- Wash your hands and swab the injection site with alcohol. (Allow the alcohol to dry to reduce the sting when the needle goes in.)
- Use a new injection site each time to minimize irritation.
- Ice the site for a few minutes before and after the shot to prevent pain and tenderness.
- After injecting, gently massage the area.
- With prefilled syringes that need to be refrigerated, remove the shot 30 minutes before you will use it; letting it come to room temperature lessens the sting.
One of the most common complications of biologics is the skin irritation known as injection-site reactions, which Kavlick says can result from the alcohol used to swab the site, preservatives in the medication, or the needle itself. These are itchy, red welts on the skin that surround the injection site and usually disappear in a few days to a week. They tend to occur early on in treatment and then stop—but every patient’s experience is different. “There’s really no way to predict or prevent them,” says Kavlick.
When Karen started taking a biologic, she didn’t have an injection-site reaction for the first three months. After that, however, they never went away. “I had injection-site reactions each and every time,” she says. “They were red, raised welts. Some were the size of a quarter; some were the size of the palm of my hand or bigger.”
Kavlick recommends a topical Benadryl cream or gel or a mild cortisone cream to help relieve the itchiness. But she says psoriasis patients should consult their dermatologist before using cortisone.
There will be a learning curve
Like anything else, injecting yourself with biologics takes some getting used to. If the first few weeks seem daunting, just remember that you will soon be as much of an expert as Karen.
“Before, I’d wash my hands 10 times, wipe the counter down with bleach, and set everything up like I was about to operate on somebody,” she says. “But I got to the point where I could just walk into the kitchen, wash my hands, mix it, and shoot it.”
