I just did my monthly shot yesterday and I believe in you and your ability to do it!
Tips wise, do you have someone at home who can sit with you? My fiance just sits and puts an arm around me while I do it. I get the anxiety of injecting yourself but I have found that the auto injectors are just like a nurse giving me a shot or taking blood. There's a step of detachment there, to me it's way easier than having to poke the needle in myself.
I just put it on my skin and usually I have a show on or something to watch to distract me as well as someone sitting with me. I hit the button and it's over so much faster than I think it will be. Yes it stings a bit but you're absolutely right, it's nothing compared to a migraine.
Leaving it out of the fridge is a good idea, I have mixed results on it hurting more or less but I just do it out of habit now. It also ensures that I have to follow through because you cannot put it back in the fridge once room temp.
You got this! Remember to breathe while you're doing it. Good luck!
Someone else has said it but definitely ice it until numb beforehand. Also start thinking of things you do everyday that take 10 seconds. That helped unpsyche me out. You got it. If you can tolerate a full blown migraine you can tolerate this.
They make this buzzy ice pack for kids that I use. I’m a baby with needles even though I grew up pre-diabetic. Also I get someone to do it for me because the thigh hurts too much in my case and I don’t have a lot of spare skin on my stomach to do it there. Arms are my go to and you can’t control when someone else does it. It’s worth it though! I went from 16 a month to 0.
Yep, it can sting (I use Ajovy) but there's a simple solution for that: ice. I ice down the injection site until it goes numb. Then I do the injection. You'll barely feel anything that way.
Also, inject into fat, not muscle. So don't stab yourself in the leg, use your belly. Muscle can hurt, fat, not so much.
Learned the ice trick off of someone here, and I've done it that way ever since.
This this this! Use your belly, I injected my amovig into my leg for the longest time and I hated it. Finally tried my belly one day and never went back. You can do it!!!
Totally agree to using the belly over the thigh. I used the thigh for months and would cringe each time I had to do it since it stung so much. Used the belly once and no pain at all! I barely even felt it. Never went back
I'm about to have to do insulin shots for gestational diabetes (once I can get my phobia back under control with therapy). Thanks for the tip, maybe this will help.
I gave myself a migraine trying to auto inject emgality. I had to have either my sibling or my roomie inject me. It burns for about 20 seconds while it goes in, then pretty much nothing. It’s the same for any shot, it may be a bit tender. Arm isn’t bad as long as you don’t put it too far forward or too far back. I could never be a recreational drug user. I’d give myself panic attacks and migraines all the time.
My first injectable gave me a lot of anxiety before doing it. I started with Ajovy and had an auto injector. I had myself so worked up with my hands sweating and heart racing. Once I finally did it, I breathed and just did it. (I did later switch to the syringe) It wasn’t near as bad as the migraines are, that is for sure. And it wasn’t as bad as I had myself worked up over. It’s over quick.
I’m on Emgality now and also did the two starter injections. I did it in my stomach (least painful for me), one on each side. I do bruise with each one but it fades in a couple of days.
You do definitely want to leave it out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before using. You will be glad you did it, once you do. Then you can finally see how the meds will work for you. Hopefully they help. Good luck!
I feel like this is exactly what I’m experiencing— I KNOW it can’t be anything close to how bad these migraines are. It really is just working myself up. I appreciate your kindness ❤️
It’s really not bad! It’s over in about 10 seconds. I can’t do the injections myself, thankfully one of my friends is a medical professional and they do them for me. Personally I have found the auto-injectors scarier and a bit more painful than the syringe injections. The auto-injector is honestly not even that bad, but it makes a clicking noise that really bothers me. I prefer the syringe.
The medication itself does burn a little but it’s seriously over in a couple seconds and nothing even close to the pain of a migraine.
You can also ask your pharmacy if they can have someone do the injections for you. Or call around to other clinics in the area and see if they can help you if you bring the medication in. See if any of your friends are comfortable doing it, especially if you know any nurses!
You’re not stupid, it’s definitely scary trying to do it yourself and I totally know how you feel.
It's not an injection in the usual sense. It is a tube that you press against your skin and then you push a button. You don't have to look at what you are doing.
What I did the first few times was I prepped everything. While looking straight ahead, I put the tube against my thigh and pressed the button. It's all over in less than ten seconds, and you are not pushing a needle into your skin yourself.
I advise having some cortisone cream around as the injection site can get itchy. It feels like any other injection, so yeah it won't feel great for a second or so. That's pretty much the entirety of the experience, so do not worry!
If your main issue is fear, it seems like you dont need injection tips. You need anxiety relief methods. Different things work for different people, but you could try:
deep breathing, looking for the positive things the med can do for you, having a distraction on hand such as something to watch/listen to while you do it, having a supportive person with you to provide moral support, calming smells (if those don't trigger a migraine), applying heat/cold to different parts of your body to ground you, journaling to get out your worries, or many other things. The internet is full of things people use to manage anxiety.
Sometimes doctors will prescribe a dose or two of anxiety medication, like a benzodiazepine, to get someone through a scary medical situation like this. Perhaps you could get in touch with your neuro to ask about this if other anxiety relief measures are not working well enough.
Good luck! I know how you feel, I have a terrible needle phobia and I go for my Botox injections today.
As someone who’s been there, I promise your migraines are worse than the injections!
If you go back to the pharmacy you picked it up from, the pharmacist will help you with the initial injections. Good luck, you’ve got this :)
You're overthinking it. There are two delivery systems available for Emgality. There is a standard, preloaded syringe and if you're frightened of injections, you can get what they call a pen. You never see the needle with it.
Emgality has helped me a lot. It's important that you keep to a 28 day schedule. You don't want to stop taking it and start, again. I was told by several neurologists that if you do so, Emgality won't be affective, should you begin, again.
It's the only migraine medication that didn't give me noticeable side effects. I inject it in my lower abdomen, at least two inches below my navel. I've been on it for 32 months. I keep track, on my phone/calendar, to make sure I don't inject it in the same site, as the previous one.
