I’ve now been using Benepali for 11 weeks. It’s been amazing.
My issue is with the pain when I inject. For over a year I’ve injected MTX with no issue. However the pain with Benepali is awful! I rotate for leg to stomach and find now I am bruising after each jab. I really have to work up the nerve to do it! I have a high pain threshold but do struggle with this. Does anyone else find it painful??
Hi I'm on Benepali as well , I'm just wondering if you take it out off fridge a couple off hours before you inject, I find it doesn't sting so much xxx
I have been on benepali for about 5 months and have no problems with the injection. It's a prefilled pen not an auto injector.
I find Methrotrexate can sting for a little while.
I was advised to take out of fridge for an hour before I give it.
I take Benlysta injections. I take out the fridge an hour before injection. No issues.
Hi Hevj,
With Benepali you can even take it out of the fridge the night before to make sure it's at room temperature. I do this and occasionally get a bit of stinging but that's all and the benefits far outweigh a few seconds of discomfort for me.
Hope this helps.
Love, Legs x
Thanks folks
I take it out of the fridge about 45 mins before I use it. The nurse said not to leave it out any longer than 2 hours. I may try it at 2 hours. Fingers crossed 👍
I've tried all sorts of things but find my Benepali injections sting really badly no matter what I do, particularly when I inject into my thigh. Have been injecting into my stomach the last few times (after freezing the area with an ice pack for a couple of minutes). I leave my injection out for 1.5 - 2 hours before I inject. I shut my eyes, grit my teeth and count to 15 whilst pushing down the pen. Usually by the time I've reached 10 the stinging has stopped.
Oh that sounds so like me! Hate injecting into the thigh- it hurts the most. Do you bruise?
Have bruised a couple of times, but don't bruise most of the time.
Yes same. Grit my teeth have high pain threshold but stings like he’ll always has done. Miss odd times as it hurts so much
and me my thighs hurt so much my husband has to do then for me. my rhuemy said you can leave it out overnight. this helps a little. I am actually pain free now so not complaining really. but jeez does it hurt.
I was exactly the same and went back to my specialist nurse and she advised me to only do it in my stomach, have it out fridge for a decent time and use ice pack before hand. She also showed me a good position on my stomach that was slightly lower than where I had tried before. Most times now I only get very slight stinging but there are definitely variables 😬 Sometimes I think if I use different “ice”... so I have a prefilled fabric covered icepack that doesn’t work so well. Ice cubes in a ziplock bag are best for me. Another variable is sometimes I know I am extra tense about it and those times I definitely feel more pain and I’m most likely to bruise then too. 95% of the time though I am pretty much pain and bruise free.
Like the others though, my overall pain relief on Benepali is massive so it is totally worth it. My nurse also said though that as a last resort if I couldn’t face using the injector pens then I could try pre-filled syringes as they might be less painful. Thankfully I’ve never had to do this. Good luck! 🍀
Hi I was wondering what benepali does? Is it mainly for pain, inflammation—only used with MTX? Thx—
It terms of the positive effects it can reduce inflammation and pain (I think it works by altering our overactive immune systems) . For me, having inflammation and pain under control also has made a lot of my fatigue more manageable and predictable. I no longer take MTX. It took me a long process of going through other drug combinations before finally getting to the point where biologics were considered on the NHS but it has been worth it in the end.
I could have written the post from Mhairi54 - I dread my weekly jab. My thighs are covered with bruises from week to week. I never had any painful experiences with the original Etenercept injection and did that twice a week but this pre-filled pen is excruciating!
Have you tried in your tummy Linda? I had big problems in my thigh so switched to the tummy and it’s so much better.
Thank you Kitty - I will try my stomach next week. Had gritted my teeth yesterday but perhaps now combining letting it warm up a bit and using my slightly fatty stomach, I wont dread it quite as much.
I leave mine out all day, I hope it goes better this week. Let us know how you get on🤞🏻
Hi HevJ, Just like all the other posters i make sure it is at room temperature before i inject and this seems to make it so much easier and agree the benefit from Benepali far outweighs the negatives for me 30 seconds of discomfort compared to a few days of flare ups its a no brainer for me.
Good luck
Yes it stings but more in thigh tummy not to bad but like you say it's worth it !!!!!!
Good morning yes I have the see problem I hang done in leg yet, not brave enough I've been on for 14 months, and I dread doing it, I have tried stretching skin just before stabbing myself, trying to avoid any wee fatty lumps as I have lost a lot of weight.
