pain with B12 injections any advice

I heard there was a really good post about reducing the pain of B12 jabs. I inject myself but tend to avoid/delay more than is good for me as stingy and hurty.

[Fudgemanjim]

Im no expert (only SI for maybe a month but had the jabs all my life) it always hurts in my leg (upper bit) which is were i still do it as its easiest to get to.. i do hear theres more nerves though.. however when i have a nurse or family member avalible willing to help i always have it in my upper arm muscle which i find painless by comparision even when done by an uncle who had never done it before.... thats just me though, i also wouldnt try the arm on my own as its very fiddly and i hear theres an important nerve or somthing around therewhich isnt good with my shaking/ tremors if SI, b7t ive found if someone else is at hand to help (rare in my case) location maoes a big diffrence

[Hidden in reply to Fudgemanjim]

Thank you. I will try different places for it as currently only have use thighs.

[spacey1]

Warm the ampoule to body temperature first. Tucking it in your bra is a good idea!

[Hidden in reply to spacey1]

Thank you. I tried this today and it was not so sore.

[pvanderaa]

Do you move the injection site around? Alternate thighs or buttocks?

I find that the old site hurts more than the new site. Some sort of sympathetic reaction?

I’ve been SI for about 9 years - twice weekly 0.5 ml each injection. I alternate buttocks - Monday is the right side and Thursday is the left side. So my buttocks look and can feel like pin cushions. There really is no pain sitting.

There are less nerves and a larger muscle in the buttocks but it needs some reverse coordination while looking in the mirror to perform the injection. I use the 25 mm 30 gauge insulin needle and inject IM.

The site is always in the upper, outer quadrant (thighs or buttocks). One trick I use is to press and hold a penny on the new injection site for 10 seconds. This also prevents me using an already sore old site as I can feel the old site ache in the muscle under the pressure of the penny.

The penny leaves a nice red ring on the skin that is easy to clean with an alcohol swap and also to aim for with the needle.

I gently press the needle to the skin in the ring and give the hand holding the syringe a bit of a shake. No need for swift jabs as they show in the movies. If I feel pain, there is a high probability of a blood vessel. I lift the needle and move to another place within the circle.

The shake of the hand usually gets the tip of the needle past the skin. There is very little pain pushing the needle into the muscle.

Very rarely, I can hit a deep nerve in the muscle which causes a very slight electric shock sensation. This is not an issue.

Once the needle is in, I slowly depress the syringe, using the pinky finger first then moving to the next finger to inject the B12.

When I withdraw the needle, occasionally there is a drop of blood or a bruise under the skin if I happen to hit a blood vessel. The alcohol swab cleans up any blood on the skin.

I keep my B12 at room temp in a dark drawer. No warming it up is needed. I think cold B12 can also be painful but I don’t have any experience here.

I sleep on the opposite side from the new injection as the old site is sore and I think warming it up helps. This also helps slow the release the new B12 into the blood stream as I’m not putting any pressure on the new injection site. I feel that the B12 lasts a bit longer and I don't get the headache from the rush of B12.

Hope this gives you another perspective and some ideas you can use to eliminate your pain.

Thanks,

Paul

[Hidden in reply to pvanderaa]

Thanks Paul. I envy your agility.

[JMN2017]

I wonder if you might prefer to inject S/c and using a finer needle, ie Orange? I found IM injections awkward and was tensing up, making them a bit more uncomfortable so I decided to change to S/c and it's much easier.

Another tip you might find helps is to make sure the skin is taut for the needle to go in - much less painful. I was taught to hold the skin taut and flick the needle/syringe in, as if you were throwing a dart. A slow insertion is usually a bit more painful. Also, are you using a new needle to inject with, rather than use the one you have used to draw up the B12 - the needle could well be a bit blunted if it's touched the ampoule.

Maybe practice on an orange re flicking the needle in?

Hope this may have helped.

[Hidden in reply to JMN2017]

Thanks. It is not the needle going it that hurts though it is the red liquid as it goes in. I use sub cut insulin needle. I could stick needle in me all day and not notice but the B12 liquid is some sore as it goes in for me.

[Ryaan]

Relax your leg...Dart the needle so it goes in very quickly....count to 20 as you push the syringe.. rub your thigh for couple of minutes.... should be almost pain free.

Try not hitting the bottom of the ampule when drawing up the B12.

If using a veil change the syringe after drawing up solution.

If it still hurts.....it’s always going to hurt.

[Hidden in reply to Ryaan]

Thanks. I think I have tried all of that and I think you are right it is always going to sting a bit. sometimes it is not too bad and others like today when I do all the same stuff really hurty.