Volume

[WLBLD]

I went with 1ml for every 10mg, figuring that would keep the amount low. At 5units, which I began at .5mg, there's no problem. But once I hit 10units (1mg), I end up with pain, a bruise, and bleeding. The needles are 32g 4mm, so they're really small and fine. There were 3 of us injecting at the same times. Every single time, it's only me.

I used to think I was just squeamish about needles, but now I'm wondering if it's my skin (I'm also very hyper mobile and bruise easily). That's probably the reason I dislike needles so much.

Has anyone tried using less liquid? I'm not sure what I'll do once I increase the dose, since bruising is already happening. About 30min before, I do use lidocaine plus ice.

Is anyone else dealing with this same issue?

 

[Vash]

Are you injecting with a pen? If you aren't, then 4mm is quite short. It's possible you aren't reaching SubQ.

For my insulin syringes, I go with 8mm needles and it's never been a problem.

Could your iron levels be low?

 

[CNCCurrency]

Vash_ said:

Are you injecting with a pen? If you aren't, then 4mm is quite short. It's possible you aren't reaching SubQ.

For my insulin syringes, I go with 8mm needles and it's never been a problem.

Could your iron levels be low?

That's new to me. 4mm does the job without any problems.

 

[WLBLD]

Vash_ said:

Are you injecting with a pen? If you aren't, then 4mm is quite short. It's possible you aren't reaching SubQ.

For my insulin syringes, I go with 8mm needles and it's never been a problem.

Could your iron levels be low?

Yeah, it's a pen, and I picked up the tiniest needles available. I squeeze the skin and get it shot in, which lets me throw on headphones and turn my head. Nobody else has an issue—just me.

Low iron could be a factor for me. It's happened before, though my most recent blood work came back normal. Bruises show up on me pretty easily anyway, and I'm hypermobile in my fingers, knees, elbows, and so on.

 

[CNCCurrency]

Even though 8 mm needles are widely used across the globe,3 newer guidelines indicate that shorter options (4 mm, 5 mm, or 6 mm) could be best for the majority of patients in order to prevent intramuscular delivery

 

[Vash]

WLBLD said:

Vash_ said:

Are you injecting with a pen? If you aren't, then 4mm is quite short. It's possible you aren't reaching SubQ.

For my insulin syringes, I go with 8mm needles and it's never been a problem.

Could your iron levels be low?

Yeah, it's a pen, and I picked up the tiniest needles available. I squeeze the skin and get it shot in, which lets me throw on headphones and turn my head. Nobody else has an issue—just me.

Low iron could be a factor for me. It's happened before, though my most recent blood work came back normal. Bruises show up on me pretty easily anyway, and I'm hypermobile in my fingers, knees, elbows, and so on.

It crossed my mind that bruising might stem from low iron levels.

I might be off base here—pens aren't something I've worked with—but my understanding was that pinching isn't part of pen use. You simply inject straight in. That's also why the needle is shorter.

Which keeps it out of the muscle.

If I've got that wrong, I'm sure someone here will set me straight.

 

[CNCCurrency]

Vash_ said:

WLBLD said:

Vash_ said:

Are you injecting with a pen? If you aren't, then 4mm is quite short. It's possible you aren't reaching SubQ.

For my insulin syringes, I go with 8mm needles and it's never been a problem.

Could your iron levels be low?

Yeah, it's a pen, and I picked up the tiniest needles available. I squeeze the skin and get it shot in, which lets me throw on headphones and turn my head. Nobody else has an issue—just me.

Low iron could be a factor for me. It's happened before, though my most recent blood work came back normal. Bruises show up on me pretty easily anyway, and I'm hypermobile in my fingers, knees, elbows, and so on.

It crossed my mind that bruising might stem from low iron levels.

I might be off base here—pens aren't something I've worked with—but my understanding was that pinching isn't part of pen use. You simply inject straight in. That's also why the needle is shorter.

Which keeps it out of the muscle.

If I've got that wrong, I'm sure someone here will set me straight.

In most cases, bruising comes from the needle piercing capillaries or blood vessels, rather than from the peptide itself.

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

WLBLD said:

I went with 1ml for every 10mg, figuring that would keep the amount low. At 5units, which I began at .5mg, there's no problem. But once I hit 10units (1mg), I end up with pain, a bruise, and bleeding. The needles are 32g 4mm, so they're really small and fine. There were 3 of us injecting at the same times. Every single time, it's only me.