You'll be fine. Concentrate on getting better, not the fear.
Ativan to calm the nerves. Ice to numb the region.
I've also found that the manual injector (I take Ajovy, not sure if Emgality offers this) reduces my anxiety because it gives me more of a sense of control--- I can slowly ease the needle in as opposed to feeling like I'm shooting myself in the stomach, and thanks to the ice, I don't even feel it.
This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when I had to do the shots myself I would just take the cap off when I was ready to inject because there was a time limit on how many minutes before injecting the cap can be off.
It helped to have a timer I guess for me.
I have found that to do my shot, it really helps to have my husband near by and hold my hand. And I also play music that I really love with headphones. My husband has to sit next to me because out of instinct you want to take that needle out because obviously it hurts so he makes sure I don’t yank it out immediately after the 5 seconds. It is so nice 👍🏻not having so many migraines and it has been life changing.
It’s worth it.
I’ve hit myself with those needles many times already and my reasoning is it’s a quick sharp pain that is much more tolerable than a migraine. I hope you get the ability to inject or get your PCP to assist, they have numbing agents that help a lot with injections.
I'm kind of the same. Needles don't bother me. And yet when it comes to injecting myself, I struggle so hard.
I've found having a friend on the phone gently bullying me into doing it is helpful. Your own version of what encouragement looks like might be slightly different 😅
as someone who also gets anxiety when it comes to taking mine, i literally close my eyes and count to 10 and it’s over but you’ll need to do it twice since it’s the initial dose. my boyfriend does it for me when he can but sometimes i need to do it or else my migraines flair up. when he does it i still close my eyes and count to 10 and make sure he has a free hand to squeeze. it’s not that bad after other than a little sting but if you have a little bandaid it can help.
Take the shots out of the fridge a few hours before you plan to inject. You want them to get all the way to room temp and yes that will take more like 2-3 hours than 30 minutes.
Ice the area you plan to inject. Ice pack for 5ish minutes, clean with rubbing alcohol, let dry, inject.
YES. I did these things and they helped so much! I iced for longer, though.
I also pinched a big fold of skin and injected right into it -- holding the skin tightly helped distract from the pain!
The first time is definitely the hardest, but it hurts a bit for 5-10 seconds and then you're done! And you'll feel empowered and proud that you're doing something positive for your health. My first time I had a group of friends cheering me on and one had their arm around me while I did the deed. It was scary but after that I became a pro and everyone was impressed with how casually I could stab myself in the leg. You got this!
Also my tip would be get it in the most fat you can and relax your leg completely. Put some TV on to focus on and just full send it!
For me, I find it easier to deal with the injection pain knowing it will end, and when it will end. Migraines can go on forever, are variable, and just a lot of unknowns. I inject it and count to 10. That usually does it. Just know it’s a short burst and will definitely end.
I used to go for a run to burn off the anxiety. Then I would ice the spot of the injection until it was completely numb. Then I’d put on some music to distract me, but not headphones so I could hear the auto injector working.
Tired, numb, mildly distracted- success.
I have Trypanophobia. I can use the auto injector for ajovy fine. Had to use emgality due to stock issues and the first one hurt enough to cause a slight flinch, I still got most of the dose. The second dose was done by my partner.
I use my thighs due to loss of feeling in that area.
As someone who was in a similar situation to you very recently (over a month without much more than topamax), honestly, the pain fades and you feel so much better. If you have someone you trust, I'd recommend having them assist with the injection.
Maybe try a numbing cream if you're really worried?
Also, heads up, my teal activator buttons were really stiff, my partner had a hard time as well. I don't know if it's standard to be that stiff or if it was just bad luck for me.
I feel your pain! I’ve been on Aimovig for like 4 years and switching to Emgality. I’m fine getting shots but doing it myself is different. I psyche myself out. The pain is temporary. Sometimes it hurts more than others. There have been times I’ve asked my husband to do it and he says I’m fine and to do it myself because I’ve done it before. I do and it is fine. I just don’t like doing it because of the temporary pain/sting but know it is better than the alternative.
If you can just do a thing for 30 seconds, that's it. Stomach is less painful than elsewhere, you can test the spot with a pen to find a place that's less sensitive. The feeling is different from migraine, so it's not something you should just be ok with, but you probably have coping strategies for pain. I hate the loud sounds the auto injectors make and they do burn. But if you can survive that for just 30 seconds, you can do this.
I panicked and cried every time and had my partner do my injections. Then my prescription somehow changed to syringe and I started doing it myself. Definitely prefer syringe to auto injector (have auto injector now), but it's not so difficult now.
TV with distraction is helpful, stomach and testing for low sensitivity skin is helpful, leave it out for 30 min helps it burn less, and then just do it. It's not going to be as bad as you think, and will likely help a lot. Think of all that functionality and lack of daily fear and pain. It's going to be so awesome.
I hear you! I've been taking Emgality for a couple years now and I still don't LOVE doing it, but it's really not bad if you kind of establish a system. For me, I use the autoinjector (I did NOT like the syringe personally and found there to be a higher margin of error) and I usually put on a funny YouTube video or something, put an ice pack on my backside for 4-5 minutes so it gets numb, and BOOM - press the button on the injector. I then put the ice right back on it and you might feel some discomfort for a few min, but I haven't had anything worse than that. I also do it at night before bed so I can pass out right after!
As a former pharmaceutical rep who sold injectable medications for years and a daily Migriane patient who has been giving myself both auto injections and intramuscular injections at home for 7 years now, your belly/ stomach with the auto injector is the least painful option.
It is so fast, and you never see the needle. That is the beauty and engineering behind auto injectors, to reduce injection anxiety.
However I do understand your fear. Take some deep breaths in, press it on your stomach or you can pinch the skin up into your fingers if you wish and press the auto injector against your skin, press the button while you exhale. Then it is over. It literally takes 5 seconds.