Hello I’m the same. My MTX injection is fine but the Benapali hurts and like you I have to build myself up to inject. I use only my thigh as inject MTX into abdomen. I don’t have an answer unfortunately. Just hang on in there or ask to change drug
Hi been on Benepali for 15 months.
I found it more painful in thigh. Rheumy Nurse suggested only injecting stomach as there was “a bit more fat there” 👍
Some injections are pain free whilst others sting.
But as others have said the benefits outweigh the sting.
Have it out fridge for at least an hour. Lie flat, count to ten, then inject. Sometimes it’s hard not to lift pen up when sting starts but grit teeth and plod on.
Hi I have been on Benepali for 2 years and used to inject into my leg but found like you it was very painful have been doing in my stomach for about 6 months now and it is a lot less painful like everyone has been saying take it out of the fridge for at least half an hour before as it is the coldness of the medication that makes it worse. Try and inject into a fattier part of your stomach this all helps. I always find the injection gets easier in the summer when the weather warms up so you have that to look forward to.
I have found that with Enbrel it hurts less if I inject into a fattier part of my leg. The higher on the thigh the less it hurts for me. Also take it out of the fridge for at least an hour before injecting. I watched the YouTube video that Enbrel put out and follow their instructions.
I’ve always been advised to inject into a different part of my stomach as it’s fattier and easier to do. The leg has muscle so it’s harder to inject , so I’m told, but have never tried. Get the usual raised redness but that’s about it.
Stephen
Hi,
I take the benepali out of the fridge for about 2 hours. I then put it under my arm pit for about half an hour to bring it to body temp. Put a bit of ice on where I’m going to inject for about 30 secs then inject. I do it in my thigh, works for me but we,re all different. Good luck.
If you put an ice cube on the area that you are going to inject, and hold it there for about 30 seconds, you should not bruise and it won't hurt much either. Best luck
Hi, like you I’m on Benepali injections, I’ve been on them for over a year. They have made such a difference to my RA. I have on occasion had a large bruise, but usually I can’t tell where I’ve injected. The worst thing for me is injecting in my legs, I do rotation of 4, legs & stomach either side , when I inject in my legs it is VERY painful, it is human nature if something hurts a lot you pull away from the pain. I have done that once wasting half the injection!! Now I grit my teeth & even though it hurts like hell I keep the pressure on for the correct amount of time!!
Hope you can carry on like me & with gritted teeth think of the benefits!!
What are the benefits of benapali? Do you take it only with MTX? Thanks for any info.
For me it’s been amazing. I had been on MTX for 4 years and doing ok. Jan 17 I started having flare ups - really severe in my shoulder and neck.
I am now on my 12th week on Benepali (as well as MTX injection) and I feel like the person I was before going down with RA. It has been a life changer. Over Christmas and the beginning of Jan I was totally crippled with RA after an op - I am a different person today!
Yes def our of fridge for a good amount of time and tummy better than leg
Hi - I have my injection day tomorrow and yes it does sting somewhat. I rotate mine in my tummy area. Do you take any other meds with yours ? I am unable to tolerate the mtx ....
Thx—what is the benepali for? I don’t know the medicine? Is it only used with MTX? You might ask about a smaller needle? See what they say.....
I'm 16 and started benepali aboutt 5 months ago. I experience severe pain from the injections, I have tried different needles, injection sites and methods but its still the same pain. I checked with the nurses and I'm doing everything right, but the pain is so bad that I have panic attacks before every injection. Honestly my heart is racing just thinking about it. Its not a stinging pain at all for me, it feels more like someone is wriggling a scalpel around and it hurts to move too quickly afterwards too. Does anyone else have similar experiences?
Hi, I was on Benepali now on Baracitinib ( tablet ) . Yes, I found injecting into the thigh was very sore and always bruised. The tummy was fine. I understand you can also inject into upper arm but probably best to ask your Rheumy nurse. All the best X
Most of us the same. Buy some Ametop gel from the chemist. It’s specifically made for this kind of thing. Leave it on for a full 45 minutes. You only need a pearl sized blob even though the instructions say use the whole tube. Experiment. You will find what works for you. Takes out at least 70% of the sting. Keep in the fridge. Good luck!
Use it after a nice warm bath and u will be surprised with the difference
Hi, try holding an ice cube on the area before injecting for as long as you can bear, ive actually had some painless ones!!
Benepali painful pen
Concerns Benepali 
