ith your fingers or let the needle touch anything.
10. Turn the syringe so the needle is facing up and hold the syringe at eye level with one hand so you can see the air in the syringe. Using your other hand, slowly push the plunger in to push the air out through the needle. See Figure F.
Figure F
•You may see a drop of liquid at the end of the needle. This is normal.
Position the Prefilled Syringe and Inject Humira
Position the Syringe
11. Hold the body of the prefilled syringe in one hand between the thumb and index finger. Hold the syringe in your hand like a pencil. See Figure G.
Figure G
•Do not pull back on the plunger at any time.
•With your other hand, gently squeeze the area of the cleaned skin and hold it firmly. See Figure H.
Figure H
Inject Humira
12. Using a quick, dart-like motion, insert the needle into the squeezed skin at about a 45-degree angle. See Figure I.
Figure I
•After the needle is in, let go of the skin. Pull back gently on the plunger.
If blood appears in the syringe:
•It means that you have entered a blood vessel.
•Do not inject Humira.
•Pull the needle out of the skin while keeping the syringe at the same angle.
•Press a cotton ball or gauze pad over the injection site and hold it for 10 seconds. See Figure J.
Figure J
•Do not use the same syringe and needle again. Throw away the needle and syringe in your special sharps container.
•Do not rub the injection site. You may have slight bleeding. This is normal.
•Repeat Steps 1 through 12 with a new prefilled syringe.
If no blood appears in the syringe:
•Slowly push the plunger all the way in until all of the liquid is injected and the syringe is empty.
•Pull the needle out of the skin while keeping the syringe at the same angle.
•Press a cotton ball or gauze pad over the injection site and hold it for 10 seconds. Do not rub the injection site. You may have slight bleeding. This is normal.
13. Throw away the used prefilled syringe and needle. See “How should I dispose of used prefilled syringes and needles?”
14. Keep a record of the dates and location of your injection sites. To help you remember when to take Humira, you can mark your calendar ahead of time.
How should I dispose of used prefilled syringes and needles?
•Put your used needles and syringes in a FDA-cleared sharps disposal container right away after use. See Figure K. Do not throw away (dispose of) loose needles and syringes in your household trash.
•Do not try to touch the needle.
Figure K
•If you do not have a FDA-cleared sharps disposal container, you may use a household container that is:
◦made of a heavy-duty plastic,
◦can be closed with a tight-fitting, puncture-resistant lid, without sharps being able to come out,
◦upright and stable during use,
◦leak-resistant, and
◦properly labeled to warn of hazardous waste inside the container.
•When your sharps disposal container is almost full, you will need to follow your community guidelines for the right way to dispose of your sharps disposal container. There may be state or local laws about how you should throw away used needles and syringes. For more information about safe sharps disposal, and for specific information about sharps disposal in the state that you live in, go to the FDA’s website at: http://www.fda.gov/safesharpsdisposal.
•For the safety and health of you and others, nee |
