Re-using needles to draw from multi-dose vials

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 04:29 PM

When drawing test from a multi-dose vial, I will use an 18-gauge needle and then swap it with a brand new 23g needle to inject into the muscle. After drawing the test into the syringe, I replace the cap on the 18g needle, remove it from the syringe and keep it for future use. This morning, when I uncapped the 18g needle to draw, I noticed a little test was dripping down the side of the needle. I wiped it off with a cotton swab, but I did not dip the cotton swab in alcohol, because I was afraid the alcohol residue would kill the test inside the vial.

I did, however, clean the rubber stopper with alcohol before sending the 18g needle into the vial. I always use a brand new 23g needle for the injection. Should I be worried about infection or contamination to the test in the vial? This is the first time I re-used a 18g needle to draw. I always clean my skin with alcohol before and after inject as well. If I am the only one using these needles, do I have much to worry about in terms of infection? Does the cap on the 18g needle protect it from contamination?

**Bertuzzi** · 10-09-2010, 04:34 PM

Yes... you should be concerned about contamination..... Use a new needle to draw every time. Needles cost only pennies.... Why risk it??

**DCannon** · 10-09-2010, 04:38 PM

X2 why would you ever re-use a needle?!

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by Bertuzzi

Yes... you should be concerned about contamination..... Use a new needle to draw every time. Needles cost only pennies.... Why risk it??

Please elaborate. Contamination of what? If I clean the drawing needle with alcohol am I g2g then? I don't have spare drawing needles. I do use new injection needle every time. I also place a cap on the needle after drawing. The same cap that's on the needles I use for injection. Am I compromising the test? Or just compromising the cleanliness of my injection?

**SomeRandomGuy** · 10-09-2010, 06:32 PM

In theory cleaning the needle with alcohol would make sense. But think about this; can you clean the inside of that needle? It will grow bacteria. Please use new needles every time, they are cheap as hell, and an infection is neither cheap nor painless to fix.

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 06:40 PM

So it's an infection I should be worried about reusing needles and not killing the test in the vial? Here's the thing.. If I swab the rubber stopper with alcohol and recap the needle after drawing, seems to me there would be very little room for bacteria to grow. After all I am using needles that are capped to start with. These are NOT needles I have stuck into my body...only the vial.

**HitIt** · 10-09-2010, 06:45 PM

needles dull quickly...after a few uses you'll be gouging the rubber stopper....maybe enough to create a permanent opening in the stopper that you cannot see....frugality is great, except in this senario.

here's a photo courtesy of hawaiian pride

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 06:49 PM

Ok so I can't be the only person doing this. lol

**boxin23** · 10-09-2010, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by SomeLiveForTheBill

Ok so I can't be the only person doing this. lol

that was actually funny....but i hope you get what they are all saying.

**Considering** · 10-09-2010, 07:02 PM

Originally Posted by SomeLiveForTheBill

Ok so I can't be the only person doing this. lol

I think you may be. What made you decide to save $ this way? This may be the greatest instance of cheapness I have ever heard anyone admit to.

**GS4** · 10-09-2010, 07:08 PM

yeah man I replace my drawing needles every single time, ever since my buddy got a golf ball size infections on he's shoulder, and had to get the shit drained out.

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 07:09 PM

Originally Posted by boxin23

that was actually funny....but i hope you get what they are all saying.

Source provided only 10 drawing size needles for my cycle. I can get more, but I'll pay a hefty shipping fee for $2 worth of needles. Source insists I'm fine, because I'm switching out the drawing needle with a fresh needle before I inject. So... the risk here is bacteria growing on the test remaining inside the needle after the first draw? How high is the risk?

**boxin23** · 10-09-2010, 07:18 PM

yes and it is high....

bro what state do you live in......where i live i can walk into my pharmacy (i actually just use the 24 hour drive thru...haha) and ask for my pins and they are hella cheap right over the counter and no questions asked.....they are 100% legal in many states.

**SomeRandomGuy** · 10-09-2010, 07:18 PM

Even if you recap the needle, the opposite end is still open. There's a reason they come from the factory in vacuum sealed bags. If air can hit it, there's a risk. If bacteria gets inside the needle and you draw with it, you'll be pulling the bacteria into your injection dose. In fact, you want to go from opening the bag to injecting ASAP, because any time in the air is bad. Imho reusing needles is a terrible idea.

