How to self inject safely.

[StaffsLass]

I am guessing that it's slow & steady on the plunger but how deep do you insert the needles in both IT & SC injections? Thank you.

[pvanderaa]

All the way in. 1 inch of IM and 0.5 inch for subcutaneous.

Get alcohol swabs to clean the injection site before injecting.

Simple trick to help: press a penny to the planned injection site for the count of 10 to create a ring indentation in the skin. Clean this area with the swab and the ring turns red and it is easy to see to inject- this is especially true if self injecting in your buttocks looking in a mirror.

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to pvanderaa]

Pvandra. To clarify...cleaning with alcohol swabs is not necessary...research indicates that this may raise the chance of infection.

Pressing a penny on the skin prior to injection is not a good idea - coins are potentially riddled with germs, which may transfer to the skin.

We do not recommend that those who self inject do so in the buttocks. The presence of the sciatic nerve and the difficult of injecting in the right area in the buttocks makes this a high risk procedure.

👍

[StaffsLass in reply to Foggyme]

Thank you for clearing that up Foggyme.

I have no intention of injecting in my buttocks for precisely that reason. I have had spinal surgery twice at the bottom of my spine, which caused scar tissue on both sciatic nerve roots. I battle sciatica daily, which is why I will never inject there.