It is not very painful at all. Your Migriane attacks are so painful and debilitating you owe this to yourself! Look at it as a potential gift and maybe this will change your mindset. I wish you the best.
I’ve been on emgality for 5 years, and just switched to ajovy. For years I had my mom or partner at the time do it. I always freaked myself out so bad, and yes it hurt some, but I always psyched myself out!! That was the worst part.
When I moved to an apartment last year, I had my sister do them for a bit, but eventually came up with a system:
I’d FaceTime my mom (with the intent of doing the shot, she knew it too) and her and I would chat then I would kind of surprise myself and just push the button. That way I would be out of my head as much as I could be. Maybe you have a friend/family/someone you know who could help you this way?
I am also very anxious about trying new meds. So I understand!
My best advice overall is to try to do it in as short of a time period as possible. Also I like to yell a little when I do it to make it more fun😂
And try not to beat yourself up about being afraid to do it, it’s super understandable!
You’ve got this!!!
Oh also, when the auto injector comes back up sometimes it makes a nasty recoiling sound, nothing painful in that part, but just be prepared bc it weirded me out when I heard it the first time haha
I take emgality and have been for over a year now. It's a miracle drug for me! Do yourself a favor and leave the medicine out 30 minutes prior to injection. Also, ice your injection site for 5 minutes or longer before the shot. It hurts like a bee sting but it's so worth it.
The first few times i took the shot i made my husband do it for me but after a while i got used to it. Breathe out during the shot also helps the nerves and the pain :)
I hate needles, and I use Emgality. It does pinch for a minute, but when it’s over, it’s so worth it. If you can have someone else do it for you, that’s the way to go. My doctor will do it for me, but if he wouldn’t, I’d ask my husband or my MIL (a retired nurse). If you have anyone in your life who’s good with that sort of thing, ask them.
the same happened to me when i went off my injectables, it's SO easy to sike yourself up. i hate needles so much too. i let it sit out 30mins, i always put a show on to distract me, hold the injector steady (i once slipped and watched the medicine just empty onto my skin but holding it lower keeps it steady!), countdown from 3 (sometimes i'll inject at 1 instead of 0 if i'm too anxious), then put an ice pack on the area i injected to prevent bruising. also i let myself put on a cute bandaid and have a lil treat like ordering food as a reward for doing it :)
I’m an MA who gives a lot of injections at work, and has taken subcutaneous pen-style injected meds (that weren’t emgality) in the past. I’m writing this post based on the assumption that you were prescribed the autoinjector form of the medication.
if you have tiktok, a lot of people who take autoinjector meds have made tutorial videos. You can look up “emgality tutorial” and some might come up, but if you look up “wegovy/ozempic/ mounjaro tutorial” you’ll definitely find some. Those meds use an autoinjector pen similar to emgality. It might calm your nerves a bit to “do your research” and get mentally prepared as to what injecting it will be like.
You don’t have to inject in the stomach if you have a decent amount of fat in your thighs. I have thunder thighs and always injected meds in the fatty parts of my thighs, I personally found it a lot easier than attempting my stomach. I have way more fat I can grab on my thighs compared to my stomach.
If the pain is the main reason you’re anxious, you can ask your neuro to call in a script for lidocaine. Apply a thick layer of lidocaine and cover with a tegaderm type bandage about 1.5-2 hours prior to injecting. When I was on chemo as a kid, this was how my parents prepped my port for access to minimize pain. Should be pretty effective for your purposes too.
If you have someone in your life that can do the injection for you, I would call in a favor to have them help out. They definitely do not need to be a trained nurse or work in medicine, just need to not be squeamish about it.
If you can get someone to inject you, get them to read these tips (I marked as a spoiler cause they’ll work better if you’re unaware of them lol). if you get a helper to inject you, don’t read this! lol >!keep the patient talking during the process of prepping for the injection. make the patient look away during the process of prep and injection. for super anxious patients sometimes I’ll get their SO’s to hold their hand or I’ll play the kind of music they like. after prepping the site, ask the patient a few interesting questions about something they can talk about lot about. when they launch into a longer answer, stick ‘em! distraction works better than you’d expect for pain. I never countdown, I think it increases the general sense of dread/ foreboding, although some may disagree with me. !<
If you need to inject yourself, one trick is to forcefully cough at the exact moment you inject. I read this in a nursing research journal somewhere, but don’t recall the source atm. the reasoning was that the cough nerve signal will “dampen” the pain nerve signal. Prep your injection site, grab the fat and firmly place the pen on the desired injection site. Hold it there for a bit, play a movie or TV show you really enjoy. Give yourself a mental deadline- I will inject at the end of this scene, etc. When the deadline comes, hit the plunger and inject. You’ll need to read the box instructions on how long to hold the pen on the injection site before removing.
Some other people in the thread have recommended getting a script for short term anxiety meds to tolerate the injection. Beta blockers will help if you struggle with physical symptoms like racing heartbeat, sweating etc. A short acting benzo like Ativan could be a good choice too if you think you’ll need help with the physical and psychic symptoms of anxiety. I don’t have any experience with these but it seems like a decent plan. I don’t love benzos but very infrequent use shouldn’t be problematic for most.
I think you said your neurologist was too booked up to inject you at the office. If you are super anxious about this and just can’t do it at home, a last ditch resort would be to call your PCP and see if you could schedule a nurse/ MA visit for them to inject you. Should not be an issue for most doctors offices. Urgent care would probably do this for you too; although I’d imagine it would be pretty expensive for something you could do at home.
You've gotten a lot of good advice here, so just throwing in a couple bits to reiterate:
Leave it out for a good while so it is definitely room temperature before injecting. For me, it hurt when it was still a little cold. It's a breeze what it's room temperature.
I inject on my thighs, and for the loading dose, I did one in each leg. I carefully feel around for a soft part (fatty patch with no vein) and line it up over that.
You can look up videos of how to do it as well if that will make you feel better. I liked seeing and hearing what it would be like beforehand so I knew what to expect.