Not only could you look forward to a nasty abscess, but you could get cellulitis:

http://www.thedoctorltd.co.uk/inject.html

A staphylococcal abscess occurred in a 24-year-old bodybuilder who reported, for financial reasons, reusing needles on multiple occasions.(6)

Two case reports of staphylococcal gluteal abscesses developed in young bodybuilders 18 and 21 years of age. The steroids were injected by other weight lifters who were not familiar with sterile injection technique.(7)

Pectoral and deltoid abscesses were reported in a 20-year-old AS injector who had injected his AS preparation and then returned the needle to the vial to inject into another muscle group.The patient was thought to have contaminated his multi-dosage vial with skin flora and subsequently spread the infection.(8)

Don't reuse needles. Just don't do it. Look at every other thread online where someone brings this up and noone thinks it's a good idea.

If you're worried about the shipping costs, then just buy a bunch of syringes and needles at once, that way the shipping cost won't be such a big deal, and you'll never run out of syringes or needles.

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 07:18 PM

Ehh, fellas, I'm not the only one... and I feel a little better now. lol

http://forums.steroid.com/archive/in.../t-169611.html

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 07:20 PM

I think you guys are correct. The safe way is to use a new drawing needle every time. That said, I'd like to know how many people have had an infection from occasionally re-using the drawing needle and switching out with a brand new injection needle every time. I'm not finding anything like that on the boards. Consensus seems to be "you're probably OK, but why the **** risk it?".

My main concern was degrading the testosterone in the vial. lol **** an infection. j/k

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by SomeRandomGuy

Even if you recap the needle, the opposite end is still open. There's a reason they come from the factory in vacuum sealed bags. If air can hit it, there's a risk. If bacteria gets inside the needle and you draw with it, you'll be pulling the bacteria into your injection dose. In fact, you want to go from opening the bag to injecting ASAP, because any time in the air is bad. Imho reusing needles is a terrible idea.

Not only could you look forward to a nasty abscess, but you could get cellulitis:

http://www.thedoctorltd.co.uk/inject.html

A staphylococcal abscess occurred in a 24-year-old bodybuilder who reported, for financial reasons, reusing needles on multiple occasions.(6)

Two case reports of staphylococcal gluteal abscesses developed in young bodybuilders 18 and 21 years of age. The steroids were injected by other weight lifters who were not familiar with sterile injection technique.(7)

Pectoral and deltoid abscesses were reported in a 20-year-old AS injector who had injected his AS preparation and then returned the needle to the vial to inject into another muscle group.The patient was thought to have contaminated his multi-dosage vial with skin flora and subsequently spread the infection.(8)

Don't reuse needles. Just don't do it. Look at every other thread online where someone brings this up and noone thinks it's a good idea.

If you're worried about the shipping costs, then just buy a bunch of syringes and needles at once, that way the shipping cost won't be such a big deal, and you'll never run out of syringes or needles.

TOTALLY AGREE, my man! and thank you for the input. However, I will note that these examples include the AAS user injecting into skin tissue and returning the needle to the vial. I am not doing that. In any event, your point and the others are well taken. I did it one time this morning. First time ever. No signs of infection 11 hours later. I'll see what I can do about getting more drawing needles.

**SomeRandomGuy** · 10-09-2010, 07:32 PM

Yeah use new needles. But the avatar pic is awesome. Keep reusing that.

**DCannon** · 10-09-2010, 07:44 PM

Sounds like you want to go on being cheap and risk a serious infection despite what everyone is telling you. Honestly man, just go to a pharmacy and see if you can get some more needles. Good luck.

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by SomeRandomGuy

Yeah use new needles. But the avatar pic is awesome. Keep reusing that.

Might switch out the pic, but use the same girl. Don't worry, I'll sterilize with alcohol first... ha!

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 07:47 PM

Originally Posted by DCannon

Sounds like you want to go on being cheap and risk a serious infection despite what everyone is telling you. Honestly man, just go to a pharmacy and see if you can get some more needles. Good luck.

You can get needles at a pharmacy in the US? I can just walk into Walgreens and buy needles? Well hell, there's one right down the road.

**Considering** · 10-09-2010, 07:55 PM

http://www.nationalscrubs.com/search.aspx?find=18+gauge
http://www.nationalscrubs.com/search...5+gauge&page=2
Knock yourself out.

