Xiaflex for Dupuytren's contracture User Reviews

• JBano
• January 30, 2021

"After considering surgery, I decided instead to have a Xiaflex injection to treat Dupuytren's contracture of the pinky finger of my left (non-dominant) hand. At this time (approximately two months post injection), I am extremely pleased with the result. I did not have to risk the complications and long-healing time of surgery, and the contracture has almost completely disappeared, along with the chords that caused it. Yes, there was some pain and discomfort during the administration of the Xiaflex and again the next day, when a local anesthesia was injected prior to the finger manipulation. These were expected and well tolerated. I recovered full use of my hand within a few days after the procedure. It is important to find an experienced hand surgeon who has had a lot of success doing these injections."

• LA An...
• November 13, 2020

"Had Xiaflex injection mid August, it's now end of November. The injection procedures, both Xiaflex drug and Novacain numbing is the most painful thing I have ever experiences. Feel like I survived torture. First week after injection, left hand and arm were swollen and arm turned red/purple, green then yellow for about two weeks. Drug is very expensive and co-pay was almost $2000. After over three months of PT and wearing splint at night (and any other time I'm not using hand) fingers curl back to original 50 degree bend. Concluded that procedure did not work. DO NOT HAVE THIS PROCEDURE. INTEND TO COMPLAIN TO AUTHORITIES-FDA, PHYSICIAN LICENSING, WHO EVER WILL LISTEN."

• M Kevin
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 14, 2018

"I thought I would try this less invasive alternative to hand surgery. I had 45 degree bend in both hands effecting the pinkies. The injection was painful for a few seconds and my hand was wrapped so I could not move the finger. Two days later my surgeon manipulated the finger. He injected me with a numbing agent which again was painful for a few seconds. The manipulation was successful in both hands but one had a skin tear that needed attention post-op. I performed PT afterwards and wore a splint at night for three months. All was fine until the cord returned on both hands to the same degree as before. This occurred within one year. Therefore I rate the result as a one. I subsequently had hand surgery to remove the effected tissue and the results have been exceptional after four years. Basis my experience I would not suggest the Xiaflex treatment alternative. The success rate is too low and the cost and pain too high. Find a good hand surgeon, under go the PT and be happy with the results."

• Jack
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 22, 2019

"Received the injection in my left hand, about 6 hours later ended up in the emergency room with my lymph glands under my left armpit about the size of a baseball. Next day it turned black and blue. Procedure was not successful and following year went under the knife. I would not recommend this expensive alternative."

• Dude
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 10, 2019

"Before 1-07-19 I thought the benchmark for pain was the night I had to undergo an emergency bladder catheterization for another issue. The Xiaflex injection that I just experienced completely erased that unpleasant memory with a brand new horrifying one. The next day when my hand was injected with novocaine before the manipulation was almost as bad as the Xiaflex. I briefly glanced at my hand when the procedure was complete and saw that my fingers were back to their normal position. My point is simple. As medicine advances isn't the comfort of the patient supposed to be a main part of the equation? I had Needle Aponuerotomy on two previous occasions and the discomfort was minor compared to this, not to mention less expensive to all concerned. My other hand is also due and I would rather live under a freeway bridge that go through Xiaflex again. I'm definitely going back to N.A. even if I have to go out of network and pay out of my pocket."

• Arthur...
• July 15, 2017

"Painful, expensive and useless treatment. I have extensive dupuytrens. No follow up whatsoever. Immediate results seemed hopeful, but regressed almost immediately despite pt and stretching regimen. No difference whatsoever from pre treatment condition after 6 months."

• John
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 21, 2018

"Absolute waste of time and money. Even after my PPO coverage I was still left owing more than $3,000. It was VERY painful and only a few months after the treatment my hands are back the way they were before I started. This is despite hand therapy 3 times a week and wearing a brace while sleeping. DO NOT HAVE THIS TREATMENT!! Find another way - I suggest Needle aponeurotomy which I did several times with great success."