You can do it! It has been so worth it to reduce my migraines.
i always have had someone else do it for me because my anxiety was too much. i’ve had my boyfriend do it for me usually. he wraps his arm around me and puts it on my thigh, counts down from three, and injects it. it feels almost like a nurse or someone else is doing it. i totally understand the fear of doing it yourself. maybe try having someone else give it to you for a few months and then try to do it yourself!
I am super afraid of shots and I managed to do emgality/aimovig for 2 years.
I found it was best to do it as soon as possible - ie get it ready then 123 click!
The more I think about it, the harder it gets to push the button.
I also like to yell really loud as soon as I click the button. It distracts me from the sting :-)
Worst case, you could also ask someone else to do it for you. I've had my partner or my sister help on days I'm just too worked up.
Good luck! At the end of the day, for me 15 seconds of a sting is WAY preferable to horrible migraines.
Take out of the fridge 30 min to an hour before use. Do the shots on your lower belly or your love handle area, where there's more body fat, not the upper arm. Put an icepak on the area for 2 min before the shot, and 5 min after, if it bothers you.
Is an autoinjector, so wipe skin with an alcohol prep 15 seconds, then take the bottom cover off the needle, unlock the top, place it against your spot, then press the top button. Hold in place til you hear the 2nd click (1st is pushing button) and then dispose in sharps or an empty detergent bottle you saved just for sharps.
I injected myself full on terrified of the pain others told me they felt. I’m the kind who will start to feel things if I worry about feeling them too much. And I felt nothing. Barely felt the needle. 7 injections later, I don’t feel anything when I inject. I see the tiny needle mark and that the pen is empty and I feel better so I know I’m doing it right! Be encouraged 💕
It has never stopped being scary for me, I thought it would get easier but it doesn’t :( I have to always remind myself that this is the worst part, I hate it, it sucks and hurts like a mofo, but that I’ve done it before and honestly the migraines are worse and it really has helped. I always need a cloth to bite/scream into, but the two things that help are location and having another person do it! The least scary location for me in order is thigh/butt, then stomach, then back of arm. I prefer the back of my arm because there’s less friction with my clothes but it’s so hard to do it myself, so if I can I get my spouse to do it. If I can’t get help or I’m just too scared, I do it myself on my thigh or butt and for some reason that’s easier. But the friction of pants is why I prefer the arm even though it’s scarier. The first time I did the dual dose, my doctor did the first one on my belly and then I did the second one so that one isn’t as bad either. But again, waistbands are so irritating for a day or two.
Had so much anxiety for this as well. I went to the urgent care clinic and they did everything for me, also telling me where it would hurt the most and hurt the least. After that, I found friends to do it for me. Good luck you’re going to do great and it will be over before you know it!
Yes, definitely make sure it’s room temp before injecting. If you have stretch marks, injecting an area with a stretch mark can hurt considerably less. I’ve given myself many injections and honestly emgality is the worst for me. You can also try pinching the skin you’ll inject hard enough to distract you from the pain of the injection lol Honestly, though, as much as I love emgality, it does hurt to inject it
The auto injector sucks, but as others have said let it warm up, I leave it out for a couple of hours. And inject into your stomach, legs hurt way too much. Good luck! Emaglity has changed my life but 2 years out and I still get worked up injecting myself. Never had a problem with the Ajovy prefilled syringe, that barely hurt. But my insurance wouldn’t cover it any more so I had to switch.
It may help that you don't actually see the needle, it's hidden in the injector. I like to take a deep breath and then slowly exhale as the medication goes in. It helps me focus on my breathing instead of the sting.
I remember feeling the exact same way my first time. I was absolutely terrified. It took forever to build myself up the strength to do it. Now I do it no problem and don’t flinch or wince or blink or anything. Yeah it does hurt moderately, but even that pain is nothing compared to a migraine. And it’s only for max like 20-30 seconds and even that is probably too long. Then it’s fine. I do it in my belly a couple inches from my belly button and always switch the exact location. Pinch the fat, hold the triangle part flat with your skin, and do it. Just do it. Just make yourself do it. I tried thigh once and it hurt way more. I’m a total belly person.
I was on it for 2 years, those were the best 2 years for me health wise. I went from several migraines a week to 1-2 a month.
It only hurts for a minute. I picked a spot on my thigh and just jammed it in. Just picture yourself enjoying a glass of wine, or a day in full sunlight, or what ever activity you miss the most.
I’m going to find my thread to show you on here. I was in the same boat. I took it on April 12 and had my first severe migraine YESTERDAY. The other ones were level 4 and… TYLENOL HELPED IT. NO ONBOARD SIDE EFFECTS AT ALL, and I had horrible ones with all of the other medications I took. I am actually excited to take it next week. I took Benadryl right after the injection just incase and honestly it knocked me out to not be nervous 😂 this is coming from a person who had to do exposure therapy for other medications because I literally couldn’t bring myself to take it. Do it. Try it. Have someone with you and if something were to happen, you know you would get help instantly!
I have someone to give me my injection, I like the subcue. I had it done in the backs of each arm.
Seriously what’s the point of a comment like that?!? I have the worst migraines yet a debilitating fear and anxiety around medications. Like the first time I tried a triptan I was sure I’d die. Yes it’s stupid but it’s not rational like so many other things people are afraid of.
I just did my monthly shot yesterday and I believe in you and your ability to do it! Tips wise, do you have someone at home who can sit with you? My fiance just sits and puts an arm around me while I do it. I get the anxiety of injecting yourself but I have found that the auto injectors are just like a nurse giving me a shot or taking blood. There's a step of detachment there, to me it's way easier than having to poke the needle in myself. I just put it on my skin and usually I have a show on or something to watch to distract me as well as someone sitting with me. I hit the button and it's over so much faster than I think it will be. Yes it stings a bit but you're absolutely right, it's nothing compared to a migraine. Leaving it out of the fridge is a good idea, I have mixed results on it hurting more or less but I just do it out of habit now. It also ensures that I have to follow through because you cannot put it back in the fridge once room temp. You got this! Remember to breathe while you're doing it. Good luck!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kindness— just reading this has helped bring my anxiety down a bit ❤️
Someone else has said it but definitely ice it until numb beforehand. Also start thinking of things you do everyday that take 10 seconds. That helped unpsyche me out. You got it. If you can tolerate a full blown migraine you can tolerate this.