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 08:00 PM

Originally Posted by Considering

http://www.nationalscrubs.com/search.aspx?find=18+gauge
http://www.nationalscrubs.com/search...5+gauge&page=2
Knock yourself out.

Sweet. Thanks.

**DCannon** · 10-09-2010, 08:02 PM

I'm lucky, there's a supplement store near my house that sells needles, syringes, slin pins and bac water. Each needle is $0.12.

**Considering** · 10-09-2010, 08:04 PM

Originally Posted by SomeLiveForTheBill

You can get needles at a pharmacy in the US? I can just walk into Walgreens and buy needles? Well hell, there's one right down the road.

In some counties near me, you need a prescription to get pins.

**Sicko** · 10-09-2010, 08:40 PM

Also most likely you are running a risk of contaminating your tes. If you have ever looked @ a needle that has been used even once it is split or bent..Unseen to the naked eye of course..so whan you wipe it with cotton ball you snag cotton and then shove it inside the vial.full of airborne microscopic bacterias...That is not any medical fact sh!t just basic action/consiquence IMO...
hope you take heed to everyones advice before ya learn the hard way...

**matt77** · 10-09-2010, 09:03 PM

Do not reuse a pin for anything! The risk is just not worth it, period. You could easily get stuff growing in the vial by doing that and risk some nasty infections. I get my pins at Walmart here. Just go and tell them what I want and they bring me a box of 100 no problem at all. I think the last ones I bought I got 100 for like $13.50 including tax.

**gypsy** · 10-09-2010, 09:33 PM

dude always always use new needles. sounds like you are re-using the draw needle several times???

needles cost next to nothing (free where I am)... why risk infection to save a couple bucks?

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 09:54 PM

I did this only once this morning, but I have about 10 doses left in that vial. Should I discard the vial? What are my chances of getting an infection if I use new needles from here on?

**SomeRandomGuy** · 10-09-2010, 11:11 PM

was there a % benzyl alcohol in the vial? I'm sure there is. You should probably be OK. Please don't quote me on this, though.

**Bonaparte** · 10-09-2010, 11:27 PM

Jesus Christ...
the things people do amaze me. Why you you ever take that sort of advice from your source?
You can't "kill" your test with alcohol, and you should never reuse anything that touches your gear or goes in your body.
Just go down to a pharmacy and ask for some needles. They will often sell them to you without even asking questions, but just have a story ready in case.
Next time, go online and buy a 100-pack of syringes with the drawing needle attached, and a 100-pack of smaller pinning needles.
And I would tyndalize the vial, since you've compromised its sterility. Just create a light vacuum in it, wrap it in a rag, and drop it into a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes. Repeat this 2 more times (12 hours apart) and you should be GTG.

**SomeLiveForTheBill** · 10-09-2010, 11:31 PM

Originally Posted by SomeRandomGuy

was there a % benzyl alcohol in the vial?

How would I find out about this?

**Far from massive** · 10-10-2010, 06:46 AM

The mixture in the vial contains benzyl alcohol in a sealed invironment, this is an antimicrobial and prevents any problems in the solution itself as long as you do not introduce contaminates. On the other hand the mixture on and in the needle is not a sealed invironment, hence as the benzyl alcohol evaporates you are left with separated ingredients one being vegtable oil, take some vegtable oil spread it thinly on a piece of metal and smell it the next day or two...this should help you understand the risk.

A local sub shop where I live used to clean his grill each night then spread vegtable oil on it, the next morning he would grill eggs several customers complained about the rancid taste and he figgured out what was wrong...food for thought.

PS No you are not the first or the last guy to ask this so I don't fault you at all just wanted to point out for you and others what is happening when this is done.

**Bertuzzi** · 10-10-2010, 02:26 PM

Originally Posted by DCannon

I'm lucky, there's a supplement store near my house that sells needles, syringes, slin pins and bac water. Each needle is $0.12.

You're in Alberta.... You goto a supp store??

Go to Safeway. You get 100 for like $6.00

**Ashop** · 10-10-2010, 07:11 PM

Pins are very cheap so you really could use a new one each time.
With just a 'draw' pin if your careful and clean,,, I re-use mine alot
with never an issue. Anything injected though,,,a new pin everytime.

**Considering** · 10-10-2010, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by ****

Pins are very cheap so you really could use a new one each time.
With just a 'draw' pin if your careful and clean,,, I re-use mine alot
with never an issue. Anything injected though,,,a new pin everytime.

Did you see HitIt's post from yesterday?