Anyone pg and on Lovenox or heprin?

[lyly14]

Hi everyone! I am currently 12 weeks pg and on lovenox injections daily and baby asprin for antiphospholipid syndrome. I also have the MTHFR defect and I am on folgard. I am just wondering if anyone else is on lovenox and would like to chat. Hope to hear from you soon.

[Kas101]

Hey there,

I am on Lovenox 40mg daily and have been sice ET on December 9th. I am still in my 2WW right now and i test on Tuesday (17dpo - a VERY long 2ww!!).

I;m taking it as my RE thinks my issues are implantation and this may help. If i am preg, he has said we will continue throughout pregnancy...

So as a fellow lovenox user i have a question - my RE says only inject on the stomach (like stims) its apparantly very painful in the thigh but after 2 weeks of these i have no room left on my stomach as each one leaves a big bruise and i am already injecting into bruised areas. How are you getting around this??

[lyly14]

Hi kas,
I have also been on the 40mg once a day since my ET. I have the same problem with bruising. I was trying to move around to other areas but it is very hard to find a spot with no bruising. I have found that if I don't pinch while I inject (just while I put the needle in) I have much less bruising. Also be very careful not to touch or rub the injection site for a while after you inject I just had and ob appt the other day and the doc said I had to give my stomach a break and told me that I could go up higher above the belly button( just make sure to stay at least an inch away from the belly button) or I can move to my hips. Of course I haven't done the hips because I just stopped the progesterone injections and my hips are really sore. Not to mention I thought the hip was a wierd spot since that is where I did the IM injections and the lovenox is sub q. I hope that helps. I wish you the best of luck with the rest of your 2 ww. I know how hard they are! I can't believe you haven't done a hpt. I always told myself that I wasn't going to do one but I could never hold out. Keep me posted on your results.

[Fluffypuppygal]

Hi!
I'm also on the Lovenox injections - 30 mg daily plus baby aspirin. My doctor thinks I also have the antiphosphalipid protein, because my mother died of lupus and I have been having issues with spotting and minor bleeds all along the pregnancy.
You can give yourself a heparin shot pretty much anywhere where you have fat. It doesn't matter if you use your hips because the needle doesn't go down as far as the IM injections did. They like to use the stomach because it is typically the fattest area (and the least visible) on the body. I haven't seen any documentation on "pinching" being clinically a better choice than simply putting the shot in.
I don't pinch, as I usually can't get the needle to go in all the way on first go and I figure I have enough chubby on me to cushion the blow! I don't have bruises, but I do occasionally get these little red dots that like to stay for about a week. My trick is to start about two to three inches away and then quickly tap the needle in with one quick zap.
I agree that it sucks, and I am not looking forward to months of this! But, whatever it takes, right?

[Kas101]

Thanks both for the advice on injecting the lovenox. I do 'pinch' maybe thats part of the problem. I do find, however that unlike the stim needles, although the needle is small, it is kind of 'blunt'. It doesnt want to go in as well as stim needles so i tend to pinch to give the needle some resistance as i jab it in quickly!!!!

ALso do you guys use the pre-filled syringes ?(this is what i use) I get my prescription filled by CVS and they dont supply the multi-use vials and needles (which is what was on my prescription) but i think this is a very expensive way of doing it, and as already mentioned i'm not a fan of the needle. My RE's syringe/needle prescription was for the tiny diabetic/lupron needles (much nicer). What do you guys use (pre-filled or vials with syringes) and if you dont mind, how much do they cost? I was in shock as oh, surprise, surprise its not covered and i paid $300 for 14 days supply. I run out day of beta, so will wait for results before refilling!!!!

Thanks guys

[lyly14]

Kas- I also use the pre-filled syringes. I don't find them too bad but I do need to pinch to get the needle in. Once the needle is in I stop pinching and then I push the plunger. I get much less bruising that way. However, sometimes I get not a mark other times a tiny dot and other times I get a huge bleed under the skin. I have known other women on the lovenox and that is the biggest thing they all mention. I don't know anyone that has been on it long term that it doesn't happen to at some point. As far as the price, I can't really help you out. My insurance covers it, so I get a 30 day supply for about $10. I couldn't imagine not having coverage. Maybe you should shop around and see if it is cheaper from mail order places if you are lucky enough to get a bfp and need to stay on it.

[Fluffypuppygal]

I will have to look it up, but I think Bartell's (Schrafts) offers a mail-order "club" for prescriptions. (I did this for a lot of my stimulating drugs, since a lot of them weren't covered by my insurance.) You pay a club fee of about $200, then the prescriptions are $9 a shipment. Again, I will have to look into this and get back to you on the details if you think this might be helpful.
I use the prefilled syringes, too. I do NOT like the safety feature for when you are done - I think they must use gorillas in their test lab to get those plastic covers to deploy! I have to use both hands to push and get the spring to release!
A few more bruising tips: Concentrate your shots to a particular 2" area each week - Left lower, left upper, etc. It gives the other areas a chance to heal before getting shot again. You can also have a reuasable ice pack to apply immediately to cut down on bruising. Also, avoid any area that looks like it may have a vein close to the skin. I know this is kind of a "well, duh!" but trust me, I have made this mistake on a day when I wasn't paying attention and got a nice big brown bruise for my slip-up!

[Kas101]

fluffy Info on the schraffts savings club would be great... I have been looking into buying at some of these online pharmacies and they are cheaper than cvs thats for sure, but these shots are still going to cost around $450 a month even then, so i am open to suggestions!!!!!

[lyly14]

Happy day after christmas everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays.

Kas- How did the beta go? Good news I hope!

[Kas101]

Lyly Merry Christmas to you too!! I got my BFP!!! FOund out on the 23rd. First beta was 2143 and second 6174 (3 days later, today) so i am continuing with the shots!!! I had run out on the 23rd and as they are $$$$ for me, i decided to wait till i got my beta# before i bought more! SO of course when i found it was a BFP i had to get down to CVS and get another weeks worth!!!!

Oh and i have found a numb spot on my stomach (never found it before!!) dont know why its numb but the last 3 doses have gone in really well!!!

Are you also still on the PIO? Oviously i am and i think possibly because the lovenox is thinning my blood i am bruising badly from them... Poor DH, i must look like a piece of rotten fruit laying next to him in bed!!!

[lyly14]

Kas- Congratulations on your BFP! Those are some impressive numbers you have there. How many embies did you transfer and how many days post your transfer was your first beta? Sucks about the money for the lovenox but it is worth it. Glad you found a numb spot on your stomach but be careful not to over inject in the same spot too often. You will not absorb the meds as well (so I was told) I have "numb" spots too but they change daily. As far as the PIO I stopped it about a week and a half ago. I had bruising only on one hip, not too sure why it only happened on one side. It was never as bad as my stomach from the lovenox, but I am so glad to be able to stop the PIO. I was getting tired of doing them. Take it easy and keep me posted!

[Marina_A]

Lyly,hey
You haven't been around for a long time on the other boards,so I'm wondering if everything ok.