#self injecting

[queerkaos]

Restocked my Testosterone tin

Got more syringes, 21G needles, 23G needles, pre-injection swabs, and spot plasters.

[ukftm]

Anyone know what the needle sizes for sustanon are ???i use a big and a small and need ti re order more and cant for the life of me remember *face palms*

There are no absolute rules on this, but generally you’d want to use a bigger needle to draw up and a smaller needle to inject. Personally I used to use a 1.25 inch 21g (green) to draw up, and a 1.25 inch 23g (blue) to inject, as that’s what the nurse at my GP clinic gave me, but you could use a bigger needle to draw up if you wanted to, and I’ve seen people use anything from 21-25g to inject (25+ would probably be quite difficult to inject though as the sustanon is so thick!)

If you remember what colour needles you usually use (or have any left) then go by the colours - the colours are standardised.

I don’t know where you normally order your equipment from, but places like exchangesupplies have a specific ‘shopping list’ for steroid injections - the page linked includes links to 21g and 23g needles (among others).

~ James

[ukftm]

I want to order needles from needle exchange i take sustenon so i need intermuscular needles. Could you link me to the right needle im a little confused.

The easiest thing to do might be to get one of their steroid packs, which has supplies of the right needles and syringes. If you specifically want to buy the needles separately though, links are below:

21G (green, drawing up)

23G (blue, injecting)

Getting precisely these needles isn’t absolutely necessary - some people prefer slightly different gauges. The main thing is that you should change needles between drawing up and injecting, always use needles that come separately (don’t get ones that come with the needle already fixed to the syringe), and use needles at least an inch long for injecting.

~ James

[ukftm]

Hello. Lately I’ve been doing my shot in my left thigh as I can’t inject into my right for medical reasons, anyways, when I pull out the needle a bunch of T comes pouring out and then almost instantly a bump forms, kind of a firm squishy one.... no idea what that could be. It’s been happening almost every shot lately, been on T for 3 years so I feel like I should know if I’m doing it wrong. Thanks.

Without seeing what you’re describing, it’s hard to say what’s going on. What you could do is make an appointment with the nurse at your GP surgery, either to get them to inject so you can get a refresher on technique, or to supervise you injecting and give you pointers if necessary. This would also allow them to see what's happening, and they'll be better placed to advise than anyone over the Internet could.

~ James

[ukftm]

(self injection anon) When i told my nurse i would be self injecting she seemed surprised and acted like it was unheard of and odd and i was like ???? Also when i brought up injecting into the thigh, she visibly cringed and was like "hmm... no i dont think thats right" (in a weird condescending way) so now i have no idea what to do -.-

It’s less common for people in the UK to self-inject their own medication than in some other parts of the world, but it’s fairly common for people on Sustanon to perform their own injections due to their frequency and as it’s fairly straightforward.  If there are issues with being allowed to self-inject you could ask your GIC or private doctor to write a letter supporting your choice to self-inject.

The leaflet which comes with Sustanon should mention that it should be “given deeply into a muscle (for instance in the buttock, upper leg or upper arm).”  That said, the leaflet does also mention that it should be administered by a medical professional, although many people do self-inject, so may not be that helpful on that front.  Although it’s possible, it’s not generally recommended to inject into the upper arm as the muscle is smaller which can make it quite uncomfortable, but both the thigh and buttock are commonly used injection sites.

It sounds as though your nurse isn’t being particularly helpful or willing to learn about new things, so if it’s possible you could discuss things with a different nurse, or failing that, you could even discuss them with your GP as they’ll also be trained in administering intramuscular injections.

~ Alex

[ukftm]

I saw someone say it's almost impossible to self inject in the uk because of getting needles and stuff, is this true?

Not at all. The supplies you need to self-inject might be given to you by your GP surgery, but if not, they are readily available online on sites like exchangesupplies. You might have some difficulty getting your GP to allow you to self-inject, but typically it’s fairly straightforward to get it sorted and getting the supplies is very unlikely to be a problem.

~ James

[ukftm]

Hi, I'm just wondering what kind of ways T can be administered? I would prefer injections, but don't want to require a medical professional to do it, if that makes sense.

People often learn to self-inject Sustanon, so this may be a good option for you if this is what you would prefer.  You may need to have the first few injections performed by a nurse, or have them under supervision so that you can be taught how to administer them correctly, but there’s no reason that you shouldn’t be able to self-inject once you know how to do so safely.  Enanthate is fairly similar and sometimes used for those who can’t have Sustanon due to peanut allergies, and it should also be possible to self-inject this.The other main type of testosterone injection, Nebido, isn’t usually recommended for self-injection due to the large volume of the injection.

You might also find this post which lists the key points about each type of testosterone used in the UK interesting.

~ Alex

[ukftm]

URGENT: I've ran out of needles (self inject it) and my doctor has said they will give me a prescription to get some on the nhs, however they need me t give them the length and gauge of the needles to draw out the vile and to inject in myself, do you know what the specs are?

Really your doctor should be finding this out for themselves rather than relying on you to do the legwork - after all, they’d be the ones who were liable if they prescribed you the wrong thing! There will most likely be a nurse in the surgery who’s trained in giving IM injections and can tell them what they should be giving you (and might even be willing to just give you a supply for free - that’s what my nurse used to do).

Having said all that, though - normally you’d want a length of 1.5′’ (1′’ is often ok, but especially if you carry a lot of fat in the area you inject, 1.5′’ is a safer bet to make sure it goes deep enough). Gauge can be 21, 22, or 23g (23g is the narrowest, which may make for a less uncomfortable injection but takes longer to draw up the testosterone).

~ James