Injections: Tips, Tricks, Questions and Answers

[austinite]

Introduction

Since lately every other thread seems to be about injections, PIP, etc... I figure it's a good time to post a Questions and Answers type thread. Hopefully we can reference it and add it to the Article Database. I think I'll be able to cover just about every darn question I've seen on the forums, if not, feel free to ask. Now let's count how many already answered questions are asked in 100 different ways, lol. If you have any questions just ask in this thread. If you have a question about a specific topic in this thread, please reference the post # above. I'll add more to the list below as you ask questions so let's get started...

Injections: Tips, Tricks, Questions and Answers:


1. Draw your injectable gear with a large bore needle. I use an 18 gauge.
-- This will help you so that drawing doesn't take forever. 18 to 20 gauge are perfect for drawing.


2. Avoid using the same needle to draw and inject.
-- Needle tips get dull after the first puncture. Using that same needle will not be as smooth as a fresh one.


3. Inject with a 23 gauge of higher.
-- 23 to 25 gauge seems to be ideal for most oil based compounds. Some use higher gauge, I just don't have the patience.


4. One inch needle is plenty for all injection sites.
-- With the exception of the glutes, which could use a 1.5". But even a 1 inch in glutes works.


5. Worried about gear left in the pin? Leave a small bit of air in the barrel before injecting.
-- Use that air bubble to inject the remaining oil in the needle. Don't panic, air will not hurt you.


6. Run hot water over your vial or barrel.
-- Hot water will help with viscosity and allow for a smoother injection.


7. Keep your hand as steady as possible.
-- Tip of needle is like a blade, too much movement will butcher the muscle and cause PIP.


8. Inject slowly and at take breaks.
-- Inject very slowly. Stop for a couple seconds and continue several times. This will also help prevent the 'cough'.


9. Never use alcohol wipes on the needle itself.
-- I've heard of people doing this. Not a good idea, ever. It's already sterile.


10. Aspirate everywhere except SubQ, even in the delt.
-- Always verify you're not in a vein by aspirating. Even in the delts. Do not aspirate when injecting SubQ.


11. Relax and never ever flex the muscle while injecting or inserting.
-- Relax your muscle as much as possible and do not pinch the skin either.


12. What do I do if I aspirate blood?
-- Pull out, and inject elsewhere. Blood and all.


13. Some oil came out after I removed the needle, should I be worried?
-- It's a drop or 2. Don't worry. Google the "Z-Track Injection" method if you're that concerned.


14. Do I insert the needle fast or slow?
-- SubQ injection can be darted in. Muscle injections at a fair pace. Under 2 seconds for 1" needle.


15. Blood spurted out, am I going to die?
-- No, relax. Always be prepared to cover the injection site. You'll clot just fine.


16. How many times do I have to wipe the injection site with alcohol?
-- Once is plenty. Lots of people like doing it twice, doesn't hurt either way.


17. How do I avoid hitting a nerve?
-- Sciatic nerve is easy to avoid. Just hit the outer quadrant of the glute. Others are hit or miss.


18. I'm trying to inject the oil but the plunger is stuck and it won't move.
-- You're probably inside scar tissue. Relocate your site.


19. How do you inject the bicep properly?
-- Biggest mistake is going in through the peak. Go in from the side, top down.


20. What are injection sites you use?
-- Pecs, Delts, Triceps, Biceps, Quads, Traps, glutes, Lats. Avoid calves at all costs!


21. Do I have to wipe the top of the vial vigorously?
-- No, not at all. Alcohol kills anything on contact. Just make sure you cover the area with a couple wipes.


22. What if I don't have alcohol wipes? What else can I use?
-- I don't even know how anyones runs out of these, but you can use hydrogen peroxide.


23. Can I mix compounds into the same barrel and inject?
-- Yes, anything injectable can be combined. Oil and water can be combined in the same barrel, too. You'll have a nice lava lamp injection.


24. What do I use for SubQ Injections?
-- Use an insulin syringe. If using water based such as hCG or B12, use 30 gauge or higher. For oil, 27 gauge. I use 5/16" to half inch.


25. How often can I inject the same spot?
-- Rotation rotation rotation. Always rotate sites. I never like to it the same spot for at least 7 days.


26. Should I pinch the skin for a SubQ injection?
-- If you're not that lean, you don't need to. If you're pretty lean, you might need to. No big deal either way.


27. Can I preload syringes for later use?
-- You could, but depending on the compound, it could eat at the plastic barrel, then you're injecting plastic.


28. What can I do about PIP (Post Injection Pain)
-- First, locate your gonads. Next, I don't believe in PIP. You just have discomfort. See #6 for 90% of the cause.


29. My muscle is spasming when I put the needle in, why?
-- Probably touched a nerve. Relocate the site if it's spasming too much.


