Hey guys,

I gave myself my first injection Monday night. I used the upper outer part of my quad.

Is it normal for it to hurt even a few days after? It's still hurting, and it's been two days.

Also, after I injected the T and pulled out the needle, I noticed that some of the T was coming out from where I given myself the shot. Normal?

And also what size needles do most of you guys use? I just bought like the twenty cent ones at a drug store and throw it away.

My first shot did --- then I got better at it --- less feeling like I have to stab it in.

I draw my T with an 18 gauge and inject with a 25

Congrats on starting!

It is normal to hurt even a few days after. Make sure you massage the T into your muscle after injection though.

The T was seeping out? I don't think that's happened to me... Make sure you're pushing a 1inch to 1 and a half inch needle all the way in

Yeah, I use 20 cent needles too... but they're 22 or 23 gauge needles with 1.5 inches length and I push it in allllll the way.

my friend told me about seepage but as im not on T i have no personal experience.

My first injection didn't hurt at all, even afterwards - but my GP gave me the shot and he's done thousands of IM injections.  I've heard the T can leak out if, as has been said, you aren't deep enough, inject too quickly or don't massage it after.  You may have injected too quickly which could also explain the pain.  I use a 23-gauge, but my T comes in pre-filled syringes with a 21-gauge needle.  Good thing I get to swap the needle.

Thanks for all the feedback guys. My needle was pretty long... not sure the exact measurement on that, but I put the whole thing in. I may have injected it too quickly though. I'll go slower this coming Monday for my second injection. And I'll try doing some massaging.

My legs are small and muscular, so I didn't know if maybe the size had something to do with the pain. Putting the shot in was just an initial shock pain, then it was fine. But the day after and even today, it feels like a bad bruise, but of course there is no bruise.

Anyone inject to the butt? What's the difference really?

My first injection caused some leg soreness.
This may be what you're experiencing since your leg muscles aren't used to having something stuck in them quite yet.
Most injections you get at the doctor are done intravenously and even the intramuscular injections are usually in the upper arm.

I don't experience soreness anymore from my injections anymore, because I'm injecting so often that my body has likely adjusted to it by now. I don't know if you're injecting weekly or not though, so I can't say if your experience will be similar to mine or not though.


Nonetheless, congrats on your first injection.
:]

Thanks Jason...

As of right now I'm on a very lose dose once a week for two weeks. Then it's up to a higher dose. I'll have an appointment to go back to the doc the 20th though so I'm not exactly sure what dose I'll be prescribed to go up to.

It's all so exciting and I can't wait to start noticing some changes, haha but I just would rather not have this pain every time I have to inject.


Edited for dosage.

I inject right above the butt, into the hips. It's a lot better for me. I can't stab myself in the thigh.

I find that most of the pain of a T injection is after the fact. If you do it correctly the injection shouldn't hurt too badly but I get muscle soreness the next few days.

I use the ventrogluteal site for my injections and I can't recommend it enough. It's pretty easy to access, there's no chance of hitting any important nerves or arteries, and I've found that it hurts the least and doesn't even bleed afterward. Look it up and you will find some pictures and diagrams to help you find the area.

I draw up with 18g and inject with a 22g 1 1/2" needle, inserted all the way. I push the plunger slowly, and leave the needle in for a few seconds afterward. Then I pull it out SLOWLY. I've never had any T leak back out so far. For the first couple of times I was sweating really bad during the whole process and just wanted the needle out of my leg but there really is nothing to worry about. Take your time.

I will definitely have to look that up! Thanks fellas.

Caleb edit your post, no dosages please.

It's definitely normal to have mild soreness.  The more still you are able to hold the syringe the less the needle will move inside your leg so the less it will hurt.  I've been injecting for 15 months and it's always a little sore for a day or two. 

I draw with a 18 (someone gave them to me) or 23 (those come with my prescription) and inject with a 25g 5/8" (I buy those for 10 cents each at my local Wal-Mart) into my thigh.  When I get the doctor to write me a new script I'm going to get him to write the script for 18g needle/syringe combo and 25g needles.  A drop of T usually always leaks out, that is such a minimal amount it's not going to negatively affect your progress so don't sweat it.

Make sure you are using a sharps container to discard used needles/syringes in.  This can be a red one you buy at the store or depending on your state you can use a detergent container with a screw on lid, that when full you duct tape shut and write DO NOT RECYCLE on with a sharpie.

I inject in the thigh. The nurse who taught me did say it would hurt worse if I got any more wiry and muscular. She recommended I switch to the butt when I get practiced enough to be comfortable doing it without needing to watch so closely. I haven't heard of anything seeping out but I'm sure it won't hurt anything.

And yeah like Andy said, please do buy a sharps container. My clinic said some people use pickle jars, and I know of a couple of needle drop off/exchange sites, but a biohazard box only costs a few dollars.

I've been getting injections for nearly three years, and it's been once a week for most of that time. I've had noticeable muscle soreness only a few times early on--once when the nurse did it and once when I clenched up because my then-partner came home unexpectedly just as I was injecting.

I shoot in the butt and have never injected into my thigh. I use a 22-gauge. A lot of guys like the 25-gauge, but I have trouble with one of my wrists and need a larger needle--I don't have as much trouble depressing the plunger. I rarely get any pain, just a poke. Once I guess I hit a nerve. Sometimes I really don't feel anything.

I suppose I'm more likely to nick a blood vessel with the larger needle, so I do get a bleeder every now and then, but I'm ready for it and don't mind it. I mop it up and stick a little Band-Aid on it.

When I was going to support groups, I heard a lot of guys say that the thigh hurts a lot afterward, and then I would find out that they didn't really have the muscle in a relaxed position. Quite a few would sit down on a chair with the knee bent, and that stretches the muscle and makes pain more likely.

Sorry about that Felix... need to brush up on my forum rules. No harm intended.

I def. put my last shot in a mcdonalds cup and through it away. I didn't even think about putting it in a safe container. Could I get in trouble for that?

And thanks for all the feedback guys... hopefully this will just be a pain since it's just me starting out, and things will hopefully start to get better as far as pain goes. I may try the other leg this time for my second injection, and if that gives me problems I may try going to the butt.

*raises hand*
I injected too quickly this morning and some leaked back out.

Syringe/needle disposal has different rules in different places, but it's something I'm a little uptight about after working in hospitals, seeing homeless people dig through trash, working in a recycling center (where partition of waste streams is super relevant), etc. Or maybe it's the kid thing. I know it would never happen, but the idea of my kid getting a needle through her hand is pretty scary.

Here's state by state. Decent info even for those not in the US.
http://www.safeneedledisposal.org/index.cfm?load=page&page=57

Well, now I'm confused.  My doc tells me it's better to inject faster and the T is more likely to leak if the needle is left in too long or you pull it out too slowly.  But I always leaked and so she had me switch to a technique where I inject in the same amount of air as I do T.  That compresses the T into the muscle and keeps it from dribbling out.  I use an 18 gauge to draw and a 1.5 inch 22 gauge for injecting.  I also have trouble depressing the plunger even at with a 22, I can't imagine using anything smaller.

Wow.  I've always heard that injecting air is dangerous :/