3 Tips For Buying Subcutaneous Or Intramuscular Injection Supplies

Many medications to treat chronic illnesses require subcutaneous or intramuscular injections. Having the right medical supplies and knowing what to expect can make the process easier.

Buy The Right Sharps Container

When possible, buy the largest sharps container you can reasonably afford. Also, buy sharps containers that include return postage in the purchase price. Proper disposal of syringes is imperative for the protection of the people around you, especially trash collectors. Since disposing of syringes can be tedious, it is easier to purchase a large sharps container initially, even if it is a significant upfront investment. Depending on the dosing schedule of your medication, you may only need to return the sharps container or find a drop-off site a few times per year.

Experiment With Different Supplies

Your doctor probably recommended a specific type of syringe and needle gauge for your medication, but you may want to ask if you can experiment with different supplies. Several factors can make injections more comfortable. If you are doing intramuscular injections, you might benefit from having a syringe with a detachable needle and using two different needles.

For example, a larger 20-gauge needle can make it easier to draw up medication into the syringe. However, you may want to switch to a 22 or 24-gauge needle for the actual injection. Switching needles between filling the syringe and the injection can also reduce discomfort since puncturing the vial of medication can dull your needle.

If you have arthritis in your hands or dexterity problems, you may benefit from having a larger syringe, even if the quantity of medicine you inject is small. Smaller syringes with a maximum capacity of 1 ml can be difficult to hold and manipulate the plunger when you have hand problems.

Choose Shorter Subcutaneous Needles

When you need to inject your medication subcutaneously, your doctor may recommend insulin syringes. The needle on insulin syringes is available in different lengths and it is easy to choose one that is too long. Shorter needles will help ensure the medication is injected into the subcutaneous fat and not into the muscle. However, needles that are too short, less than 5mm, can cause you to injection your medication under the skin.

When medication is injected under your skin and not into the subcutaneous fat, you may experience leakage when you remove the needle and not receive your full dose of medicine. Furthermore, many medications are dependent on subcutaneous fat to help the medication absorb.

Doing your own medication injections can be intimidating, but finding the right supplies makes the process easier. When possible, try different combinations of supplies to make injections quick and painless.

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