I used to think I was just squeamish about needles, but now I'm wondering if it's my skin (I'm also very hyper mobile and bruise easily). That's probably the reason I dislike needles so much.

Has anyone tried using less liquid? I'm not sure what I'll do once I increase the dose, since bruising is already happening. About 30min before, I do use lidocaine plus ice.

Is anyone else dealing with this same issue?

You could give 34g insulin pen needles a shot — locating them takes a bit more effort, though they aren't exactly rare, and the price tends to run a touch higher. That's what I use, and the prick doesn't register at all. Considering you're using a numbing solution, I doubt you'd notice them either.

If not, maybe it comes down to thickening your milkshake with a bit of concrete — give it a stir with a straw and sip to see whether that assists in toughening you up.

That last part was a joke, obviously. Maybe consider every child out there with type 1 diabetes who injects on a regular basis — if they can manage it, I'm confident grown adults can handle a tiny needle.

 

[lessthanhalf]

Do you use blood thinners, aspirin, or any other pain relief medication that could make bleeding worse? Which spot are you using for injections? If you're currently injecting into your thighs or even your upper arm, switching to the stomach might reduce bleeding, since those higher locations tend to have lower venous pressure — though you'd have to take care that the needle goes under the skin and not into muscle. Bruising also happens less when you push the plunger in slowly; I know I used to bruise more until I figured that out.

Bleeding and bruising shouldn't be affected by low iron.

Another option is to press gently and evenly on the injection site for about 2 minutes once you're done.

 

[WLBLD]

Vash_ said:

WLBLD said:

Vash_ said:

Are you injecting with a pen? If you aren't, then 4mm is quite short. It's possible you aren't reaching SubQ.

For my insulin syringes, I go with 8mm needles and it's never been a problem.

Could your iron levels be low?

Yeah, it's a pen, and I picked up the tiniest needles available. I squeeze the skin and get it shot in, which lets me throw on headphones and turn my head. Nobody else has an issue—just me.

Low iron could be a factor for me. It's happened before, though my most recent blood work came back normal. Bruises show up on me pretty easily anyway, and I'm hypermobile in my fingers, knees, elbows, and so on.

It crossed my mind that bruising might stem from low iron levels.

I might be off base here—pens aren't something I've worked with—but my understanding was that pinching isn't part of pen use. You simply inject straight in. That's also why the needle is shorter.

Which keeps it out of the muscle.

If I've got that wrong, I'm sure someone here will set me straight.

I figured pinching was the only step needed?

 

[WLBLD]

CNCCurrency said:

Vash_ said:

WLBLD said:

Vash_ said:

Are you injecting with a pen? If you aren't, then 4mm is quite short. It's possible you aren't reaching SubQ.

For my insulin syringes, I go with 8mm needles and it's never been a problem.

Could your iron levels be low?

Yeah, it's a pen, and I picked up the tiniest needles available. I squeeze the skin and get it shot in, which lets me throw on headphones and turn my head. Nobody else has an issue—just me.

Low iron could be a factor for me. It's happened before, though my most recent blood work came back normal. Bruises show up on me pretty easily anyway, and I'm hypermobile in my fingers, knees, elbows, and so on.

It crossed my mind that bruising might stem from low iron levels.

I might be off base here—pens aren't something I've worked with—but my understanding was that pinching isn't part of pen use. You simply inject straight in. That's also why the needle is shorter.

Which keeps it out of the muscle.

If I've got that wrong, I'm sure someone here will set me straight.

In most cases, bruising comes from the needle piercing capillaries or blood vessels, rather than from the peptide itself.

I used to be on Tirz, and now I'm on Reta — neither of them is a spicy one, so I didn't figure it was down to those. The only thing that changed: at 5units, it never happened (just a tiny bit of blood). But at 10 units, both occasions brought pain, a bruise, and more bleeding.

 

[WLBLD]

lessthanhalf said:

Do you use blood thinners, aspirin, or any other pain relief medication that could make bleeding worse? Which spot are you using for injections? If you're currently injecting into your thighs or even your upper arm, switching to the stomach might reduce bleeding, since those higher locations tend to have lower venous pressure — though you'd have to take care that the needle goes under the skin and not into muscle. Bruising also happens less when you push the plunger in slowly; I know I used to bruise more until I figured that out.

