Idea for a new T injector, opinions?

[Biscuit_Stix]

So I'm sitting at my Dad's the other night and this diabetes commercial comes on. It's the newest thing in insulin injection, that weird pen looking thing. It holds a certain amount of insulin in it and you just click it to whatever dosage you need at the time, stab and go. I thought, Damn that's really cool, and it seems a lot less painful that the old fashioned needles. (If you couldn't tell, needles spook the crap out of me). So my query is, do you think that would work for T? At least, a similar design. It seems like it would be really convenient, easy to keep around, and discreet. I admit I'm not the most knowledgeable on T dosing methods, but I just saw the commercial and thought 'hmm...' Any opinions?

[Bahzi]

Probably not.  Insulin is given just under the skin (subcutaneous), testosterone needs to be intramuscular (most forms of it, anyways), which requires a needle too long for those pen things.

[Henri]

Also if it was an intramuscular injection it is important to aspirate first, which those things don't do.

I've heard some guys on here say that they do sub-q injections, though. So perhaps it would work for that... but then, T is a thick substance so I can see there being a lot of problems with a device that injects for you, being that it isn't as simple as stab and inject. It's more of a stab and spend 30 seconds or more injecting.

[Adio]

No, I don't think it would work well for T.  Insulin pens have very small, short needles.  T needs a longer, bigger needles.  T is thick, insulin is not.  Injectable T is also usually given IM although some use SC.  The small insulin pen needles wouldn't reach the muscle.  Plus the pens are also more expensive.

That's a good idea though.  I just don't think it would work out well.

[Nygeel]

T is expensive so leaving stuff in the pen thing would be crappy. A retractable needle would be nice...where the needle is retracted, then with a tap or twist of the plunger the needle the needle with some sort of spring just goes through the skin and into the muscle. I think that would make my anxiety surrounding my shot easier.

[wheat thins are delicious]

T is expensive so leaving stuff in the pen thing would be crappy. A retractable needle would be nice...where the needle is retracted, then with a tap or twist of the plunger the needle the needle with some sort of spring just goes through the skin and into the muscle. I think that would make my anxiety surrounding my shot easier.

Yeah my brother's friend has something like this that he uses to put his insulin pump in.  you activate the trigger and press it and it shoots the needle into the skin.

[Luc]

This has kind of been said, but yeah... T is FAR too thick to work in a tiny gauge needle like is used for insulin. I use a 25 gauge needle for injections, but have to use at least a 20 for drawing it up, and the plunger is incredibly tough to push in when I do shots. Insulin needles are far smaller in gauge than even 25. As far as storing T in the needle, a lot of overseas companies advertise T in pre-prepared needles; it's not a problem to store it like that if it's done in a sterile environment and packaged as such, but I imagine doing so at home might lead to problems like contamination and separation/crystallization of the T solution.

[GentlemanRDP]

There's really nothing that I can say about this that hasn't been said.
Basically, It's a neat idea, but right now, it just wouldn't work, or at the very least, it wouldn't work well.
I prefer the old fashioned way, since I'm used to that.

[Flan]

the closest thing available currently is this autoinjector device
http://medgadget.com/2012/03/avonex-pen-injector-wins-approval-in-u-s.html

in terms of design, this is closest although still have to do the injection normally (needle retracts)
http://www.vanishpoint.com/

[Devlyn]

All I can think of is the atropine and 2 pam chloride autoinjectors that every soldier carries with their mask. We were all petrified with the idea of having to use one. Hugs, Devlyn

[Natkat]

So I'm sitting at my Dad's the other night and this diabetes commercial comes on. It's the newest thing in insulin injection, that weird pen looking thing. It holds a certain amount of insulin in it and you just click it to whatever dosage you need at the time, stab and go. I thought, Damn that's really cool, and it seems a lot less painful that the old fashioned needles. (If you couldn't tell, needles spook the crap out of me). So my query is, do you think that would work for T? At least, a similar design. It seems like it would be really convenient, easy to keep around, and discreet. I admit I'm not the most knowledgeable on T dosing methods, but I just saw the commercial and thought 'hmm...' Any opinions?

I dont know about the neddle thing but if your very scared of neddles theres other ways to get T, like in Gell or in pills,
it should be less effectiv/take longer, but it can be used.