is more apt to happen if the medication hit's a capillary or artery. They didn't say why, of course, but assured me they doubted that I would have another reaction again. They are not the ones injecting themselves, so they were of little comfort to me.

I do have really bad injection site reactions that are not at all attractive. I am sure that is just an allergic reaction and the wonderful nurses have been working with me to try and find what works best to get rid of the reactions. I personally use the auto injector. I like not having to see the needle. I think it is worth a try for you to switch. I hope it goes well.

I'd ask the surgeon (and your neuro too) if there is anything else you can do to encourage bone growth and healing and/or counteract the rebif reactions. How debilitating is this? Would it be worth interrupting the rebif therapy while you heal? I thought I remember you saying this surgery would mean no weight bearing for many weeks. Have you been able to return to work already? How possible is it to melt into misery for a time?

IT STARTS OUT AT 8MCGS FOR 2 WEEKS,22MCGS FOR 2 WEEKS AND 44MCGS AFTERWARDS.ITS INJECTED UNDER THE SKIN.OTHER THAN SOME site reactions I HAVE NOT HAD ANY FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS. I DO MY SHOT RIGHT BEFORE I GO TO BED AND TAKE TYELENOL OR ALEIVE AN HOUR A HEAD OF TIME,THEN DO MY SHOT. THE rebif COMES WITH AN AUTO-INJECTOR,BUT I DO THE SHOT MYSELF WITH OUT THE INJECTOR. COPAXONE IS EVERYDAY UNDER THE SKIN AVONEX IS ONCE A WEEK IN THE MUSCLE USUALLY THE HIP.

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