Susan's Place Transgender Resources

I am a wimp when it comes to needles, and though I won't need to be thinking about this for a while, I was just wondering, how painful ARE T shots? On a scale of 1-10, 10 being very painful (but I hope they are not a 10!) Are there other options for people like me who have a thing about needles? 

Mine varied, some I didn't even feel, some were maybe a 2, some hurt if they hit a nerve it was like 4. If you are really scared of needles you can use gel or cream but its more expensive than injections.

My son says they don't hurt ... a little sting.  He said the shots in his arm hurt more.

I am scared of needles too..and don't know that I could ever give myself one ... considering the patch .. but I am lucky cause I am married to a nurse so she can give them to me

I would say the actual shot itself is about a 2, nothing to bad.  Sometimes however the muscle aches a bit after the shot which can get up to be a 3.5 or so. 

Of course that's my scale.  Everyone's pain threshold is different.  The shot usually goes smoothly but I've had some bleeders and some bruising from time to time.  The longer I am on T the less that seems to happen.  So either I'm just getting better at giving the shot or my body is adjusting to it.

   

the first shot was a 1 i didn't even feel it, the 2  in the same area stung a bit, the 3rd in the same area was like a 7 and stayed a 7 for like an hour. I decided after that to switch sides and the pain isnt as bad maybe a 3 or 4.

I'd rate mine from 0-3, with the 3 being one instance where I was stupid while doing my shot. But the conditions were fairly unique, in the sense that I won't repeat those dumb errors.

Minor sting when the needle goes in. As Squirrel said, the muscle aches, but take that as a positive sign that you've done the shot correctly.

the most important thing, when you set the injection is..to really take it as slow as you can, it is a very thick liquid and if you do it fast a bubble can built, nothing dangerous, but it can hurt a few days until it goes down. should that happen have a warm bath, that usually eases the pain and loosens it. If you set the needle right...and take it real slow..it does not hurt at all. The actual needle might be a little sting if at all. If you are really scared, also there is no need, you could opt for the gel or the patches, but I would recommend to take the injections at least for the first 3 years because it is a much higher dose and it will aid so much better your transition ...your voice breaking and your looks. In fact, when I change to the gel...I think 4 years into my transition I felt a bit of a setback in a few areas. The injections are the best option in my experience. good luck

I've found that the shot itself varies from barely feeling it at all, to a slight sting, maybe a 2-3.  In fact, the first time I did a shot, I couldn't quite believe that the needle was in my thigh, even though I could see it plain as day.  :D The muscle pain the next couple days has occasionally gotten up to maybe a 6 or 7 when I squat down to pick something up (which I do a lot of at work.) At its worst, it's like when you really over-do a workout and it hurts to move the affected muscle.  Usually, though, it just feels slightly bruised, and I don't even notice unless I get into an awkward position.  Interestingly enough, I find that the more it hurts at the moment of injection, the less it hurts over the next couple of days.  I have no idea why.

A lot of guys who do thigh injections do not properly position the leg, so that accounts for some of the injection pain and some of the muscle ache afterward.

I do my shot in the butt. I alternate sides. It took me a little while to get used to doing a shot left-handed--I'm still not perfect--but the muscle back there is nice and big, and I don't have any problems relaxing totally.

Most times, I just feel a little twinge. I hesitate to call it a 1 on the scale. I don't even think "ouch." It's just a little poke. Maybe every fourth or fifth shot, I do feel it a little more, a mild "ouch." Every once in a while, very seldom, I get something more like a real twinge (close to a 2, I suppose) and/or some muscle ache for an hour or so afterward.

The first eight or ten shots I did myself were variable. I needed a bit of practice, obviously.

They don't hurt. About a 1, maybe an 0.5 on the pain scale. I've hurt myself worse (and bled more) brushing my teeth too roughly.

That's not to say they're totally easy to do, though. While I don't really feel any pain in my leg, the sensation in my hand as I push the needle through tissue of varying texture and density can be...disturbing, as can watching the needle disappear into my leg. But that's not physical discomfort, it's just psychological discomfort.

Definably no more than a 2.

What I do for my shots is such. I take a nice breather.. I do all what I need to with needle and bottle to prepare. (I do it in my thigh). When I'm looking to puncture, I actually spread the skin between my fingers and poke around alil to find a spot where it doesn't hurt. Then I push it slow in, take a breath and let it slide.

What actually hurts? It's piercing the skin. Which is like... a second of a small prick of pain. (I had more pain doing a homedone blood type text in my finger, or even eating peanuts), when it's inside? No pain at all.

I am TERRIFIED of giving myself shots, and have been doing it every week since March 2010.

It's not that bad as long as you follow the doctor's instructions. If you're lucky, the doctor might do it for you. My friend up in SF gets his shot done, so he doesn't do it. And he's SCARED of needles and he doesn't mind it one bit.

I take glute shots and mine are never any worse than a 2, if that.
I lean on something and take as much weight away from my lower body as possible. The more you relax the muscles, the less it hurts.

0 to .5 most times. Last one I heard pop as it broke the skin but no pain.

they arent bad at all bro. i think its the pain in your leg from the shot the next day that is worse. sometimes its so bad i can barely walk other times its just fine. but yeah the shot itself isnt bad at all. getting an IV or getting blood drawn is more painful, at least to me. i am terrified of needles and the first couple times were hard but now its no problem. i have found out that the lower i do it on my thigh the more it hurts so i do it right in the middle of my thigh more towards the top.

I have never had a T shot but with most shots I just put my Ipod on or chat with the nurse and not think about it.

