Intramuscular injections

[treacletart33]

HI there, is there any problem if you do by accident inject into your bloodstream when self injecting? All the recommendations say to draw back first to check you are not in a blood vessel before injecting the B12. But surely it ends up in the bloodstream, so why worry? Any thought would be welcome as this is puzzling me a bit... thanks.

[Hidden]

Hi treacletart33 ,

No there is no big problem, you will just get a big bruise and it will hurt. When I was shown how to inject I was told it was not necessary to draw back first to check you are not in a blood vessel. Modern needles are so sharp and thin that any damage will heal quickly. But you will feel it! I usually feel immediately if I am near a blood vessel and will stop and start again to avoid big bruise. I inject after a hot bath so I can see all the veins and try to avoid getting near them! I also inject very slowly, put the needle in very slowly so I will feel if its in the wrong place. Have produced some 5 bruises over the last 9 years I self inject, far less than the nurses produced over the 5 years they injected me.

Quite a few hydroxo and cyanocobalamin (and methyl) products are also used intravenously so its not a matter of life and death.

Kind regards,

Marre.

[treacletart33 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Marre,

Thanks very much indeed.

Treacletart33

[Galixie]

It's just that less of the B12 would stick around in your system if it is injected into a vein rather than a muscle. You'd end up with a bruise but the benefit of the B12 would also wear off faster so it's better to try to avoid that.

[treacletart33]

Hi Galixie

Thanks a lot

Treacletart33