Can anyone help with info please....

[jellybean14]

have been on Enbrel injections for three weeks now but have started to get a raised red rash around the injection site since thursday of this week, taking antiestamines to help with the itching and reddness.

The nursing team who contact me have assured me that this is normal ???

Has anyone else who have started this treatment had similar happenings , no effect on the ra has of yet but know it can take up to 12weeks..hope not !!

By the way do use different area for each injection...

thanks everyone x

[watson3]

Yes always choose a different sitedid they not advise a steriod c.ream for the rash. Ask your GP

[jellybean14 in reply to watson3]

thank you for tip, not been putting anything on the rash just taking allergy pills..rash looing less red and raised today x

[Hidden]

Hi, I get this sometimes but rarely now, I'm not sure if this makes a difference but when I take it out the fridge I use the sterile wipe then so when I inject 20 mins later it's dry and doesn't irritate or sting.

For me it was around week 6 when I noticed a change and by week 12 I was 80% better. I've been in 'induced remission' for over a year now, only a few days since starting of a slight flare.

Yes, as watson mentions, different site each time, hope you get results soon

[jellybean14 in reply to Hidden]

thanks , the ra nurse i have says not to use the wipes as the area should be clean..just water if i feel the need to make totally sure..looking forward to having a painfree time x

[2plus2]

Hi jellybean, I had exactly the same problem think I posted on here the same question :-). After about 5 injections I no longer had the red area. Now 20 injections later I very rarely get any problems just felt it was my body getting used to the injection and medication. I would give it a few weeks and wait and see. Good luck.

[126Jessie]

Yes, this happened to me for the first few months and then completely stopped. Change injection site and see if it helps, hopefully it will settle x

[MrsFitz17]

It happened to me too and got worse until my entire thigh swelled up. It turned out I was allergic to the pen injector and when I changed to syringes instead it was fine.

[earthwitch]

I've heard people being advised to ice the area before doing the injection - that helps with pain, but I think it also stops the site reaction a bit too.

Also worth considering changing from the pen injector to syringes.

[jellybean14 in reply to earthwitch]

did read the ice cube trick on here before, hope it's not a reaction to the pen has i really don't like the idea of the syringes much lol .....thank you

[magglen]

I also had this problem in the beginning. I still get a bit of a red, itchy area but it soon passes. I find it is less if I can find a nice fatty area. I don't have any fat on my thighs and that is where the irriation is worse. Is it really so bad you have to take anti histamines? I would avoid them if you can.x

[Hidden]

When the nurse visited me she said never inject the same area twice also to do a different thigheach time. I wait for an hour after they come out of the fridge was also told to use the wipe after i had injected. It seems we are all given different advice how to do these injections . Check with your gp re the antistimine tablets take care xx

[jellybean14 in reply to Hidden]

will do thank you, yes a bit confusing i agree x

[Narna74]

I also had this problem after the 3rd injection each reaction got bigger and bigger the last one I had was my whole thigh! Nurse told me stop using and have a break for a couple of weeks and try again. Same thing happened again, I was taken off Enbrel and I am now on Simponi, which I have had not reactions at all.

Hope this as helped

X

[allanah]

hope u ok, but i had it happen and i found not using the alcohol wipe helped, just had a shower before to make sure the skin was clean. Ice helps to cool the irritation but obviously talk to the rheumies if it keeps happening or the rash gets bigger than say a 50 p piece. xx

[vanessa in reply to allanah]

Hello all,also on the same injection.I alternate from stomach ( 5cms away from belly button) then legs.Always use wipe first but i wave my hand gently over the area to dry before injecting,stops the stinging and ob use a wipe after.

[Jane06]

I got a rash every time until about the 4th or 5th injection when it stopped. This seems to be the norm and nothing to worry about. It always stings aswell - in spite of having it at room temp. I don't think anything can help that as it is the liquid being delivered that hurts, not the needle. I'm sure it must be the same for all of you too!

[jellybean14 in reply to Jane06]

it's good to hear how it affects others, that stinging has the liquid goes in is nasty and the rash on my other leg that i injected friday is already fading...thank you all for your advise ...

[tilstongal]

Hi, I had the same problem, I stopped using the wipes and sometime after the injection (3-4hours) I gently rubbed the site with pure lavender oil -it worked a treat. Incidentally lavender oil is invaluable for small burns just keep dabbing the spot whenever you think of it and it will relieve the itching and reduces scarring. Hope this helps.

Tilstongal