When I inject I use iodine to clean my quad. I like to clean a rather large area and I inject eod. Is there any way that I can get too much iodine this way?
Also, what do y’all use to clean up before you inject?
There shouldn’t be any risk of overdose provided the exposure is minimal (i.e. you aren’t soaking your leg or leaving it on for long periods of time). Why do you use iodine anyway? I, along with I’m sure most everyone else, uses alcohol. It’s cheap and effective.
[quote]Schwarzenegger wrote:
There shouldn’t be any risk of overdose provided the exposure is minimal (i.e. you aren’t soaking your leg or leaving it on for long periods of time). Why do you use iodine anyway? I, along with I’m sure most everyone else, uses alcohol. It’s cheap and effective.[/quote]
I suppose I am very cautious, but hopefully not overly cautious. I remember the doctors using it before surgury etc… What I like is that I can see the area that has been disinfected because of the color.
I guess it’s more effective than alcohol as well, but I don’t know for sure if this is true.
There was a nursing study done in Canada in the 1980’s where a group of diabetics was told to stop using alcohol prep pads before injecting. Blood work compared antibodies and such between that group and controls and no evidence suggested that there was any merit to the alcohol cleaning. Then the recommendation to use prep pads was dropped. This all assumes that one has an immune system in good order.
When blood banks [used to] do two iodine cleanings, this was to safegard the donated blood, not really an issue for the doner. When I last donated they had switched to a clear non-iodine cleaning product that was “more effective” and did not have the issue where some could have reactions to the iodine.
[quote]Diana Bolann wrote:
I suppose I am very cautious, but hopefully not overly cautious. I remember the doctors using it before surgery etc… What I like is that I can see the area that has been disinfected because of the color.
I guess it’s more effective than alcohol as well, but I don’t know for sure if this is true.[/quote]
The iodine will be more effective, but perhaps just unnecessary.
Mark the selected injection area by pressing agaist it with a plastic tube or the cap of a pen. The mark will persist. After cleaning with the alcohol, it will be easy to see. This technique is used to mark viens for blood draws and donations.
[quote]KSman wrote:
There was a nursing study done in Canada in the 1980’s where a group of diabetics was told to stop using alcohol prep pads before injecting. Blood work compared antibodies and such between that group and controls and no evidence suggested that there was any merit to the alcohol cleaning. Then the recommendation to use prep pads was dropped. This all assumes that one has an immune system in good order.
When blood banks [used to] do two iodine cleanings, this was to safegard the donated blood, not really an issue for the doner. When I last donated they had switched to a clear non-iodine cleaning product that was “more effective” and did not have the issue where some could have reactions to the iodine.[/quote]
Intersting, this leads me to guess that the chance of an infection is possible but extremely unlikely.
I just used alcohol prep pads. They are very cheap and easy to use. I cleaned a circular area about 6 inches across. Even if I did run out of pads I just put some alcohol on a paper towel and rubbed the area the same way. I don’t like iodine mainly because the shit stains EVERYTHING! Even stuff you didn’t even touch has it on it some how!! lol
[quote]Diana Bolann wrote:
Intersting, this leads me to guess that the chance of an infection is possible but extremely unlikely. [/quote]
Yes, that seems to be true. Germs will be dragged below the skin as the skin is full of bacteria. Cleaning only reduces the bacteria on the surface. Alcohol is more of a cleaner and not a disinfectant. Your immune system is working hard all the time dealing with bacterial threats and whatever happens with injections is simply business as usual.
Different situation for those with HIV. Testosterone is at times used with HIV/AIDS to counteract ‘wasting’ [muscle loss]. I have never seen what precautions are needed in that case.
Some who take drugs that suppress the immune system, such as for an auto immune disease [rheumatoid arthritis], are vulnerable to infections and need to take extra precautions.
Another example: There are some diabetics who also fully load syringes and use them for multiple injections until empty. And many who use insulin pens do not change the needle for each injection as the manufacturer suggests. They do not seem to have problems with infections. The folks with the “worst practices” provide interesting conclusions.