bpcboy
Explorer
right, that goes double when you're not going straight in at 90 degrees. which needles are you working with?
INTRO 25yo afraid of needles
- Thread starter bpcboy
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right, that goes double when you're not going straight in at 90 degrees. which needles are you working with?
bpcboy
Explorer
what caught me off guard is ... picking a supplier ended up near the end of the process. i focused first on stories people shared, how much to take, timing, half lives, keeping things sterile and how to inject. now that i'm comparing costs, it's a bit shocking that some of the vendors here come in around 90% lower, or even 95% lower in a single instance, than the easier-to-find options that have websites and take credit cards.
pepsrjstsmllproteins
Explorer
My first pen needles were 32gx4mm, and I kept wondering whether they were really getting deep enough into the skin, because I felt absolutely nothing. So I made the choice on my own to move up to 31gx8mm pen needles, and with those there's still hardly any pain, but at least I know I'm going deep enough. When I take the 5th extra dose out of the Mounjaro pen, I reach for 30gx12mm needles.
bpcboy
Explorer
haha yeah... 10x lololol. plus shipping costs extra on top of thatEnyola said:
That gives you a pretty clear picture of how much profit those credit card vendors are pulling in...
bpcboy
Explorer
Is it more difficult to get pen needles since each manufacturer (Eli Lilly vs Pfizer) has its own specific fit? Or do all pen needles share a universal fit?
Also, everyone keeps praising Hospira brand water for BAC, but it's out of stock at most places aside from the pricier sites. I notice you're in Germany, so getting supplies is likely a different situation there.
tubby-scone
Explorer
Just reading this thread's title made me feel the needle x_x. On my initial go, I'm pretty sure I just parked there staring at the syringe for a hot minute... getting my head in the game LOL.
pepsrjstsmllproteins
Explorer
From what I understand, certain pen needles are designed to be universal and will work with any pen — the BD Micro-Fine ones are what I use myself, as an example. That said, you also get pen needles that are manufactured for a single specific pen and won't function with anything else, though the universal options will still work on that same pen. On the BAC water side, Hospira is the name I keep coming across, but their focus seems to be mostly the US market. Since my Mounjaro is dispensed by the pharmacy already inside a pre-filled pen, BAC water isn't something I need to deal with at the moment. Even so, I'd assume there are trustworthy sources within the EU. Another thing I've considered: BAC water is essentially just sterile water plus 0.9% benzyl alcohol, so in theory mixing it up on your own shouldn't be too difficult — unless there's some hurdle I'm not seeing.
animeIsrael
Explorer
Sure, pens have their appeal — but for a starting point, a 31G 5/16" needle can do the job. Like the priestess in Goblin Slayer says: "You get used to it."
In theory you could make BAC water yourself using distilled water plus everclear. That said, without a cleanroom for production, going with hospira is the safer bet. Honestly, generic versions have worked fine for me. What matters more is sterilizing the vial tops so the contents don't get contaminated.
bpcboy
Explorer
appreciate you hopping into this thread. like you mentioned, simply beginning will probably get me further than stressing over every detail involved in building a pen. ultimately the point is to see results. maybe that just makes me lazy, since I can't make it through a 25 minute clip of a nurse practitioner walking through pen assembly. just watched one last night at 2x speed and it felt like a lot, plus filtering is pricey for something that may only stretch 10 days when injecting daily or twice daily. every 10 days I'd be swapping in a new filter, a new recon syringe, extra needles lost to air leaks, and so on.
one kit of 5mg *10 vials covers 100 days, or 200 days if using 10mg vials = 10-20 refills for that pen = 10 filters, 10 cartridges, 10 of everything. I'll have time to settle on the pen later if I end up going that way.
...
on the other hand, snapping on a fresh needle, dialing, and boom, then back in the fridge really does sound like a luxury worth paying for.
animeIsrael
Explorer
Filters are optional in my experience, not something you truly need. The main thing is letting the lyophilized powder sit long enough to fully dissolve in the BAC water, and making sure your supplies are clean and reliable — do that and you should be fine.
