Subcutaneous Injection Processes

Injections can cause some anxiety if you've never done them before, but it's quite easy once you've done it a few times. Let's talk about the process.

Review these steps below then watch this YouTube video to watch how the final steps should look.

Medication:

This does not need to be kept refrigerated. In-fact, warming up your vial via a minute in clean hot water before injecting (then drying & cleaning it) can help to reduce discomfort after.

Preparation:

Wash your hands. Place all the materials you will need within easy reach in a clean place free of distractions. Clean the top of your vial with an alcohol prep pad. Assemble your syringe while avoiding letting anything touch the tip of the syringe where it connects to the needle, or the bottom of the needle where it connects to the syringe. Pull the plunger back to suck in air equal to your injection amount. 

Hold the vial upside down, insert the needle, depress the plunger to inject the air into the vial, then pull back the plunger to have the appropriate dose of medication in your syringe. Withdraw, recap, and set aside your syringe. Clean the desired injection site with another new alcohol prep pad in a circular motion from the center outward.

Injecting:

When selecting an exact injection spot in a fatty area that you’ve cleaned, avoid any visible surface veins. If something feels very painful or wrong, once you've made it through the skin, stop injecting. One in fat, you should not hardly feel anything. Then with new preparation & supplies select another location instead. With practice, most injections do not cause much discomfort.

We advise holding your skin firmly as you insert the needle with your other hand holding the syringe. Once inserted, you can let go of the skin while continuing to hold the syringe with your current hand, using the hand which was holding the skin to inject your medication. The slower you inject, the better it will feel later (a fast 5 seconds vs a long 30 seconds).

Once your medication is fully injected, wait a few more moments & pull the needle back out the exact angle that you inserted it in. With all of this, slow & controlled is the goal. Cap your needle (do *not* put the cap on via pressing on the top, use the sides, you may use too much force & break the plastic sticking yourself otherwise). Unless there is blood, you may not need a bandage for the small needles used in subcutaneous injections.

Now lastly, review the video for a general review of the final steps.

If you have additional questions not answered above, contact us to clarify at Contact@AlphaMD.Org