Hi everyone, i did my methotrexate injection at home for the first time (did four at the hospital before they let me take them home).
i think i may have pressed down too hard as it bled a little afterwards, is this normal? it hurt a little bit too, i think i may have slightly put too much pressure on before doing the shot. it’s never bled before when doing them at the hospital so i was wondering if i’d done something wrong?
many thanks
I do occasionally bleed if I push too hard and I’ve been injecting for years, so don’t panic. Be a little more gentle next time but don’t worry even if you don’t. Are you in any pain at the injection site?
thankyou i thought so but was unsure if i’d done something wrong, and no it hurt a little afterwards but it seems to be okay now 
Glad you’re ok. You might get a little bruise. I’m sure you didn’t do anything wrong, as such, just a little too much pressure. Assume it wasn’t loads of bloods?
no only a little, thankyou for your help, i’ll make sure to do it more gently next time
I only had one bleed in 12 weeks of using methotrexate injections nurse said I might have hit a vain and it did hurt and bruised instantly.
I get a little blood sometimes and sometimes bruise. It can be that you pressed too hard and can also be that you hit a tiny vein. Neither matters as far as the injection goes. If you do get a spot of blood, just press on it with a clean cotton ball or similar for a few minutes (like you would if you get bloods done) and it should stop very quickly. They tell you to use your tummy or thigh because there is nothing big to hit with the tiny mtx needle.
I've done the same thing Olivia, applied too much pressure. Sometimes it bleeds a little and throbs. It always settles down afterwards. When I was taught to inject myself the nurse told me not to worry unless the bleeding or throbbing persists, it never has though. Hope this helps x
Been injecting for many years. Occasionally there is a bit of blood or a bruise. Never worked out why but never a problem. Go for the area with most flab. I have lost a lot of weight and now prefer stomach to thigh. I hope the injections work well for you
Hello! This happens to me too. I always stick on a plaster afterwards just to curb the bleeding if there is any. Just make sure to pinch a meaty bit of thigh or stomach before injecting! Good luck and have a happy healthy 2020. 😊
Hi oliviagodfreyxxx. Don’t worry about a little drop of blood. When I first used the methotrexate pen, the nurse who instructed me, advised me to try to avoid any of the small veins as they would bleed. Well I have been injecting myself for a couple of years now and I still catch a vein now and againand bleed a little bit so don’t worry, it happens.
I'm not on methotrexate any more but still do my meds by injection and it is possible to catch a little capillary when you inject and cause a spot of blood to seep out. In fact the very same thing happened to me when I did my injection on Friday. You may find a bruise there - in fact I think if I recall correctly, I used to always get a bruise after mtx injections!
i have a small dark one but it isn’t too noticeable, i’ll try more gently next time, still getting used to doing them by injection as i’ve only just switched from tablets x
Hi Olivia, it's not anything to worry about, just be little bit more gentle and you will soon get used to it. I bleed sometimes but not much (just make sure not to wear anything white!). The only other bit of advice I can give you is to vary the injection site each time, I used to inject just to the side of my belly button as it was very convenient but eventually I developed a lump there which has now gone since I changed the injection site each time. You feel it a bit more in the thigh but it isn't that bad. I hope it all goes well for you.
thankyou! i might try the thigh if it bleeds again next time, hopefully it won’t as i’ll try and be more gentle. thanks for your help x
In my experience of using MTX for 2 years by injection pen is hold for 10 seconds, slight blood drops are normal as well as pain in the area.
Hi Olivia,
I generally get a little spot of blood when I inject into my thighs. But nothing when I inject into my stomach. It also stings a little into my thighs.
As mentioned by others above I vary the injection site each time.
Nothing to worry about though.
thankyou! i will try and be more gentle next time, hopefully it doesn’t bleed as much then x
I bleed a bit sometimes with a bit of pain afterwards, but not other times, it is nothing much and I don`t think you are doing anything wrong, other people I know have the same thing. The best part is, NO tablets!
thankyou! and exactly, the tablets were HELL, i’d rather have slight bruising than take those ever again !!
I could`t agree more and although I still have slight nausea occasionally, I have been given Folic acid to help with that. It`s nothing compared to how unwell I felt with the tablets!
same! i cant believe i stayed on the tablets for almost 10 months before moving to the injection, what was i thinking !!
Hiya Olivia. I can sometimes hit a capillary & I've been injecting MTX nearly 10 years. I wouldn’t worry about it, you probably didn’t press any harder than you did the 4 times previously, it's just you happened to nick one of the many capillaries on the tum, or I should say I don't press any harder when it happens. Generally the bleeding stops pretty much straightaway. It may bruise, they can be doozies but don't worry.
thankyou for the reassurance, hopefully it won’t bleed again next time, fingers crossed!!
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