does anyone else do b12 injections at home? question...

I just pop the membrane with the needle and draw it out...
I don't know why, but I love the smell of those alcohol pads,
ahh its the little things in life...

I put the syringe in the bottle, then draw back. then flick to move any air bubbles to top, then depress some to remove air.
The best way to keep air bubbles to a minimum is to draw back SLOWLY when filling. Oh and make sure the needle tip is in the liquid....I accidentally was drawing in from the open air in the bottle.

My shots were only $9 at the RN, but the need to go there versus doing at home was my savings and convenience benefit.

ps my 80 year old dad gives himself B12 injections too...he does them in his tummy which I can not bring myself to do yet....my thighs will just have to live with the bruises I give them

I'll have to ask my GI to let me do my own.

I was so lucky when I needed the B12 shots. At the time I had no insurance (I know, a big no-no for us) because I was working as a nanny. That was a stress-free job, the only one that I could handle at the time. There's nothing more therapeutic for me than baby's hugs! Anyway, I was lucky because the children's father was a doctor who helped me apply to the drug company to get the medicine without charge (hardship case.) It went right to his home, and he gave me the shots.

Later I moved and my new doctor wanted blood tests done first. It turns out my levels had retuned to normal, and I haven't needed it since. My family doctor checks at least once a year, and I'm still okay in that respect

Probably the needle was just getting a bit dull from the previous "sticks".

I was on B12 injections once a week for over a year. I did them myself. Since I was also doing daily Forteo injections I "stuck" w/just the thigh injections for the B12. The needle was a tad longer and a tad larger than the needle for the Forteo.

Are vit B12 shots given subq or IM?

I was not taught to squeeze the muscle. Just to stick it in. But, its actually my husband who does the injecting and he does it in my arm. My sister, an RN, told him to do it like he was playing darts. 1,2,3... So the first time he did it without her there, he did it really hard and actually went so far in he hit bone. That one hurt! He says that sometimes the skin has more tension in it than at other times. Sometime my arm hurts for a few days after and sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes it bruises and other times not. Who knows. Oh and for who ever asked, its IM not SubQ.

i am not sure...being that you are injecting yourself..i would suggest you just call the nurse..their has to be someone who can answer that for you...better safe than sorry!

ah ha, good advice! thanks habs :) i wonder if i dulled the needle because i had to pull the needle out of the rubber top and get rid off a huge air bubble and then stuck it back in. i will definitely stick with the needle straight up. thanks again!

I'm a nursing student and have given many injections. You can push the air in first. The purpose of that is it will increase the pressure in the vial and make drawing up the medicine easier. The syringe will pull back almost on its own. You don't HAVE to do this but it does make drawing up the medicine easier sometimes. Sometimes I pull back more than the recommended dose, flick the syringe with fingers or against the edge of a table and then push the excess back in to get the correct dose. This will help get those pesky little air bubbles to the top and then get injected back into the vial.

As far as giving in your stomach. Your stomach is considered a SubQ injection which means the injection will go into your skin so please make sure you are using the right size needle and the correct angle. For SubQ you would use a 1/2 inch needle and depend on your size go in at a 45 degree angle. If you are larger and have more fat then go in at a 90 degree angle. For IM you want the injection to go into your muscle. You go in at 90 degrees and use a one inch needle. Please talk to your nurse or Dr. about which type of injection to do and make sure you have the correct needle size and are injecting at the correct angle. Again some of this will depend on your size. What I have given are for the typical size adult. Again always be careful about asking how to inject yourself online. It is always ask to ask a Dr. or nurse and have them demonstrate and make sure you are doing it correctly.

Also, please make sure you are disposing of needles into a biohazard container. You can get them at Walgreens for 6 bucks and provides a label instructions on where to send the used needles. Do NOT throw used needles into the garbage.

Post Edited (lao3610) : 11/25/2013 11:50:05 AM (GMT-7)