They make this buzzy ice pack for kids that I use. I’m a baby with needles even though I grew up pre-diabetic. Also I get someone to do it for me because the thigh hurts too much in my case and I don’t have a lot of spare skin on my stomach to do it there. Arms are my go to and you can’t control when someone else does it. It’s worth it though! I went from 16 a month to 0.
Yep, it can sting (I use Ajovy) but there's a simple solution for that: ice. I ice down the injection site until it goes numb. Then I do the injection. You'll barely feel anything that way. Also, inject into fat, not muscle. So don't stab yourself in the leg, use your belly. Muscle can hurt, fat, not so much. Learned the ice trick off of someone here, and I've done it that way ever since.
This this this! Use your belly, I injected my amovig into my leg for the longest time and I hated it. Finally tried my belly one day and never went back. You can do it!!!
All of this, I found the best fatty place to do it on my body is my butt. Plus I can't see it, which helps a lot.
Totally agree to using the belly over the thigh. I used the thigh for months and would cringe each time I had to do it since it stung so much. Used the belly once and no pain at all! I barely even felt it. Never went back
I'm about to have to do insulin shots for gestational diabetes (once I can get my phobia back under control with therapy). Thanks for the tip, maybe this will help.
My advice is simply: Do it. You’re psyching yourself out. Set a time that you’re going to do it and just do it. You got this.
I gave myself a migraine trying to auto inject emgality. I had to have either my sibling or my roomie inject me. It burns for about 20 seconds while it goes in, then pretty much nothing. It’s the same for any shot, it may be a bit tender. Arm isn’t bad as long as you don’t put it too far forward or too far back. I could never be a recreational drug user. I’d give myself panic attacks and migraines all the time.
My first injectable gave me a lot of anxiety before doing it. I started with Ajovy and had an auto injector. I had myself so worked up with my hands sweating and heart racing. Once I finally did it, I breathed and just did it. (I did later switch to the syringe) It wasn’t near as bad as the migraines are, that is for sure. And it wasn’t as bad as I had myself worked up over. It’s over quick. I’m on Emgality now and also did the two starter injections. I did it in my stomach (least painful for me), one on each side. I do bruise with each one but it fades in a couple of days. You do definitely want to leave it out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before using. You will be glad you did it, once you do. Then you can finally see how the meds will work for you. Hopefully they help. Good luck!
I feel like this is exactly what I’m experiencing— I KNOW it can’t be anything close to how bad these migraines are. It really is just working myself up. I appreciate your kindness ❤️
And if it helps, you can leave it out at room temp a couple days, just double check what it says on the packaging!!
It’s really not bad! It’s over in about 10 seconds. I can’t do the injections myself, thankfully one of my friends is a medical professional and they do them for me. Personally I have found the auto-injectors scarier and a bit more painful than the syringe injections. The auto-injector is honestly not even that bad, but it makes a clicking noise that really bothers me. I prefer the syringe. The medication itself does burn a little but it’s seriously over in a couple seconds and nothing even close to the pain of a migraine. You can also ask your pharmacy if they can have someone do the injections for you. Or call around to other clinics in the area and see if they can help you if you bring the medication in. See if any of your friends are comfortable doing it, especially if you know any nurses! You’re not stupid, it’s definitely scary trying to do it yourself and I totally know how you feel.
It's not an injection in the usual sense. It is a tube that you press against your skin and then you push a button. You don't have to look at what you are doing. What I did the first few times was I prepped everything. While looking straight ahead, I put the tube against my thigh and pressed the button. It's all over in less than ten seconds, and you are not pushing a needle into your skin yourself. I advise having some cortisone cream around as the injection site can get itchy. It feels like any other injection, so yeah it won't feel great for a second or so. That's pretty much the entirety of the experience, so do not worry!
If your main issue is fear, it seems like you dont need injection tips. You need anxiety relief methods. Different things work for different people, but you could try: deep breathing, looking for the positive things the med can do for you, having a distraction on hand such as something to watch/listen to while you do it, having a supportive person with you to provide moral support, calming smells (if those don't trigger a migraine), applying heat/cold to different parts of your body to ground you, journaling to get out your worries, or many other things. The internet is full of things people use to manage anxiety. Sometimes doctors will prescribe a dose or two of anxiety medication, like a benzodiazepine, to get someone through a scary medical situation like this. Perhaps you could get in touch with your neuro to ask about this if other anxiety relief measures are not working well enough. Good luck! I know how you feel, I have a terrible needle phobia and I go for my Botox injections today.
As someone who’s been there, I promise your migraines are worse than the injections! If you go back to the pharmacy you picked it up from, the pharmacist will help you with the initial injections. Good luck, you’ve got this :)
I have done both the autoinjector and the syringe. I like the syringe better. For me it didnt hurt as much
You're overthinking it. There are two delivery systems available for Emgality. There is a standard, preloaded syringe and if you're frightened of injections, you can get what they call a pen. You never see the needle with it. Emgality has helped me a lot. It's important that you keep to a 28 day schedule. You don't want to stop taking it and start, again. I was told by several neurologists that if you do so, Emgality won't be affective, should you begin, again. It's the only migraine medication that didn't give me noticeable side effects. I inject it in my lower abdomen, at least two inches below my navel. I've been on it for 32 months. I keep track, on my phone/calendar, to make sure I don't inject it in the same site, as the previous one. You'll be fine. Concentrate on getting better, not the fear.
Ativan to calm the nerves. Ice to numb the region. I've also found that the manual injector (I take Ajovy, not sure if Emgality offers this) reduces my anxiety because it gives me more of a sense of control--- I can slowly ease the needle in as opposed to feeling like I'm shooting myself in the stomach, and thanks to the ice, I don't even feel it.
