Evinity preparation

Hi @janetsimmos,

Can you share with us why you’re terrified about the Evenity injections. If it’s the actual injections you’re concerned about, for me anyway, it’s about like getting a flu shot in the back of each arm. At times, the injections do sting a bit (ask the nurses to take the Evenity out of the fridge a bit prior to your appointment, it helps). I’ve had warmth, redness and a bit of “pain” at the injection sites that lasts for a few days (lol, sounds like a drug commercial, huh). I’ll have #’s 21/22 shots next week and have never prepped for any of them. As with any injection, make sure to relax as much as possible.

As you mentioned, there are risks for cardiovascular events with Evenity; doing due diligence with a cardiologist was good on your part. I decided to accept the risks to have a chance at stronger bones and a more “upright” and active future. However, this should be a personal/informed decision based on each individual and the information at hand (family history, history of fractures . . .).

We are all cheering on each other as we celebrate our gains and lending an ear when we have setbacks and questions. It’s a journey.

@beanieone thanks so much for your response. I am terrified about having a stroke, but I also am reading a lot of comments regarding side effects as far as joint pain and such. I’m not worried about the actual injection but I thought I read some comments when I first joined this forum that mentioned taking ibuprofen or something similar beforehand to help ease some reactions.

Oh, @janetsimmons, I 100% understand your fear of having a stroke. My doc prefers to prescribe Tymlos because of the Evenity warnings. As I can’t take Tymlos (because of side effects), Evenity was my “only” alternative. I will breathe a sigh of relief come late June when I get my last injection.

As with any new, advanced meds, these bone builders come with a wide array of side effects and risks. If it helps, read the actual data about the percentage of patients that experience a cardiovascular event while on Evenity; that may help you make a decision.

Feel free to drop me a line to let me know what you decided and how things are going. Cheers!

Thank you for all the information.
I am also starting Evenity next month and a little scared of side effects.
With Reclast they had said to drink a lot of water ahead. With Evenity all I have heard is try to make sure they are at room temperature. Is there anything else?

Janet,
I was terrified, too. After first injections, I had some fatigue. Injections 2-12 I had no side effects. I had 12th injections last week. I have been very fortunate with this treatment.
I am now waiting to see if I had improvement from this year of Evenity.
Everyone is different. Many people have reported varying reactions on this site.

Hello @janetsimmons. Here is a search for Evenity discussions on Mayo Clinic Connect, https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/osteoporosis/?search=evenity#discussion-listview.

It is worth mentioning that everyone responds to medications differently. It can be easy to get disheartened with others' experiences when you are facing a new medication yourself. Now that you have done a little research, have you been able to present your biggest concerns with your provider before starting the medication?

@JustinMcClanahan thanks so much for steering me in the right direction! As far as discussing concerns with my doctor, she is pretty quick to push my worries aside so that’s why I’m researching. It’s also why I saw a cardiologist on my own to check my heart health.

@beanieone I will keep you updated. Thanks so much!

I'll be having my 5th set of injections next week. Side-effects so far have been minor. The worst, which isn't actually all that bad, is the swelling and burning the day of the injections.

Things I do to prepare:
*I schedule them for the morning so that the burning has time to disapate before I go to bed that evening.
*I have the injections in my abdomen so that any tenderness from the swelling isn't aggrevated when I lay on my side in bed.
*Before I go for the injections, I drink as much water as I can. That's mainly because I dehydrate easily.
*About and hour before my appointment, I take an acetaminophen (I heard that NSAIDs are bad for bone metabolism, though I can't recall where that info came from).
*I get to the doctor's office at least 30 minutes early. We have a routine--when they see me arrive, they take the syringes out of the refrigerator, and set a timer for a half hour. When the timer goes off, they call me in for the shots.