PSA for trans people, trans mascs and fems, and enbies & intersex folks on T or E injections (or injections in general):
Your injections should AT WORST feel like a hard pinch if you hit a vein on accident. It should NOT sting the whole time, itch, be tender for more than a day, and should not cause significant bruising. (Edit!: This is the weekly injections, the monthly or longer lasting injections are sore for a while because the liquid is THICC.)
I was not told this when I started, and missed that I was allergic to my shots for the first 2 months I was on T. There is more than one type of carrier oil, and the type of T they prescribe most often is more likely to have allergic reactions (cypionate with cottonseed oil). You should not have to suffer more just to get your gender juice. You can also gain allergies over time, so if you start experiencing these symptoms, check in with your doctor!
(Another Edit: PLEASE talk to your doctor before assuming stuff, I'm just a guy on the internet trying to make sure that y'all have more info.)
Tips for less painful/irritated injections I've gotten from people (all anecdotal, again, check with your doc):
-Intramuscular injections are usually less likely to be irritated than subcutaneous ones.
-Lightly wiping down the needle you are going to inject with with some rubbing alcohol before injecting. (Make sure it dries)
-Rub VERY hard with your alcohol wipe before injecting to numb up the skin a little bit.
-Make sure to rub the vial between your hands to warm it before using the draw up needle. It makes the fluid less thick, so it’s less painful to inject.
hello trans people with tremors and/or grip weakness and/or similar symptoms/disabilities that use T injections— do you have any tips on using syringes? My hand shakes have gotten worse so I switched to gel and I hate it, but I’m worried about hurting myself if I switch back to injections. I can sometimes steady my wrist enough to do the stab, but when I try to draw from the vial, im shaking so bad I can’t get the needle in the bottle. Any tips?? Please!!!
(fighting back anxiety attacks about my already-bad acne getting more painful and gaining weight but those are the only major concerns i think and gaining weight isn’t bad)
Just did my T injection, and I wanna share some things that I find useful! I usually do my own shots, so some of this might not apply if you have someone else do it, but hopefully some of it will help anyway.
Have something to remind you about your schedule! I have my injection dates marked on my calendar. I'm super bad at remembering timing and dates, and I would miss stuff like this all the time without an actual reminder I could look at. The one I've just done was actually a day late, because I just looked and realized I was supposed to do it yesterday.
I have all the stuff I need for it in one place. Med vials, needles, disinfectant, Band-Aids, sharps box, ect. Makes it easy to keep track of.
If you have trouble remembering all the steps, write yourself a list! I'm familiar enough with the process that don't always need it, but I still forget to z-track sometimes.
Pop a painkiller half an hour before hand. It helps. I've gotten in the habit of doing this, but I was in a rush for my last one, and just did it without the Tylenol. And there's definitely a difference! Even with a painkiller, you'll still feel it, but it dulls it down just enough to make it easier.
If you're over or even close to 200lbs, make sure you're getting a longer needle. An IM injection needs to get all the way down through your body fat and into your muscle tissue. Using a needle that isn't long enough will result in more medication leaking, less effective absorption into your tissues, and a more painful injection site afterword's. I use inch and a quarter needles. One inch works, but not as well, and three quarter inch is way to short. You can ask for different lengths at the pharmacy.
If you've never done this type of shot before, and/or are nervous about using a longer needle, it might be surprising to learn that you can usually only feel the first quarter inch or so after piercing the skin. Once you've gotten down through the Hypodermis, there are way fewer nerve endings, and you'll barely be able to feel the needle at all.
I usually do my own injections, and I've only had to get help with it because I balked once. But I have to fight with the instinctual "NO WANT STAB SELF" feeling every single time, and there's a lot of stuff that makes it easier. I can work myself up to start fairly easily, but the hardest part is AFTER I break the top layer of skin. I almost always get the needle just far enough in that the pain registers, and THEN the self preservation reflex tries to kick in.
This is why painkillers can be so useful. They slow down the pain signal enough for me to make it slightly deeper, and by that point, I'm almost always in past the point where the sensation stops. The one time I had to get help, it was because I had just barely pierced the skin and then pulled out several times in a row, and the mental block strengthened until I couldn't make another attempt. If you can brace yourself long enough to get that first quarter inch, the rest is much easier.
If you have trouble pushing down the plunger for the actual injection, try asking the pharmacy for different syringes. I've tried out several kinds, and some are definitely way easier than others. One type I was given was so hard to push down that I lost most of a dose because I pulled the whole needle out while trying to depress the plunger.
I'm fortunate enough to not have any allergies that interfere with my shots. But I've heard a lot of stuff from people who do, so I'll pass it on.
The injection should hurt a bit, and might be sore for a day or so afterword's, but it should NOT be excruciating. It should also not swell, turn red, itch, or burn anywhere around the injection site. If it hurts a lot or starts acting weird, you might have done it wrong, gotten an infection, or be allergic to something you're using.
Some people can have allergies to the oil used as a base for the hormones, the adhesives on bandages, or the needles themselves. Most injection needles have nickel in them. If you have reactions to piercings/jewelry, the needle might be a problem for you.
Fortunately, you can usually swap out whatever's causing the problem for an alternative. There are several types of oil used for the injections, so you should be able to request one that won't cause a reaction. And nickel free needles are available.
Feel free to add onto this! I'd love to hear anything people think might be helpful.
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