Love-handles as injection site?

[FuzzyBoots]

I started taking glatiramer acetate (3 times a week) 2 months ago, and I'm eager to rotate my injection sites to avoid permanent damage. The booklet I was given with my injector shows the front of the thighs, the belly area, the back of the arms, and the upper sides of the butt. The love-handles seem like an obvious place to inject, but they aren't included. Is there a particular reason not to use them that I'm missing?

[Kenu]

When I was doing copaxone I did them there with no problems 👍🙏😉 Ken 🙏🐾🐾

[kdali]

I think those were on for me to use for Copaxone. Butt was not ok because of “reduced rate of drug absorption”. I wondered if those of us developing giant hives that last a week had reduced absorption rate from that also.

[RoyceNewton]

inject where you have subcutaneous fat,

[RoyceNewton]

I forgot, rotate rotate rotate, do not inject in the same site everyday this will cause problems there is lots of room on the stomach, you will be glad for that extra 5 lbs, also got a partner? There is a lot of room on the buttocks, rotate

[TracyBelle]

I use frozen peas prior to injection to numb the area. (YES, I know that the nurses say heat the area first!) When I wanted to get rid of my love handles, I put my baggie of frozen peas in the area and injected there. (Rotating sites as recommended.) The atrophy or indentation made the love handles INVISIBLE from the front, but left them scarred on the back where the injections went. The area is hard with scar tissue after so many years, so now I go closer to my waist. Because it is subcutaneous, I don’t recommend injections to your butt, which seems to have too much muscle tissue. You are supposed to put it in a flabby area, because it is not intramuscular. I have been on Copaxone since 2000, so I have serious battle scars. But I can still walk and so I have refused the newer riskier treatments. I am really glad at this time that my choice of treatment doesn’t compromise my immune system. Stay on treatment, stay home and stay safe. 😷

[Violonchelo]

Me ( 3 times a week)too , butt.

And legs, no arms, and stomach 2 sides.

My tratament is Rebif.

I haven’t second effects. Only the skin I have to put aloe vera up after each injection, or Nivea, or other cream with vitamina K.

[HensTooth]

FuzzyBoots like everyone said, I think the love handles are fine. You just gotta “find the flab” and not inject into a muscle by mistake. I was “lucky” and had lots of places to use to use as injection sites. Upper arms did not work because I’d hit the muscle too often. Front of thighs didn’t work because I’d too often hit a vein. (Don’t worry, if you have found a bad spot you will know right away, because that $#!+ HURTS!)

I used an ice pack beforehand too. It not only helped with the pain, but reduced the formation of a lump. I wonder if the heating pad is less about pain and more about increasing drug absorption? I feel like increased blood flow to the area helps circulate the Copaxone.

I wasn’t too sad about the potential for “fat atrophy” or “pitting” because I thought, hey, over the course of many years, I can employ it as free liposuction! Unfortunately the only scarring I got to keep, were these small hard lumps. So now if you grab my tummy-fat it feels a little bit like oatmeal that was cooked without being properly stirred. 😉

[FuzzyBoots]

Update: I checked with one of Mylan's nurses, and he confirmed that injecting in the love-handles is okay, though he suggested I confirm with my doctor first, given that there may be more nerves and blood vessels there than other sites.