30. Can I reuse the same needle for my next injection?
-- No way, Jose. Forget about it. That has infection written all over it. They're too cheap to attempt this.


31. The oil in my vial became cloudy, did it crash?
-- Yes, it crashed. You can probably fix it by heating it. See the Lab section for tips.


32. If I'm drawing from 2 vials, how do I inject air into both if I already drew gear into the barrel?
-- Umm. Inject air into one and don't draw from it first.


33. Will air bubbles kill me if I inject them?
-- No. You'd have to inject astronomical amounts of air. We're talking 100's of CC's to kill a man.


34. How much volume can I inject at once?
-- Depends on the size of the muscle. Most can easily hold 3CC. Quads and glutes can hold more. SubQ, no more than 0.6ml.


35. As I'm injecting, I'm started to sweat and getting kind of dizzy.
-- Abort the injection and sit down. That's called Vasovagal Response and could lead to Syncope (Fainting).


36. Anything I can use to numb the area before I inject?
-- Again, locate gonads. But you can put an ice pack on the area for 30 seconds. Be sure to swab it AFTER the ice pack.


37. I injected in my quad, but I feel discomfort in my knees now, what's the deal?
-- Probably not deep enough in the muscle. Oil can leak and pool up elsewhere. Better hope it doesn't crash in you.


38. My injection site is red, swollen, hardened and/or warm, what is wrong?
-- Small chance it's infected. Most likely, poor injection technique. Again, refer to #6, that's your solution.


39. What happens if I hit bone with the needle?
-- Well, first of all, hit the nutrition section, you need to eat more. But it just feels funny, inject elsewhere.


40. How do I aspirate with one hand?
-- Put your index finger and thumb close up against the plunger where it meets the ears of the barrel and pinch back.


41. How much pressure do I need to aspirate?
-- Not much. If you're in a vein, blood would come gushing through with the slightest pressure.


42. I aspirated and a bubble appeared. What is that?
-- Just a vacuum that you created. No worries... carry on.


43. Where can I buy needles, alcohol swabs, etc...?
-- Our spronsor: http://www.ar-r.com/


Have a powerful day,

~ Austinite

[uoflcards]

Great thread.

IMO this should be pinned to the top of the page.

[ppwc1985]

I do have a ? Concerning 26. I'm at 22 % so I thought I could do it the way without pinching and every time if didn't pinch I ended up with some huge bruises, why? When I pinch there is nothing not a drop of blood and no bruises so just curious why it would bruise like that?

[Shadeed]

Introduction

20. What are injection sites you use?
-- Pecs, Delts, Triceps, Biceps, Quads, Traps, glutes, Lats. Avoid calves at all costs!

Austinite

1st thanks for the information
2nd why do you recommend to avoid shots in the calves?

[sapo59]

Great article Austin. Some very good info all in one place.

[marcus300]

Nice and I like how you picked up on the bicep injection

Marcus approved

[qscgugcsq]

1st thanks for the information
2nd why do you recommend to avoid shots in the calves?

It won't kill you to try it yourself. (I know I will... Someday XD)

It's simply really painfull and some arent able to walk for many days.
Some can handle it easely...

You have to try it but their is plenty of other site.

If you dont need to get up for a week then you can try it and hope to handle it.

Very nice thread Austinite BTW, like always

[Shadeed]

It won't kill you to try it yourself. (I know I will... Someday XD)

It's simply really painfull and some arent able to walk for many days.
Some can handle it easely...

You have to try it but their is plenty of other site.

If you dont need to get up for a week then you can try it and hope to handle it.

Very nice thread Austinite BTW, like always

I tried it many times already, but from Austinite's post i thought that there is something other than pain!

For me it is another easy site to reach and the pin goes in there without even push it
I agree that it hurts when walking but i can stand this and since i have an embarrassing bad calves, i like to train them after the injection.

[JAB1]

I love # 5, going to try that next pin. I hate seeing a bit of oil left in the needle!! Never thought of the bubble to clear!!!!

[kelkel]

If you need to ice up for an injection, switch sports!

[crazy mike]

Ah ha....Now that's what I'm talking about Austin. Great read. I get so tired of these questions. THX .. ...cm

[austinite]

Great thread.

IMO this should be pinned to the top of the page.

Thanks man.

I do have a ? Concerning 26. I'm at 22 % so I thought I could do it the way without pinching and every time if didn't pinch I ended up with some huge bruises, why? When I pinch there is nothing not a drop of blood and no bruises so just curious why it would bruise like that?

I don't know. Probably has more to do with the location than anything. But if it causes bruises, don't do it. No big deal.

1st thanks for the information
2nd why do you recommend to avoid shots in the calves?

Because they can be extremely painful for most.

Great article Austin. Some very good info all in one place.

Thank you.

Nice and I like how you picked up on the bicep injection

Marcus approved

Yep. I did it wrong for a while, but much better now thanks to you!

