Actemra injection

[WaltzG]

Hi yet another question re actemra. Can I change time of day or day I do the weekly injection? I have tried to speak to nurse but not available ....your help appreciated

[DeepThought2]

dear SharonY. Time of the day is no problem at all. Half life time of Tocilizumab is 7 to 19 days; so also delaying injection by one day or so should not be a problem. I did that at least with no consequence - but I am not a trained medical person, I can only tell about my own experience .

[WaltzG in reply to DeepThought2]

Many thanks reassuring

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I have been known to get the injection out for the morning jab and then forgot it until late afternoon! Didn't cause a problem.

The day is much the same - I had to miss the jab because of a UTI so that would have been a 2 week gap, the nurse said it was an ideal opportunity to change the day if I wanted to. In the clinical trials, some patients were on weekly, some were on bi-weekly jabs - the effect lasts.

[WaltzG in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks!! Glad I'm not the only one with that sort of memory!!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to WaltzG]

You do have a fair cushion of timing - they have changed the PIL to say you have 2 weeks out of the fridge although it must be protected from light and humidity for that long!

[WaltzG in reply to PMRpro]

Good to know thx

[FRnina in reply to PMRpro]

and slightly related to this, I ordered the portable fridge for travelling with Tocilizumab from 4All the Family as per your internet search PMRpro. Thanks again. I will come back with my experience after next trip. I travel mainly by train and very occasionally by plane: hoping the little portable fridge will give me more travel time flexibility.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to FRnina]

Looking forward to that.

[scottygirl73]

Yes you can change with no problems.xx

[WaltzG]

Thanks very much