Emla to help humira injections?

[Daytripper]

Hi all!
Hope you're all as well as can be.

I just have a quick question for anybody who can impart their knowledge onto me please!

I've had crohns for ten years now, and I've been on humira for about four years. I have my ups and downs with the injection procedure- sometimes I struggle pushing the button and I feel daft! Other times I just go for it. Sometimes it doesn't seem to hurt so much, other days it feels like the world is ending when the needle goes in! I've found leaving it out of the fridge for 30 minutes lots better, and injecting it into the very top of my thigh is definitely less painful.....as long as I don't hit a vein, d'oh! Oh, and I always treat myself afterwards....subway or fish and chips does the trick.

Anyway! Getting on with my question. To help ease the pain, has anybody tried emla to numb the area. And if you have, is it worth it? Would you recommend it? Are there positive and negatives?

Thanks in advance everyone.

 

[my little penguin]

Lidocaine in the humira syringe
Rheumo use it all
The time

Emla just numbs the skin for the needle pinch
Doesn't stop the burn of the med itself

We use lidocaine added to the syringe for DS

 

[my little penguin]

https://acr.confex.com/acr/2008/webprogram/Paper3820.html

See paper above

 

[Daytripper]

Thanks very much for that info! A very interesting read. Sorry if I seem daft, but does that mean they already put lidocaine into the humira injections which I give myself, or is the paper saying it's beneficial to do so? Thanks for your time.

 

[my little penguin]

Our Rheumo prescribed a vial of lidocaine
And separate syringes which I draw up lidocaine per the rheumatologist and then add that amount of lidocaine directly to the humira syringe . This mixes the two drugs and makes the humira less painful for DS .
He is only 11

 

[Daytripper]

Ahh I see. Thanks so much for that! I'm glad it's helpful and less painful xoxo

 

[E114]

For me I take the pen out almost an hour before I inject it, which really helps on the pain. i would try that and see how it works for you.

 

[Daytripper]

Great tip. I will give that a go and see how I get on, thank you xoxo

 

[Maya142]

Have you tried icing? My daughter likes icing before and after the shot, and doing the shot while watching TV, so she is distracted.

We haven't tried EMLA but tried a lidocaine cream (can't remember the name) and found that it didn't really do anything because the burning is caused by the medication and this just numbs the top layer of skin.

 

[saucytart]

I've got a little routine that works for me. Every Monday night is all about relaxing. I take bubble baths and watch the shows i want. Then an hour before my injection i take an ativan, put some emla cream on ( it needs to be under the emla patch for at least 45 minutes to have any effect), and set my humira pen on the counter. After the the hour, i wipe off the emla with some witch hazel and start icing. Then the alcohol pad. Let the alcohol completely dry or that can sting either. Wait til something funny happens on tv so you're laughing and do the injection right after. Hope that helps!

 

[saucytart]

And i spray a little lavender around the room as well

 

[Daytripper]

Brilliant tips thank you! I have got a mini ice pack from when I used to ice my leg before the shot, but I haven't tried after, so I will definitely give that a go, thank you! Your Monday routine sounds lovely saucytart- I might try that, even when it's not humira night! Haha. Wow, thanks for all your tips everybody, I'm going to give them all a go to help my experience....a few days after I usually end up with a cold, which I assume shows the humira working since it's knocking my immune system down....but anything to help the injection experience is definitely welcome. Thanks again everyone

 

[Aiyale]

My humira ambassador recently told me that you can leave the pen out for up to 14 days (I travel a lot for work) Once it gets room temp however you must use it within 14 days, or it will go bad even if you put it back in the fridge.

I usually take mine out the morning of injection day. Then before bed I take a relaxing shower, use the alcohol pad and let it dry, then do the shot. I hardly feel it that way. Then I treat myself to a nice snack, and go to bed.:ysmile:

 

[my little penguin]

Humira does not make you more susceptible to colds or common illnesses
At all.
Only opportunistic infections
Think pneumonia that is a tag along with the flu .

 

[Daytripper]

Oh brill I think I will try taking it out in the morning and then using it at night, another thing I will definitely give a go is letting the alcohol dry on my leg! Never thought of that before. Thank you

And oh right, I thought it was a common side effect that humira causes nose and throat infections and sinus problems, I always feel a bit bunged up a few days after! Perhaps they are just my little side effects. Thanks for all your help