Needle sizing .

[Higgey]

I’m having a problem with the size of needle used for b12 injection in my arm. Can anyone advise me, I have it in the upper arm with a 22g at present but it’s really painful. Please help thank you .kate

[wedgewood]

I would find self-injecting into an arm extremely difficult . Have you a special reason for using your arm? . Self-injectors usually use their thighs. You inject into the Vastus Lateralis muscle which is nearest the surface in the middle outer third of the thigh . That gives you a much larger area to inject into . Also good to swap thighs . I use a 25 G x 1inch needle for I,M. 25 G is finer than 22 G .

Some people prefer to inject sub-cutaneously , which means that they can use an even finer and shorter needle. namely 30 G x 1/2 inch . They then inject into their stomach fat , or into their thigh . You could look this up on the internet .

Those needles can be obtained from medisave.co.U.K.

You can obtain a numbing cream from Amazon.co.U.K.

[wedgewood in reply to wedgewood]

Yes as Readdaily writes , do use a long coarser needle -say 21G x 1 1/2 to withdraw the B12 , because if the needle touches the glass ampoule whilst withdrawing , the needle will be blunted and you will get a painful injection .

[Readdaily]

I would suggest you try a 1 inch 25g needle. Always remember the higher the needle gauge number, the thinner the needle, which means less painful. Another thing that will help is if you use a 18g needle to dispense the B12 and then switch to the 25g to inject.

[Brokenbutbeautiful]

My daughter’s clinic gives her injections in her arm, and she has soreness from that area as well. I inject into my buttocks. I tried injecting in my thighs, but it was problematic. I’ve just found it easier, even if I don’t switch sides. I can do it laying down or standing with no problem, so you might want to try that. When having to alternate sides, you can use an auto-injector for the side you use for your no dominant hand. I currently use a 25g 1.5” needle, and it’s quite comfortable.

Thanks for the replies. I’ll try the other options.

[fbirder in reply to Brokenbutbeautiful]

Injecting into the buttocks isn’t recommended as there are large blood vessels and nerves that can be hit. I use the rectus femoris.

nursingtimes.net/clinical-a...

IM injection sites

[Brokenbutbeautiful in reply to fbirder]

I appreciate the info. I’ll definitely try the thigh area again. The way I’d do it has been the way I always have, and was taught, but I’m open to trying new things.

[KristinCC in reply to Brokenbutbeautiful]

I was taught to inject into my upper hip. So far I've had no problems except that I practically throw my back out every time I do it. 🤣 I'd rather do it in my thigh, but because I'm not quite sure how to, I've been hesitant to try.

[rosyG in reply to Brokenbutbeautiful]

I inject mine into the outer thigh. As an ex nurse I would say no buttocks as you can hit a nerve. When we used to give injections into buttocks the rule was upper outer quadrant but think that’s hard to do on self!

[Brokenbutbeautiful in reply to rosyG]

That’s where I do it. It isn’t the easiest but it’s the way I was taught. I’ll try the other ways that have been mentioned.

[fbirder in reply to rosyG]

That's why I use the rectus femoris. Easy to find (sit on the edge of the bed, knees bent, and lift your leg at the hip. The rectus femoris stands out like a thick rope on the top of the thigh.

[Cricket717]

I use a 25 G 5/8th inch needle with a 3 ml syringe injecting into thighs. The dose is 1 ml but I find the 3 ml syringe easier to manage.

[Bellabab]

I use a 23 gauge by 30 mm long needle to draw up the B12 from the ampoule and a 25 gauge by 16 mm long to inject into the rectus femoral muscle. This is what I have used with great success for years - sometimes there is a bit of pain but nothing much now and again - relaxing fully from the shoulders down greatly reduces the chances of pain.