The shot itself 1-2 at the most. Sometimes the bruise in a a day or so later hurts more then the shot.

Austin James: I had my blood drawn AND an IV when I went for scoliosis surgery just last year. I didn't think it was that bad... I was just scared of blood and had major anxiety about the needles. If that is worsen than T shots...I think I could handle it. But I still prefer to use patches or gel as someone else suggested?

If and when the time comes for you to take T, you can weigh all the pros and cons of the delivery mechanisms. Sounds like you have concerns more about psychological pain as opposed to the physical.

I don't like needles, to the point where not only do I not watch myself getting injections (or blood drawn either), I don't even like watching it on television or in movies.

Then I weighed the options of getting over it and just dealing with my aversion for needles by injecting T every 1 or 2 weeks versus having to juggle the very daily nature of the T gel. The gel doesn't care if I want to shower at that time because I just engaged in a strenuous workout or if I have the opportunity to have sex or if my pets lying on me, sniffing and licking, and the hassle of gel seemed to outweigh my dislike for needles. So it's a tradeoff, for sure.

The other thing to remember is that you don't commit to one delivery mechanism or the other for life. You can switch from gel to injections and vice versa if your life circumstances change (including the convenience of it, the cost, whether the gel gives you a rash, or how comfortable you get or don't get with needles). So it isn't as overwhelming a decision as it may seem. You can change your mind.

I'm starting to think I'd rather use the gel and just use cream if I get a rash. Gel works just as well as shots do, right..?

Sean: "Daily nature of the gel"? So I'd have to apply the gel every day whereas if I took the shot it would only be once every two weeks? That kind of does suck but I guess I wouldn't mind. I'd much prefer it over needles. Someone else also mentioned it was more expensive than needles I think...I don't remember though?

There are a lot of disadvantages to gel. It's every day, it smells, it takes quite a long time (it has to completely dry before you put clothes on, bathe, or touch anyone/anything), and there are serious safety concerns for partners, pets, and children. Make sure you're able to be responsible with gel before choosing it. Last thing you want is to deal with a puppy on T.

The advantages are pretty strong too - the more stable T levels, not having to do injections, etc. But for most of us they don't outweigh the disadvantages.

Also from everything I have seen and read the changes on gel come at a slower rate. Everything Kyril said is correct and yes from what I've seen gels and creams are more expensive than injections.

Hi Josh,

Just an answer to your original question, ignoring the gel discussions etc that have gone along the way.

Other than the fact you say you have a problem with needles they can be a complete doddle and from what I have heard much easier to deal with than gels etc.

I only have my shots every 16 weeks now I am on Nebido. I used to have them every 2-3 weeks on Sustanon. Although Nebido injections are much larger doses, though I can't say what they are on here.

I'm sorry to say this but of you can't deal with this you will never deal with chest surgery and more so lower surgery if you ever require either of these stages. If this is not a problem please excuse me.

These surgeries involve much more pain AND needles/injections than any T shots. I honestly was not happy about any of this, hate injections myself too BUT if you want to get there you HAVE to accept this OR use gels for the rest of your life.

IMO a shot in your butt, where you have little feeling, every 16 weeks (with Nebido), then you can get on with your life with no worries must be better than gels? I don't like needles either by the way.

John

Fibro sufferer here... I live at about a 5 or 6 on a "normal" day.

The shots themselves cause a little spike in my pain level, and the muscle's generally a little sore for a day or two after, but then I'm doing Nebido and that's a very large volume per shot, so your results may vary.
I'd peg the spike at a value of about 1 or 2.. but that means I'm at about 7 for up to 24 hours after the shot, which is a small price to pay imo.

Quote from: Josh T on November 22, 2010, 10:32:33 PM
Sean: "Daily nature of the gel"? So I'd have to apply the gel every day whereas if I took the shot it would only be once every two weeks? That kind of does suck but I guess I wouldn't mind. I'd much prefer it over needles. Someone else also mentioned it was more expensive than needles I think...I don't remember though?

Yep, every day.
And it is more expensive.
And people seem to agree that changes happen faster for most people with injections.
And the gel is *dangerous* to children, women, and pets. It is a serious responsibility to apply it properly.

I am not a doctor. This is not medical advice. Here is my take:

Plan to start out with injections.

Work toward desensitizing yourself to seeing self-injections. For me, this meant watching you-tube videos in small doses when I previously cringed at watching needles and injectons. For a buddy of mine who learned from someone who is an RN, he had access to a practice needle &" harmless" drug to inject...an orange. You get used to seeing and/or handling needles if you can.

Someone else gives the first one anyway (the doctor or nurse or whomever at the clinic or health care practitioner). 

You give yourself injections for the beginning 6-8 weeks (that's only 2 or 3 shots you have to do) til blood work checks out your levels. 2 or 3 shots? You can do that. Then you start to see how you are doing, improving, if it is actually painful or psychologically hard for you during these first few months. Your attitude in general will have changed anyway, because now you are on T. Hopefully, with all that, you're no longer needle spooked.

After getting the benefits of starting up on injections (and working up to a full dose in the beginning months for some people), now the decision to use needles versus gel is about whether you're getting the right delivery from the injections. Are the hormone levels coming in right? how are your side effects? how is the masculinization process going? Etc. Is there a reason to switch to gel? Discuss with doctor along the way as your dosage is monitored. And of course, if you're still freaked out about needles or experiencing pain for whatever reason from the injections that you find too much to handle, then...look at gel.

To me, this makes a lot more sense than convincing yourself that you cannot handle needles in advance, and that you need gel.