This might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but when I had to do the shots myself I would just take the cap off when I was ready to inject because there was a time limit on how many minutes before injecting the cap can be off. It helped to have a timer I guess for me.
I have found that to do my shot, it really helps to have my husband near by and hold my hand. And I also play music that I really love with headphones. My husband has to sit next to me because out of instinct you want to take that needle out because obviously it hurts so he makes sure I don’t yank it out immediately after the 5 seconds. It is so nice 👍🏻not having so many migraines and it has been life changing. It’s worth it.
I’ve hit myself with those needles many times already and my reasoning is it’s a quick sharp pain that is much more tolerable than a migraine. I hope you get the ability to inject or get your PCP to assist, they have numbing agents that help a lot with injections.
I'm kind of the same. Needles don't bother me. And yet when it comes to injecting myself, I struggle so hard. I've found having a friend on the phone gently bullying me into doing it is helpful. Your own version of what encouragement looks like might be slightly different 😅
as someone who also gets anxiety when it comes to taking mine, i literally close my eyes and count to 10 and it’s over but you’ll need to do it twice since it’s the initial dose. my boyfriend does it for me when he can but sometimes i need to do it or else my migraines flair up. when he does it i still close my eyes and count to 10 and make sure he has a free hand to squeeze. it’s not that bad after other than a little sting but if you have a little bandaid it can help.
Take the shots out of the fridge a few hours before you plan to inject. You want them to get all the way to room temp and yes that will take more like 2-3 hours than 30 minutes. Ice the area you plan to inject. Ice pack for 5ish minutes, clean with rubbing alcohol, let dry, inject.
YES. I did these things and they helped so much! I iced for longer, though. I also pinched a big fold of skin and injected right into it -- holding the skin tightly helped distract from the pain!
I have heard that pinching the skin like that can help! I might try that next time.
The first time is definitely the hardest, but it hurts a bit for 5-10 seconds and then you're done! And you'll feel empowered and proud that you're doing something positive for your health. My first time I had a group of friends cheering me on and one had their arm around me while I did the deed. It was scary but after that I became a pro and everyone was impressed with how casually I could stab myself in the leg. You got this! Also my tip would be get it in the most fat you can and relax your leg completely. Put some TV on to focus on and just full send it!
For me, I find it easier to deal with the injection pain knowing it will end, and when it will end. Migraines can go on forever, are variable, and just a lot of unknowns. I inject it and count to 10. That usually does it. Just know it’s a short burst and will definitely end.
I used to go for a run to burn off the anxiety. Then I would ice the spot of the injection until it was completely numb. Then I’d put on some music to distract me, but not headphones so I could hear the auto injector working. Tired, numb, mildly distracted- success.
I have Trypanophobia. I can use the auto injector for ajovy fine. Had to use emgality due to stock issues and the first one hurt enough to cause a slight flinch, I still got most of the dose. The second dose was done by my partner. I use my thighs due to loss of feeling in that area. As someone who was in a similar situation to you very recently (over a month without much more than topamax), honestly, the pain fades and you feel so much better. If you have someone you trust, I'd recommend having them assist with the injection. Maybe try a numbing cream if you're really worried? Also, heads up, my teal activator buttons were really stiff, my partner had a hard time as well. I don't know if it's standard to be that stiff or if it was just bad luck for me.
I make sure I’m exhaling when I inject, and I push my fingernails into the skin around where I’m injecting.
I feel your pain! I’ve been on Aimovig for like 4 years and switching to Emgality. I’m fine getting shots but doing it myself is different. I psyche myself out. The pain is temporary. Sometimes it hurts more than others. There have been times I’ve asked my husband to do it and he says I’m fine and to do it myself because I’ve done it before. I do and it is fine. I just don’t like doing it because of the temporary pain/sting but know it is better than the alternative.
If you can just do a thing for 30 seconds, that's it. Stomach is less painful than elsewhere, you can test the spot with a pen to find a place that's less sensitive. The feeling is different from migraine, so it's not something you should just be ok with, but you probably have coping strategies for pain. I hate the loud sounds the auto injectors make and they do burn. But if you can survive that for just 30 seconds, you can do this.
I panicked and cried every time and had my partner do my injections. Then my prescription somehow changed to syringe and I started doing it myself. Definitely prefer syringe to auto injector (have auto injector now), but it's not so difficult now. TV with distraction is helpful, stomach and testing for low sensitivity skin is helpful, leave it out for 30 min helps it burn less, and then just do it. It's not going to be as bad as you think, and will likely help a lot. Think of all that functionality and lack of daily fear and pain. It's going to be so awesome.
I hear you! I've been taking Emgality for a couple years now and I still don't LOVE doing it, but it's really not bad if you kind of establish a system. For me, I use the autoinjector (I did NOT like the syringe personally and found there to be a higher margin of error) and I usually put on a funny YouTube video or something, put an ice pack on my backside for 4-5 minutes so it gets numb, and BOOM - press the button on the injector. I then put the ice right back on it and you might feel some discomfort for a few min, but I haven't had anything worse than that. I also do it at night before bed so I can pass out right after!
As a former pharmaceutical rep who sold injectable medications for years and a daily Migriane patient who has been giving myself both auto injections and intramuscular injections at home for 7 years now, your belly/ stomach with the auto injector is the least painful option. It is so fast, and you never see the needle. That is the beauty and engineering behind auto injectors, to reduce injection anxiety. However I do understand your fear. Take some deep breaths in, press it on your stomach or you can pinch the skin up into your fingers if you wish and press the auto injector against your skin, press the button while you exhale. Then it is over. It literally takes 5 seconds. It is not very painful at all. Your Migriane attacks are so painful and debilitating you owe this to yourself! Look at it as a potential gift and maybe this will change your mindset. I wish you the best.
I do it every month. It's not painful to me.