Bleeding and bruising shouldn't be affected by low iron.

Another option is to press gently and evenly on the injection site for about 2 minutes once you're done.

Right now I'm not on any other medications. Every injection so far has gone into my thighs. One time it was the middle of the right thigh, more toward the front, and that one hurt. This time I went higher up on the outer left thigh. I'm too nervous to try my stomach. I've heard thighs cause fewer side effects and that absorption is slower there — is that true?

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have him inject more quickly and then apply pressure afterwards

 

[lessthanhalf]

Slower injections are better than quicker ones, in my view. The stomach seems to hurt less that way.

 

[WLBLD]

lessthanhalf said:

Slower injections are better than quicker ones, in my view. The stomach seems to hurt less that way.

Not sure what made me write faster. Slow/er was what I was trying to say.

 

[Omxxl]

Cuando hay bastante grasa acumulada en la zona abdominal, lo que suelo emplear son agujas de 8 mm; en cambio, con las de 4 mm en ocasiones me aparece un pequeño bulto de tono rojizo.

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

Omxxl said:

Cuando hay bastante grasa acumulada en la zona abdominal, lo que suelo emplear son agujas de 8 mm; en cambio, con las de 4 mm en ocasiones me aparece un pequeño bulto de tono rojizo.

Translated into English, it means roughly this:

When someone carries a lot of fat around the midsection, 8 mm needles are the better choice in my view; with 4 mm ones, I occasionally end up with a little red bump.

 

[Omxxl]

Sid the SeaGull said:

Omxxl said:

Cuando hay bastante grasa acumulada en la zona abdominal, lo que suelo emplear son agujas de 8 mm; en cambio, con las de 4 mm en ocasiones me aparece un pequeño bulto de tono rojizo.

Translated into English, it means roughly this:

When someone carries a lot of fat around the midsection, 8 mm needles are the better choice in my view; with 4 mm ones, I occasionally end up with a little red bump.

my apologies!

 

[Sid the SeaGull]

No worries, mate — it's best to show respect for the crew running the forum. Previously, some members posted in their native tongue. The mods are quite lenient, but certain rules still have to be followed.

Having to translate several languages is a real hassle for the moderators.

Since the forum is based in the US, the simplest way for us to honor the creation of this community resource is to stick to English for everything.

 

[DunningKruger]

Might be a really basic question, but when you inject, are you doing it somewhere with good lighting and a mirror, so the blood vessels are visible? For me, having decent light plus a mirror made my technique better, and I end up hitting veins much less. Another important thing: push the plunger down slowly.

 

[Grogu]

WLBLD said:

lessthanhalf said:

Do you use blood thinners, aspirin, or any other pain relief medication that could make bleeding worse? Which spot are you using for injections? If you're currently injecting into your thighs or even your upper arm, switching to the stomach might reduce bleeding, since those higher locations tend to have lower venous pressure — though you'd have to take care that the needle goes under the skin and not into muscle. Bruising also happens less when you push the plunger in slowly; I know I used to bruise more until I figured that out.

Bleeding and bruising shouldn't be affected by low iron.

Another option is to press gently and evenly on the injection site for about 2 minutes once you're done.

Right now I'm not on any other medications. Every injection so far has gone into my thighs. One time it was the middle of the right thigh, more toward the front, and that one hurt. This time I went higher up on the outer left thigh. I'm too nervous to try my stomach. I've heard thighs cause fewer side effects and that absorption is slower there — is that true?

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll have him inject more quickly and then apply pressure afterwards

Honestly, whether I pin my stomach or my thighs, I can't tell any difference in how the medication works or in side effects. These days it's extremely uncommon for me to bruise or bleed at the injection site. That was something that mainly happened early on.

When my stomach is the target, I check the area first so I don't go into a stretch mark. I don't know whether you've got any of those. Mine are only on my stomach, none on my thighs. Either way, I avoid them.

Something that has shifted for me over time: I've grown to prefer a quick jab. Rather than sitting there thinking about the needle entering, I simply get it done. A bit of forward momentum, I've found, makes it easier for the needle to break the skin, which means less pain and fewer reactions where I inject.