Clusterheadaches.com Message Board


    
      
        Clusterheadaches.com Message Board
        (http://www.clusterheadaches.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi)
      

        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> where do you inject?
        
(Message started by: chris_the_chemist on Oct 19^th, 2002, 5:55pm)

Title: where do you inject?
Post by chris_the_chemist on Oct 19^th, 2002, 5:55pm

When you're loading yourself up on an imitrex bolus, where do you inject? Anyone varied the location to see if they get more rapid relief?

I'm usually an arm/shoulder injector, but I take half-shots quite often, and it's difficult to insert the needle, hold it, and carefully administer the 3 mg's when I'm dosing into my shoulder. Hence, I was wondering about the thigh. Any thoughts/advice?

~ Chris

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by emilysmommy on Oct 19^th, 2002, 7:26pm

Hi Chris. I'm quite new to this, but I've been injecting in my thigh. I found that when I do half shots, by injecting the needle myself, I bruise and swell pretty badly. I think it's due to the fact that I don't really know how far the needle goes in with the pen so it's just easier for me to jab the whole needle in my leg rather than guess! I've found that I don't get the same amount of relief with half doses. How about you?

Michelle

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by chris_the_chemist on Oct 19^th, 2002, 7:48pm

If I catch the HA when it's first starting up, I do get full relief from a half-shot, although it does take longer to kick in. If I wake up in the middle of a full-blown head-splitter, I need the full 6mg to knock it down.

~ Chris

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by Mark C on Oct 20^th, 2002, 3:38am

I have been doing it in my shoulder but I think I am getting muscle instead of fat, which is prefered. I ain't got much fat in my arm or thigh so I was thinking of trying my er........um, lower thigh or butt. IM is too slow.
While I have you all here I was thinking of something and I wanted your opnion.
What if you took your STATdose pens, all of them, and shot them into an empty vial, source to be determined, filling it, where the Imitrex could be used from a standard U-100 syringe in a 2 or 3 mg dose. Just a thought.
Mark

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by jmorgan52 on Oct 20^th, 2002, 11:43am

I always use my right thigh just below the butt. Works like a charm for me. See my other posting replies on how to use the pen for half shots. I got another pen and shortened the firing pin down. I use this for the first half shot and the original pen for the second half shot. You have to manually reload the short pen using a pencil or similar, and carefully manulally unscrew the vial after the 1st shot and put it back in the holder by hand or risk bending the needle. This is easier and safer than using needles or the Qtip method. You just need to be a bit more careful and mark the shot/pen 1st/2nd when you are not in pain!

I also found the half shot works fine if you catch the CH early enough. If I let it it get to the raging level I find I need the full shot to make it go away.

Love J

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by rmbreset on Oct 22^nd, 2002, 8:47am

i do half shots, the first goes in the thigh as I am using a qtip to inject, the second half i will use the 'tool' for so that goes in the arm, i have noticied no difference , but i am on the thin side , I think that body fat would be the only factor.

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by Georgia on Oct 23^rd, 2002, 2:04am

Chris - I have injected into my arm and my thigh. I never noted either as being preferential. I know a clusterhead who used to inject in her stomach....she was skinny as a damn rail and the only place on her body that she even had the slightest bit of body fat was on her stomach....it worked well for her...never tried it myself though...just the thought skeeves me.

Mark C - have you checked out the "imitrex tip"link on the left? Using smaller dosages of Imitrex by manipulating the stat dose injector is discussed there....works well for many.

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by clavers on Oct 23^rd, 2002, 10:32am

I have injected myself in the thigh, the chest and the soft part of my forearm. The latter works best for me. For one thing it is the first flesh you come to, it is relatively painless, it works quickly (about half the time it take for the thigh) and you can do it without much notice. In fact, believe it or not, I teach history in a college, and today I injected myself behind my podium and the students didn't know anything about it.

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by ChristineL on Oct 23^rd, 2002, 12:32pm

I inject myself in my thigh or the high part of my butt . I use 1/3 the dose in the epipen so that I get 12 shots out of the two doses and they work great for me. I put the individual doses into insulin syringes which you can buy(10 at a time) without a presciption in most states. The insulin needle is very fine so it doesn't hurt at all.

Chris L

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by Mark C on Oct 23^rd, 2002, 1:20pm

Thanks Georgia,
I seen the tip but havent tried it yet. I also discovered on the Glaxo website that Imitrex is avaliable in pre filled syringes that may allow us to control the dose a little easier. I am working on that one now along with O2 from the Doctor.
Good luck all,
Mark

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by NotH20 on Oct 23^rd, 2002, 3:25pm

Chris, I usually take my injection in my thigh - alternating them. I've only taken a few in my upper arm and it worked well too, but was a little more painful.

Michelle - If I'm not mistaken, only the tip of the needle is supposed to go in. You may not be getting the full effect of the medicine quick enough if you are inserting the entire needle....(just a thought).

Marc C - I ask my pharmacist to always keep the larger needles on hand instead of the stat dose pens. You can remove the entire needle from the case and it's just a normal sized pre-filled syringe. I've never used the Imitrex tip - never had to use the q-tip, etc. It's all the same dosage and you don't need a specific Rx to get them...just ask your pharmacist. If you are using the "gun" to inject with the older syringes - you probably want to do that in your thigh instead of your leg. The sound it makes is much bigger than the pain - don't be alarmed.

NotH20

Title: Re: where do you inject?
Post by DougL on Oct 23^rd, 2002, 5:00pm

Im a thigh man my self.

Imitrex is only to injected subcutainusly.
Meaning just under the skin. It is not ment to be injected into the mussle. If you inject into the mussle you will not get the same results. Especialy if your using 1/2 dose or 1/3rd.

DougL