Is there a reason we wouldn’t use a needle shorter than 1/2 inch for SC injections? How thick is the layer of skin? Why not go shorter? Also, I’m using a 26G needle, because my doctor gave me them. Said 29G would be crazy. Loading with a 26 is slow, don’t you guys have trouble with the 29G? Any reactions from the high pressure the fine needle creates?
Thanks.
You can purchase 5/16" needles, but they typically come on small (29-31g) insulin syringes. These are ideal for SQ injections, but 1/2" can work just fine, too–if you need to, pinch up some fat around your abdominal, lower back, or inner thigh areas (these are common, but wherever you retain the most fat) and inject into the pinched fold at a 90-degree angle.
I do my IM injections with 30g .5cc 1/2" needles. They do take a bit of time to fill–2-3 minutes with an unwarmed vial, 1 minute or so with a warmed vial–but they do fill, and they’re incredibly convenient, blood-free, and near-painless. I take the injection nice and slow (10-20s for .5cc) and don’t experience any issues from the pressure this way. If you jammed the plunger as hard as you could and forced a full dose out in 2-3s, yes, you’d probably damage your muscle with the pressure. With a bit of patience, though, I think the merits of the smaller needle outweigh any pressure issues.
Thanks! I’m not having any trouble with the 26G, but will probably try 29. Less pain the better. Do you use a 2 piece or one piece? I’m injecting 36mg (18 line on the syringe) I use a 2 piece, and notice, if I pull back on the plunger after I’m done, there’s still 12mg (6 line) left in the syringe. So I’m wasting a third of what I load with. Do the one piece syringes do that?
I’m using BD “Ultrafine” 30G (.5cc .5") syringes that are a single unit with non-detachable needles. A box of 100 set me back $30 or so retail, and I’m sure I can find a substantially better deal than that online.
There’s no discernible oil left in my syringe after I inject. I’m sure a little residue coats the barrel and the interior of the 30G needle stays filled, but I can’t imagine this is anything even approaching a level of significance.
On the other hand, my first injections with 23G 3cc needles (shudder) left a TON of oil in the barrel, and this was quite frustrating. Even the needles (1.5" 23G) seemed to rob me of a notable amount of T. I think the smaller equipment is definitely less prone to waste.
Thanks for the advice. I’ve heard of these BD needle. Sound nice.