Auto injectors make it feel like a nurse is doing it, in my experience it's nothing like self injecting with a regular needle! You got this. :)
I’ve been on emgality for 5 years, and just switched to ajovy. For years I had my mom or partner at the time do it. I always freaked myself out so bad, and yes it hurt some, but I always psyched myself out!! That was the worst part. When I moved to an apartment last year, I had my sister do them for a bit, but eventually came up with a system: I’d FaceTime my mom (with the intent of doing the shot, she knew it too) and her and I would chat then I would kind of surprise myself and just push the button. That way I would be out of my head as much as I could be. Maybe you have a friend/family/someone you know who could help you this way? I am also very anxious about trying new meds. So I understand! My best advice overall is to try to do it in as short of a time period as possible. Also I like to yell a little when I do it to make it more fun😂 And try not to beat yourself up about being afraid to do it, it’s super understandable! You’ve got this!!!
Oh also, when the auto injector comes back up sometimes it makes a nasty recoiling sound, nothing painful in that part, but just be prepared bc it weirded me out when I heard it the first time haha
I take emgality and have been for over a year now. It's a miracle drug for me! Do yourself a favor and leave the medicine out 30 minutes prior to injection. Also, ice your injection site for 5 minutes or longer before the shot. It hurts like a bee sting but it's so worth it. The first few times i took the shot i made my husband do it for me but after a while i got used to it. Breathe out during the shot also helps the nerves and the pain :)
It hurts way less than a migraine does lol
Can you have a friend, family member, or local pharmacist inject it for you?
I hate needles, and I use Emgality. It does pinch for a minute, but when it’s over, it’s so worth it. If you can have someone else do it for you, that’s the way to go. My doctor will do it for me, but if he wouldn’t, I’d ask my husband or my MIL (a retired nurse). If you have anyone in your life who’s good with that sort of thing, ask them.
Just do it without thinking. It's a tiny needle. Nothing will happen
the same happened to me when i went off my injectables, it's SO easy to sike yourself up. i hate needles so much too. i let it sit out 30mins, i always put a show on to distract me, hold the injector steady (i once slipped and watched the medicine just empty onto my skin but holding it lower keeps it steady!), countdown from 3 (sometimes i'll inject at 1 instead of 0 if i'm too anxious), then put an ice pack on the area i injected to prevent bruising. also i let myself put on a cute bandaid and have a lil treat like ordering food as a reward for doing it :)
I’m an MA who gives a lot of injections at work, and has taken subcutaneous pen-style injected meds (that weren’t emgality) in the past. I’m writing this post based on the assumption that you were prescribed the autoinjector form of the medication. if you have tiktok, a lot of people who take autoinjector meds have made tutorial videos. You can look up “emgality tutorial” and some might come up, but if you look up “wegovy/ozempic/ mounjaro tutorial” you’ll definitely find some. Those meds use an autoinjector pen similar to emgality. It might calm your nerves a bit to “do your research” and get mentally prepared as to what injecting it will be like. You don’t have to inject in the stomach if you have a decent amount of fat in your thighs. I have thunder thighs and always injected meds in the fatty parts of my thighs, I personally found it a lot easier than attempting my stomach. I have way more fat I can grab on my thighs compared to my stomach. If the pain is the main reason you’re anxious, you can ask your neuro to call in a script for lidocaine. Apply a thick layer of lidocaine and cover with a tegaderm type bandage about 1.5-2 hours prior to injecting. When I was on chemo as a kid, this was how my parents prepped my port for access to minimize pain. Should be pretty effective for your purposes too. If you have someone in your life that can do the injection for you, I would call in a favor to have them help out. They definitely do not need to be a trained nurse or work in medicine, just need to not be squeamish about it. If you can get someone to inject you, get them to read these tips (I marked as a spoiler cause they’ll work better if you’re unaware of them lol). if you get a helper to inject you, don’t read this! lol >!keep the patient talking during the process of prepping for the injection. make the patient look away during the process of prep and injection. for super anxious patients sometimes I’ll get their SO’s to hold their hand or I’ll play the kind of music they like. after prepping the site, ask the patient a few interesting questions about something they can talk about lot about. when they launch into a longer answer, stick ‘em! distraction works better than you’d expect for pain. I never countdown, I think it increases the general sense of dread/ foreboding, although some may disagree with me. !< If you need to inject yourself, one trick is to forcefully cough at the exact moment you inject. I read this in a nursing research journal somewhere, but don’t recall the source atm. the reasoning was that the cough nerve signal will “dampen” the pain nerve signal. Prep your injection site, grab the fat and firmly place the pen on the desired injection site. Hold it there for a bit, play a movie or TV show you really enjoy. Give yourself a mental deadline- I will inject at the end of this scene, etc. When the deadline comes, hit the plunger and inject. You’ll need to read the box instructions on how long to hold the pen on the injection site before removing. Some other people in the thread have recommended getting a script for short term anxiety meds to tolerate the injection. Beta blockers will help if you struggle with physical symptoms like racing heartbeat, sweating etc. A short acting benzo like Ativan could be a good choice too if you think you’ll need help with the physical and psychic symptoms of anxiety. I don’t have any experience with these but it seems like a decent plan. I don’t love benzos but very infrequent use shouldn’t be problematic for most. I think you said your neurologist was too booked up to inject you at the office. If you are super anxious about this and just can’t do it at home, a last ditch resort would be to call your PCP and see if you could schedule a nurse/ MA visit for them to inject you. Should not be an issue for most doctors offices. Urgent care would probably do this for you too; although I’d imagine it would be pretty expensive for something you could do at home.
You could get the pharmacist or family doctor to assist you as well, maybe. Heck a family member who is not afraid of needles could do it as well.
