![]() ![]() Some people find less discomfort in the stomach but make sure it’s a safe place free of big veins. Ask the doctor about new places to administer the injection.Make sure you’re using the correct technique and inserting the injection where it’s meant to go - between the skin and muscle rather than directly into muscle.Use an auto-injector pen to hide the sharp point of the needle.“They are thinking about exhaling and not tensing up,” she explains. Victoria Ruffing, a registered nurse and director of patient education at the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, says she finds it helpful to have children take a deep breath and give them the injection on the exhale. Choose a distraction activity, like blowing bubbles or watching TV.This gives your child a sense of control over the situation, which can reduce anxiety. Allow your child to select when and where the shot is given and where it goes.Seal the cream with plastic food wrap to keep the area airtight and then wipe it off before the shot. Apply a thick layer to the area about an hour before the injection. Use an over-the-counter numbing cream that’s 2.5% lidocaine and 2.5% prilocaine.Piercing skin through wet alcohol can really burn. Make sure the alcohol you use to clean the injection site dries completely.FYI - it’s not safe to warm it up any other way (no microwaving!) Let the injectable medicine get to room temperature for about 30 minutes before using.Just don’t apply directly on the skin, which can cause a frostbite-like burn. Apply ice or gel packs before and after.There are many things you can do to help reduce pain during injections for your child. The makers of tocilizumab ( Actemra) say their product doesn’t include sodium citrate, which they say may cause pain in some patients. The device also has an injection speed switch so people can see which speed is most comfortable for them. I have some patients who say they don’t feel the medication at all,” Hoffart says.Įtanercept ( Enbrel Mini) also has a new phosphate-free drug formulation that Amgen says shows a significant reduction in injection site pain. “Among the patients I have changed to the citrate-free version, the feedback is very positive. The new version also uses a thinner needle and injects 50 percent less liquid (while still delivering the same concentration of medication), both of which may be linked to less pain. ![]() Several drug makers are taking steps aimed at reducing the pain of injections.Ī new version of adalimumab ( Humira) no longer contains citrate buffers and other inactive ingredients associated with pain. Talk to your child's doctor about what those are and if they are an option. “And if you aren’t treating the disease, there will be long-term effects.” If shot time is a constant struggle, there may be other modes of administration for some types of medicine. “Not only is it a bad experience for the patient and their family, but can also really affect compliance,” she says. She admits that painful shots have made her think about trying other medications. Hoffart knows what that pain is like because she gets biologic injections to manage her own ankylosing spondylitis. But if you have a medication that causes burning at the injection site or as it’s going in, that can make injections traumatic for patients,” she says. Hoffart, DO, a pediatric rheumatologist at Children’s Mercy in Kansas City, MO. Thicker medications and ones made with certain preservatives can make shots sting even more, says Cara M. While drug makers are taking steps to help lessen the pain of these medications, there are many things you can do to take the sting out of shot day. Biologic injections can sting more than others, making shot time even more dreaded. Kids hate shots, but when it comes to managing juvenile arthritis (JA), sometimes they are necessary. ![]()
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