What size of needle do you all typically use for your t injections? I've been on T for about 5 months now, but have only recently started doing my shots myself at home. I'm over my fear of needles for the most part at this point, but I still feel like the needles I've been given to use are really big. My doctor gave a prescription for 21g 1.5 inch needles, and the pharmacy gave me 20g. I wouldn't have any issues with it if they didn't hurt like a motherf***er to stick my self with, and possibly be the reason that the T comes right back up and out of my leg no matter what I do after I finish my shots. Are these too big of needles? Any suggestions?

i use 18g to get the T out then 25g to inject.

I use a 22g to draw out of the vial, then switch it out for a 25g. I would REFUSE to use a 21g holy crap. I think changing the needles out makes it painless since drawing T out dulls the needle, imo. Some suggestions to help the T not come out is draw up more air bubbles when you put the needle in. That fixed the problem for me anyway.

I'm probably going to ask my doctor to move down to a 25g needle then, and I'll keep around my 20g ones to draw up the T. It makes sense how it would dull the needle and cause it to hurt more, and do use two different needles to draw up and inject, but the 20g still hurts so I'm definitely going to switch. And you mean drawing up more when aspirating right?

I use 18G for drawing the T and 22G for injecting. Or my fiancée does, I just buy the things. Mine are IM shots, though so I don't know if that makes a difference. But I don't think I could smaller from 22G because the T is so thick it's difficult to inject, I've heard.

Once I had to get a larger needle for injecting (21G) because the pharmacy had run out of 22Gs. Didn't make any difference hurt-wise. My butt didn't notice anything. |D

20ga is huge for injecting, imo. I only use those to draw up. For injecting, I've used 22-25ga, most frequently 25. Smaller needles means less pain (like I barely feel the 25s going in). They also take longer to inject with, though. 23ga needles were actually my favorite because it struck a nice balance between time and pain, but they've become more or less impossible for me to find at local pharmacies.

I use a 25 ga. needle for both drawing up and injecting. Drawing up takes a little patience, but other than that, it works fine.

I use a 5/8th inch 25g needle for everything. It's a pain to draw up with but my doc didn't give me a prescription for bigger needles to draw up with. I would use shorter if I could but 5/8" is the shortest you can go with 25g and any smaller would be super hard to inject with.
I did a 21g once because the pharmacy had like 3 needle sizes in stock at the time and I'll never do it again, so much more painful.

18g to draw out, 23g to inject. I'd encourage you to ask for smaller injecting needles. I sometimes have issues working up the nerve to inject with the 23g, I can't imagine injecting with something thicker.

I prefer to use an 18g to draw and a 23g to inject.  At times, I am unable to find the 18's so I both draw and inject with the 23.  I have never injected with anything larger than a 23...guessing that might hurt like *******!!!!!

my pharmacy gives me 21g-23g to inject and i typically draw it out with 18g (if they remember to put them in). i spent the first 10 months drawing it out with a longer needle, which irritated the hell out of me... 

My prescription comes in a pre-filled syringe with a 2 inch 20g needle, so I use that. I bought spare 2 inch 21g needles in case of a botched injection, though I probably could have gotten somewhat smaller, shorter needles. I find blood tests hurt more than T injections (which hurt a little, but not enough to make me uncomfortable), but it's likely that my arms are more sensitive than my legs since I have nerve damage.

If you can get smaller needles, that might be preferable for you in order to avoid too much unnecessary pain.

I use a 22g for my birth control. I think I will ask about the 25g and maybe one for drawing and another for shooting.

I use a 23G 1.5 in needles to draw and inject. I also buy in bulk. I usually pay $19 for a box of 100.

I found a source for 27g 1 ¼ inch needles for injecting and I love, Love, LOVE them! I don't even feel the needle at all!  I have used 23g and 25g in the past, but since finding the 27g, I hope to never have to go back to the larger ones.

I have an 18g to draw and a 22g to inject, the needle itself is about an inch long. I was told the best gauge for injection is between 22 and 25g.

I use a 23g to draw up and inject subcutaneously. I think it's 1.5 inches long, but doesn't really matter, you don't have to stick the whole length of needle in if it's longer than necessary.

Pro tip: 18g is too big to do subcutaneous. I tried that once. The oil came pouring right back out the hole (we are not talking a normal oil leak here).

i do IMs and use 18g for drawing and 22 (1.5") for shooting. i've used a 25 for drawing (not using the same needle to inject with but out of 18s) and it takes a century and a half, and i've used a 23g for injecting more than a few times because my doc sometimes hecks up and gives me the wrong stuff (hence why i drew with a 25, 'cause it was too short to inject with). personally i think either a 22 or 23 is the golden zone. the 23 takes way longer but is less intimidating, but the 22 is over in a snap and doesn't hurt so long as i'm not also drawing with it (or hitting a nerve, which is always a fun time). anything smaller than a 22 or bigger than a 23 just sounds ridiculous IMO, but i'd rather have a bigger gauge than take twenty minutes to do a shot. definitely ask for bigger needles, but i'd say try a 23 before a 25 and then if that's still too much go up from there.