• Charl...
• November 14, 2019

"I had surgery in my left and thought I would try this less invasive method. The pain of the injection and finger stretch was moderately painful. The problem is the contracture returned in 9 months and was worse than before the treatment, 60 went to 90 degrees."

• Steve
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 1, 2021

"Had the treatment 20 months ago for a 45 degree bend in my little finger. The pain was minor. The procedure was very successful with no return. I’m sorry for the poor outcomes others have had... my experience was very positive and I would certainly do it again."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 24, 2019

"I would not recommend this procedure at all. I had a reaction to the injection which caused bruising on my arm up to my armpit. It felt like my whole right side of my body was just not quite right, however my Dr. said that it just couldn't be from the shot. It is a week and a half later and my arm still hurts and my little finger is bruised, swollen and aches. The procedure was painful and the manipulation of my little finger 3 days after the shot hurt and I felt the tearing of the cord or whatever. My finger is still so swollen and bent that I'm not sure how straight it will be after it heals up, hoping upon hope that it actually heals and I can use it again. Again, I would not ever do this again!"

• Unhappy
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 28, 2020

"I was so excited to finally get my hand straightened out!! My doctor who had special training injecting xiaflex never recommended surgery to correct my hand. He told me that I would be very happy with the results!! Well I am not. My ring finger is at a 90 degree angle. He now recommends surgery. I have a very high deductible -so the xiaflex alone was $3600.00 out of pocket!! With very little correction. I can’t help but think that these doctors kick-back to recommend the injection over the surgery. And since you purchase the xiaflex from a professional pharmacy - no refund or adjustment is issued. Very unhappy!!!"

• dbt
• March 26, 2021

"It has now been a year since I had the injections. I did not experience pain to the extent that some people have posted. My injection resulted in about a 50% improvement and it has stayed that way after one year. Still have a problem with it going numb in cold weather, but in spring and summer it is not a problem. All in all I feel it was a better option then surgery for me"

• Never...
• May 11, 2021

"Extremely painful and the outcome was no correction. The side effects were relentless itching after the painful injections, my hand and arm swelled 2x it’s normal size for a week after injections and my hand was so painful I couldn’t even touch it. It’s only been two weeks and still experiencing pain and bruising. This drug should be taken off the market in my opinion. A waste of time, money, and unnecessary complications for absolutely no reason! I’ll turn to amputation before I would ever do this treatment again."

• dbt
• November 8, 2020

"It has now been 8 months since I had my injection which resulted in a 50% improvement. No return to the previous contraction yet. The problem is the circulation in the finger is very poor, there is visible atrophy in the finger and it goes numb with the slightest amount of cold. From my experience I can not recommend this procedure. Will update my review in about 3 months."

• Richard...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 26, 2021

"In Feb. of 2021 I decided to have the Xiaflex shot. This was the most painful experience I ever had. The doctor did not give me a shot to deaden my hand.The bandage stuck to my hand at that site and felt like a needle was sticking in it. I passed out in doctors office when I had bandage removed. My hand is now back to where it was before the shot. Xiaflex did not work for me. I tried the cream also, did not work."

• Jerry
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 20, 2021

"I first developed Dupuytren's contracture in my early 60's in my right pinky finger. No history of this in my siblings, parents or grand parents. I had Xiaflex injections and manipulation with very good results. The shot was painful, but tolerable. The manipulation was pretty easy (not aggressive). The doctor numbed my hand, then gently flexed my finger and the cord snapped (almost no pain). However, it needed to be done again (same finger) about 4 years later with a different doctor. That was about 3 years ago, and I continue to have a good result. Pain from that injection was about the same, but the manipulation was aggressive. My skin split and needed additional care. I have not had a reoccurrence in my right hand since. Since then, I have developed it in my left ring and pinky finger. I had Xiaflex injected in the pinky and ring finger yesterday and go back in 4 days for manipulation. Looking forward to a good result."