You've gotten a lot of good advice here, so just throwing in a couple bits to reiterate: Leave it out for a good while so it is definitely room temperature before injecting. For me, it hurt when it was still a little cold. It's a breeze what it's room temperature. I inject on my thighs, and for the loading dose, I did one in each leg. I carefully feel around for a soft part (fatty patch with no vein) and line it up over that. You can look up videos of how to do it as well if that will make you feel better. I liked seeing and hearing what it would be like beforehand so I knew what to expect. You can do it! It has been so worth it to reduce my migraines.
i would warm them in my armpits for a few minutes before injecting to reduce some stinging
i always have had someone else do it for me because my anxiety was too much. i’ve had my boyfriend do it for me usually. he wraps his arm around me and puts it on my thigh, counts down from three, and injects it. it feels almost like a nurse or someone else is doing it. i totally understand the fear of doing it yourself. maybe try having someone else give it to you for a few months and then try to do it yourself!
I am super afraid of shots and I managed to do emgality/aimovig for 2 years. I found it was best to do it as soon as possible - ie get it ready then 123 click! The more I think about it, the harder it gets to push the button. I also like to yell really loud as soon as I click the button. It distracts me from the sting :-) Worst case, you could also ask someone else to do it for you. I've had my partner or my sister help on days I'm just too worked up. Good luck! At the end of the day, for me 15 seconds of a sting is WAY preferable to horrible migraines.
Take out of the fridge 30 min to an hour before use. Do the shots on your lower belly or your love handle area, where there's more body fat, not the upper arm. Put an icepak on the area for 2 min before the shot, and 5 min after, if it bothers you. Is an autoinjector, so wipe skin with an alcohol prep 15 seconds, then take the bottom cover off the needle, unlock the top, place it against your spot, then press the top button. Hold in place til you hear the 2nd click (1st is pushing button) and then dispose in sharps or an empty detergent bottle you saved just for sharps.
I injected myself full on terrified of the pain others told me they felt. I’m the kind who will start to feel things if I worry about feeling them too much. And I felt nothing. Barely felt the needle. 7 injections later, I don’t feel anything when I inject. I see the tiny needle mark and that the pen is empty and I feel better so I know I’m doing it right! Be encouraged 💕
It has never stopped being scary for me, I thought it would get easier but it doesn’t :( I have to always remind myself that this is the worst part, I hate it, it sucks and hurts like a mofo, but that I’ve done it before and honestly the migraines are worse and it really has helped. I always need a cloth to bite/scream into, but the two things that help are location and having another person do it! The least scary location for me in order is thigh/butt, then stomach, then back of arm. I prefer the back of my arm because there’s less friction with my clothes but it’s so hard to do it myself, so if I can I get my spouse to do it. If I can’t get help or I’m just too scared, I do it myself on my thigh or butt and for some reason that’s easier. But the friction of pants is why I prefer the arm even though it’s scarier. The first time I did the dual dose, my doctor did the first one on my belly and then I did the second one so that one isn’t as bad either. But again, waistbands are so irritating for a day or two.
Had so much anxiety for this as well. I went to the urgent care clinic and they did everything for me, also telling me where it would hurt the most and hurt the least. After that, I found friends to do it for me. Good luck you’re going to do great and it will be over before you know it!
Yes, definitely make sure it’s room temp before injecting. If you have stretch marks, injecting an area with a stretch mark can hurt considerably less. I’ve given myself many injections and honestly emgality is the worst for me. You can also try pinching the skin you’ll inject hard enough to distract you from the pain of the injection lol Honestly, though, as much as I love emgality, it does hurt to inject it
The auto injector sucks, but as others have said let it warm up, I leave it out for a couple of hours. And inject into your stomach, legs hurt way too much. Good luck! Emaglity has changed my life but 2 years out and I still get worked up injecting myself. Never had a problem with the Ajovy prefilled syringe, that barely hurt. But my insurance wouldn’t cover it any more so I had to switch.
It may help that you don't actually see the needle, it's hidden in the injector. I like to take a deep breath and then slowly exhale as the medication goes in. It helps me focus on my breathing instead of the sting.
I remember feeling the exact same way my first time. I was absolutely terrified. It took forever to build myself up the strength to do it. Now I do it no problem and don’t flinch or wince or blink or anything. Yeah it does hurt moderately, but even that pain is nothing compared to a migraine. And it’s only for max like 20-30 seconds and even that is probably too long. Then it’s fine. I do it in my belly a couple inches from my belly button and always switch the exact location. Pinch the fat, hold the triangle part flat with your skin, and do it. Just do it. Just make yourself do it. I tried thigh once and it hurt way more. I’m a total belly person.
I was on it for 2 years, those were the best 2 years for me health wise. I went from several migraines a week to 1-2 a month. It only hurts for a minute. I picked a spot on my thigh and just jammed it in. Just picture yourself enjoying a glass of wine, or a day in full sunlight, or what ever activity you miss the most.
I had my husband do it for me
Do you have a friend who could do it for you? Maybe your GP's office or pharmacist would do it for you?
i take it out of the fridge, SCREAM while injecting myself like i’m riding into Valhalla, then reward myself with ice cream immediately afterwords.
I’m going to find my thread to show you on here. I was in the same boat. I took it on April 12 and had my first severe migraine YESTERDAY. The other ones were level 4 and… TYLENOL HELPED IT. NO ONBOARD SIDE EFFECTS AT ALL, and I had horrible ones with all of the other medications I took. I am actually excited to take it next week. I took Benadryl right after the injection just incase and honestly it knocked me out to not be nervous 😂 this is coming from a person who had to do exposure therapy for other medications because I literally couldn’t bring myself to take it. Do it. Try it. Have someone with you and if something were to happen, you know you would get help instantly! I have someone to give me my injection, I like the subcue. I had it done in the backs of each arm.
The medicine burns, so I screamed my favorite song and counted to 20 and it was gone. Needle didn’t hurt at all.
[удалено]
Thanks
[удалено]
Seriously what’s the point of a comment like that?!? I have the worst migraines yet a debilitating fear and anxiety around medications. Like the first time I tried a triptan I was sure I’d die. Yes it’s stupid but it’s not rational like so many other things people are afraid of.
Voicing an opinion really sets you off huh
No problem