Very nice thread Austinite BTW, like always

Thank you q.

I tried it many times already, but from Austinite's post i thought that there is something other than pain!

For me it is another easy site to reach and the pin goes in there without even push it
I agree that it hurts when walking but i can stand this and since i have an embarrassing bad calves, i like to train them after the injection.

If it doesn't hurt it doesn't matter.

I love # 5, going to try that next pin. I hate seeing a bit of oil left in the needle!! Never thought of the bubble to clear!!!!

peace of mind, haha.

If you need to ice up for an injection, switch sports!

Agreed!

Ah ha....Now that's what I'm talking about Austin. Great read. I get so tired of these questions. THX .. ...cm

Thanks mike.

[diesel101]

Nice!

[clarky.]

brilliant mate

[profboy]

i inject 1ml b12 subq and never had any problems/got any lumps or discomfort.

Does that 0.6mL only apply to oil based gear?

[bass]

Nice! another link added to the list

[austinite]

i inject 1ml b12 subq and never had any problems/got any lumps or discomfort.

Does that 0.6mL only apply to oil based gear?

Any gear - It's just a rule of thumb, not set in stone. If you can inject higher that's great. Everyone is different but in my experience, that's the case.

[songdog]

But wat if ?

[tox2501]

Great post. I think I went too deep on my first injection. I felt bruised for a few days after it.

[cgi]

Great post as usual.

[adrenaline99]

I'm confused about #5, I always have what seems like a lot of oil left over after injecting, but I have been completely clearing the barrel and needle of any air before injecting so maybe that's why. Do you just simply pull back on the plunger a little bit before injecting to get some air at the top of the barrel?

[lifting214]

Introduction



39. What happens if I hit bone with the needle?
-- Well, first of all, hit the nutrition section, you need to eat more. But it just feels funny, inject elsewhere.




~ Austinite

I've got a question.

You say what if you hit a bone? Isn't that what we are trying to do when injecting?

If not what exactly are we trying to inject into then? Muscle? Isn't that the same thing?

How do we avoid hitting a bone?

[austinite]

I've got a question. You say what if you hit a bone? Isn't that what we are trying to do when injecting? If not what exactly are we trying to inject into then? How do we avoid hitting a bone?

Intramuscular. Means in the muscle.

You won't be able to inject in bone unless you use a hammer.

[austinite]

I'm confused about #5, I always have what seems like a lot of oil left over after injecting, but I have been completely clearing the barrel and needle of any air before injecting so maybe that's why. Do you just simply pull back on the plunger a little bit before injecting to get some air at the top of the barrel?

Just a small bit of air drawn after pulling gear. Will leave a small bubble that you can use to push all the gear out of the pin and knot the muscle.

[mystogan117]

another great post by Austinite will have to remember to re-read this when i run my first cycle

[dawgskin]

First time you hit your sciatic nerve it's like getting electrocuted haha now it's like a tickle

[smile]

Really Helpful thread !

[NaijaBoy]

Awesome thread. Question: Is there an ideal time of day to inject? Upon waking up, pre/post workout?

[austinite]

Awesome thread. Question: Is there an ideal time of day to inject? Upon waking up, pre/post workout?

No. Anytime is fine.

[tattoo449]

Now that I've been pinning for a while my hands are alot steadier. That backs up #7 totally. Plus you've answered other questions for me. Very good information. Thanks for the thread.

[devil-1986]

is there need to be injecting all of ampoul in one side for example in day of injection : all in left delt is better or split it and inject in two side of delt is better choose ?

[austinite]

is there need to be injecting all of ampoul in one side for example in day of injection : all in left delt is better or split it and inject in two side of delt is better choose ?

No. Same spot is fine.

[devil-1986]

No. Same spot is fine.

my mean is if i have one injection today of 250 test for example need to be one shot in one spot (all 250 in left delt) is better or split all 250 in two of 125 and get two shot in two spot (125 in left delt & 125 in right delt)

[austinite]

Yeah I don't understand. Don't overthink this too much. Inject in one spot and that's it.

[devil-1986]

Yeah I don't understand. Don't overthink this too much. Inject in one spot and that's it.

thanks bro

[devil-1986]

other question is pining before work out or after work out and what time of the day ?

[austinite]

Does not matter.

[Live for the PUMP]

Great post Austinite!

What are your thoughts on injecting two muscles with one needle? For example, I pin 25mcg of igflr3 in right bicep, pull out and inject 25mcg in left bicep.

[Trauma RN]

WOW what a great post!!!

[Krb367]

After reading your advice on rotation, reaaally makes me think differently about trying to go 8 weeks, rotating only glutes on a EOD pin schedule.

Searching for gonads now.. Any suggestions on muscles that are less painful for virgin muscle injection sites?