• ktano
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 22, 2020

"I was very disappointed with Xiaflex. I had procedure involving 3 shots to correct Dupuytrens contracture in right hand, small finger. Shots were very painful  and syringe supplied by Endo "blew apart" on 2 nd shot. Next day cord break left open wound which could not be stitched and took several weeks to heal. Finger is still 20 % bent and still has extra mass under skin. Making maters worse my copay was over $900. Previously I had  two operations for same condition in diff fingers. Much much better approach and results and less out of pocket. "

• Tito
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 4, 2021

"I received Xiaflex and it was painful and ineffective. It’s only been 7 months and my fingers returned to their previous contracture point. I had surgery 6 years ago on two different fingers for dupuytrens and they’re still straight. I would not recommend Xiaflex.... expensive and a waste of time."

• Sondrew
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 11, 2021

"I am only one day post manipulation, so I’m not sure of my lasting results. But I would not do it again, due to the pain and the tearing, even though my insurance covered the injection 100%. I had it done to my severely bent ring finger, which has been operated on twice before. The tearing was predicted, but the pain of the xiaflex and local numbing agent was unimaginable."

• klipp...
• August 27, 2020

"Had a more than 90 degree contraction. The injection is painful but I had no bruising. The injection of the anesthetic was very painful. Manipulation of the finger resulted in a definite snap of the cord but the result was very disappointing. Only gained about 20 degrees. Sitting with an extremely swollen and painful hand two days later."

• Laskarp
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 14, 2022

"DO NOT GO THROUGH THIS PROCEDURE! Money grab for the docs - more so than surgery. Awful pain for weeks and incredible bruising in my arm but felt it all the way to my right foot and groin. My husband referred to it as POISON - which I agree 100% It’s been 2 months and finger is retracting back in. I will never do this again - do the surgery instead!"

• Anonymous
• July 21, 2021

"I had my right my hand done with the injection Xiaflex and it was very painful and not a success. A few months later I had surgery on the pinky finger and therapy and it’s straight. In March I had the injection done on my left hand and again very painful"

• Great...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 25, 2022

"My pinky and ring finger were pretty bent and when I saw the advertisement on TV about Xiaflex I decided to try it. It’s a very simple procedure. They numb your hand up and inject the drug. Then, after a day wait, they numb it up again and manipulate your hand to free up the cord(s) that are bending your fingers. The shots for numbing hurt about exactly as much as you would expect them to. The pain was not bad at all. You don’t feel the Xiaflex drug injections because your hand is already numb. Xiaflex dissolves the cord tissue and frees up your fingers to bend back. In my opinion, the pain of the injections was nothing compared to the soreness created by the drug itself as it dissolves the tissues. It’s bearable and I just used a little Tylenol which made it OK. It was very sore for the first week, moderately sore for the second week and lightly sore for the third week. It was not that bad and the results were awesome. I recommend it!!"

• Ahmad
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 28, 2022

"I have pain in my right wrist and have Dupuytren's conjecture in my right palm. The right ring finger was slightly bent about 10-15 degrees. The doctor told me the pain is caused by the conjecture. He gave three Xiaflex injection in my right palm which was quite painful. Then 3 days later he stretched the finger under local anesthesia. The result was a disaster. The small finger bent much more than before about 45 degrees. I have to first straighten the small finger before I can do any thing with my hand. The pain in the wrist is still there. I do not know whether the injection was incorrectly administered or the Xiaflex it self caused it. Please read all the reviews before deciding on this injection. I personally would not recommend it."

• Did...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 28, 2022

"I saw the hand specialist for my right 5th finger. I originally asked for surgery and was basically bullied into the Xiaflex treatment. I was told it would be less painful, and a better outcome overall. I went in for an initial injection in right 5th digit with over 50% contracture in May 2022. The injection was painful, but not horrible. My finger was wrapped, and I did experience pain in the digit and up to my armpit. Went back for the manipulation 2 days later. Again the injection to numb the digit was painful, and I did not feel the cord tear. I asked the physician about this and was advised it would be "OK". Wore the splint on a regular basis and as of December of this year my finger is still contracted and the cord going into my palm is now more palpable that before. After all the time, expense, and pain I don't feel Xiaflex is helpful at all. I would not waste my money on this treatment."