One more thing: any powder you aren't using right now belongs in a freezer that doesn't run an auto-defrost cycle. Room temperature over a span of weeks will generally denature peptides, and so will repeated freeze/thaw cycles. If an auto-defrost freezer is all you have, then I suppose the best you can do is keep them alongside a few blue ice packs and hope for the best.
CheetosYum
Explorer
Needles freak me out as well. Every single time, I burn way too many minutes working up the nerve before I can actually do the injection. My method isn't polished yet — certain jabs sting, others I barely notice. Honestly, having another person do it seems simpler because I'm not bracing for it! With practice, it's gotten less daunting. Switching to the thinnest, shortest needles available made a real difference for me.
Needles aren't really my thing either. My setup is 0.5ml 31Gx8mm syringes — as thin as they come, and at just 8mm they go in with almost no sensation. The initial few shots might make you a little nervous, but soon enough you'll see there's nothing to it. From what I've read, GHK-CU (which appears on your list) tends to be pretty "spicy," so I add extra BAC water and transfer it into a bigger vial; that approach has worked fine for me with no problems.
Somewhere on this forum I came across a tip that has stuck with me: press the needle against your skin, and if the spot feels sensitive, that likely means a nerve is sitting right there — so simply shift the needle slightly to a spot close by. On the few occasions where the area has felt more tender, this approach has worked very well for me.
pepsrjstsmllproteins
Explorer
Sure — when it comes time for me to handle lyophilized powder, I'll explore ways to source Hospira BAC water within Europe. Perhaps other trustworthy vendors serving the European market exist as well. Regarding DIY production, the cleanroom concern you raise is obviously valid. On the other hand, I have no idea how, for instance, the makers of BAC water listed on Amazon actually make theirs, so the question becomes whether I have more faith in my own ability to work as hygienically as possible — a brand-new needle for each draw, wiping down every vial cap before piercing, plus running everything through a 0.2 micron injection filter — or whether the manufacturer deserves that trust instead. There's also a separate point worth challenging: does BAC water even make sense to begin with? A few posts I've come across mention that Janoshik, for example, is not a fan of BAC water. If the sole genuine function of BAC water is suppressing bacterial growth, then perhaps sterile water combined with a 0.2 micron injection filter and refrigeration could deliver a comparable result. One thing is certain — there's plenty to learn.
LotsaSequel
Explorer
At minimum, reliable and consistent! Hahabpcboy said:
hahaha so jab it in fast
It sounds like a big undertaking, but my consistent advice is to filter — pens or no pens. The cost of filters is low, and once you've done it a couple of times it barely takes any time. Really, you're just moving that effort up front rather than repeating it daily.
On the math: with 5mg and 1ml bac, each 5 units equals 250mcg. That means you can recon 3 vials and then filter them into 1 pen cartridge. You'd only need 1 filter and 1 vent needle, and a 3ml syringe works for the recon, so just 1 recon needle is enough since the bac gets drawn a single time. The same needle can go into each vial, because a fresh needle and filter get used when loading the pen cartridge. The result is a pen cartridge good for 30 days, and your daily shot takes seconds.
With 10mg vials it's a bit trickier, since you'd likely keep it at 2ml bac so the cartridge isn't overfilled. Another route: buy a 10mg kit and a 5mg kit, then do 1 of each instead of 3 x 5mg in 3ml.
CheetosYum
Explorer
Looking back, whenever I ignored tenderness at an injection site and went ahead anyway, those were exactly the spots that ended up causing pain.
Still, I appreciate the suggestion! Next time I inject, I'll give it a shot.
bpcboy
Explorer
yep, I've looked into ghk-cu. the stinging comes from the copper ions. my sister deals with severe eczema, psoriasis, and dermatitis... she goes through tons of steroid cream for her inflamed skin. I'm considering mixing it into a cream for her. I'm aware pH is important and that using acids simultaneously impacts how well it works. smart move to dilute the leftover BAC, appreciate that suggestion my friend