Been on benepali for 3 months now. Sometimes the injection is sweet and easy and doesn't hurt much at all (normally on left leg). Other times it stings like hell and I shout the house down. Any tips and tricks for making it more painless? I follow nurse instructions to the t, (click, click, wait for 15 secs.. keep it down after 2nd click) but it's just so variable.
I know I should be switching to my stomach aswell but I'm scared it'll be more painful there too. What is your approach? Let me know!
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heyitsmee
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Seems unfair that the things that help us have to be so uncomfortable, doesn't it!?! I don't take Benepali but Enbrel, which is very similar. I actually find the injections in the stomach are much less painful than in the leg; sometimes I barely even feel it. Might be worth a try.
I used to do it in my legs but was soooo painful that I switched to stomach and it is much better. Still stings a bit but nowhere near as much as doing it in my legs. Also don’t have spider veins in my stomach so tend to get less bruising 😁
I’ve seen that advice about the ice cube on here recently, so dug out the tray & put it in freezer overnight. Going to try today, also saw another suggestion about keeping the injection (after removing from fridge) in a warm pocket of something, I think? So have put mine in fluffy dressing gown pocket, then into piocket of my tunic. Unfortunately having a HAH nurse visit, 11 am-1 pm so had to change my injection day & wait around. Not happy & this is due to reporting injection that didnt seem to work😱 but been doing them fine apart from that & the stinging of course.
Hiya, I have switched to the prefilled syringes as I hated the pen and found it hard to press down and stretch the skin etc when hands were stiff. I couldn't use these on my tummy either as its a flabby area so more difficult to stretch and then push down with the pen. I found they did usually sting. since using the syringes it is much easier and I can now use my tummy as you need to grab a nice bit of the fatty area and then in with the needle at 45 degrees and then slowly inject. I find if I get it out first for a good hour or 2 then make sure the alcohol wipe has dried fully then once needle in position I gently push down over around 20 seconds and it is usually fairly painless. Obviously you need to not be needle phobic, as you can see the needle in this method unlike the pen so may not be for you! I am an ex nurse so was used to stabbing other people for years, was still a bit weird doing it to myself. I think for me the syringe means I can use more sites easily so I am happy with that. It did mean a change of prescription so rheumy team need to authorise it.
Try pen out for a couple of hours and making sure the alcohol wipe is dried otherwise that will sting.
I was on oral Methotrexate 20mgs which gave me fairly good control with some short steroids courses a few times per year. Biologics got scrapped.
Definitely discuss options with your Rheumatology team. My advice would be though to try a different biologic/similar now you have got access to them. Other people on this site might be able to advise you better on not loosing out on getting the best possible drugs. I think there are some interesting changes including the JAK inhibitors.
Good luck
I find it less painfull in stomach. I don't bother with thighs at all. I also leave injection out of fridge for quite a while before using.
It pinches a bit, but doesn't really hurt. I hope it gets less painful for you.
I'm on enbrel, Benepali is the bio similar. I'm injecting today and I got mine out if the fridge yesterday. I was already injecting mtx and my nurse advised me to inject enbrel, not to use the pen type, she told me you have more control when injecting rather than it all going in at once when you use a pen type. I find my stomach to be less painful than my leg, sometimes I don't feel it at all. I've also read that icing the area first helps too. Enbrel took me straight into remission over five years ago, a little bit of discomfort once a week is well worth it. xx
It's great to hear you got into remission! Does this mean you have no symptoms at all? I'm just wandering what success would look like... if I am on benepali and I improve but still have some swollen joints is there still room to manoeuvre and try something else or has it worked? I guess I'm trying to understand whether biologics working mean they fix everything or they improve symptoms to a point
I do get the odd niggle here and there, I think to myself it's reminding me it's still there, but nothing bad enough to take painkillers. I did have a short lived flare in June 2015 when I did have to take something but apart from then I can't remember the last time I took painkillers for my RA. I know I'm really lucky.
At least I’m not the only ones finding the Benepali injections painful. I was on enbrel previously and found them quite painless really. Like you I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Sometimes it’s not too bad and other times it’s absolute agony.
I used to inject the Enbrel pen for a brief time (got a major saucer size rash on my injection site after a few times which hurt and swelled with a fiery hotness) and was also told to let the alcohol wipe dry as for many the pain is the sting of that. I used to take the pen out of the fridge 30 mins prior to injecting and put it under my sweater between that and my tee shirt on my midriff area to get it to body temperature. It didn't hurt more then the initial needle sensation but about an hour later the fiery circle of the site reaction started. It is with sadness I had to stop Enbrel after 7 weeks as my leg was too affected all the time with the reaction. Even with hydrocortisone cream. For me Enbrel worked miraculously after the first injection .. Like a miracle I stood up from the sofa and walked upstairs 2-3 hours after my first Enbrel and I felt as though there was nothing wrong with my joints and I had been bed bound with seized up joints and constant pain. Four years on Rituximab infusions are doing very wonderful, similar, positive things for my rheumatoid. Hope Enbrel is doing great things for you apart from the stinging. I never fancied injecting my tum as that is where I do Mtx so maybe if you try alternate there or get the nurse to guide you through a tum injection that may help? As Paula says .. Icing can help. Not good for me as ice like that makes me want to rush to the loo! LOL. Good luck! x
Hi it’s a lot less painful in your tumm I hardly feel anything
I have a bit of a loose tumm maybe that’s why I find it so painfree why not try it and see there’s far more flesh there than on a limb let me know if it works for you xJean
I went through this for months, I stupidly didn’t take any notice of advice on this forum. Get yourself an ice pack, put it on your tummy for 10 minutes, inject yourself in the cold part, you will not believe how much easier it is and virtually pain-free. If you don’t have an ice pack I have read that some people simply use an ice cube. I’m sure you are taking the injection out of the fridge sometime before you inject .
I've been on Benepali for close to a year now, for some reason it hurts alot more in my right thigh than my left. On the left its just like a little sting, like when you give blood from your arm, on the right its like being stung by a giant wasp sometimes.
I couldnt imagine doing it on my stomach tho, not with the pen and the force you have to use, seems like it would hurt alot.
So on my left thigh its as close to painless as i think it gets with the pen atleast. I was advised to leave the pen out for 30 minutes before injecting it, so it wouldnt hurt as bad.
I can see its 5 months since you posted this but, if ur still on the pen, then thats what i do to get as close to a painless injection as possible.
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