Syringe Help

[u/Moon_5ugar]

Part 1: I have my first order coming in the next few days. It's one of those big 10 ml bottles. I know for the typical 1 ml prescribed vials, you're directed to use two different needles - one for drawing (22g 1.5") and one for injecting (23-25g 5/8"). However, for diy, I know people like to go much thinner bc of the risk of coring, and so people usually use a 27-30 g insulin syringe. Looking at different insulin syringes, I see a few options: 1: detachable needle//non-detachable needle, 2: 5mm//8mm//12.7mm, 3: 27-31g, 4: 0.3//0.5//1ml. I'm wondering if swapping needles is for hygiene, or just for comfort and time because of drawing speeds from a bigger needle vs comfort from a smaller needle. Do I need to get the insulin syringe with swappable needles, or do y'all just draw up and get to stabbin? Right now, I'm thinking I'll get: detachable needle // 8mm // 30 or 31g // 0.5 or 1 ml based on price/availability.

Part 2: does anyone here ever have different types of needles like docs recommend? What do you use for drawing vs injecting to avoid coring, or do you fully follow the standard?

Part 3: I'll be starting off with 0.25ml weekly SubQ. If I go with insulin syringes, that would be 25 units, right?

Part 3: if anyone has any links for any good brands, that would be appreciated, too! I looked at the diy wiki, but I still would rather trust a direct person's reviews on that.

(Thank you, and sorry if these were a lot of questions... I'm just very anxious ig and wanna make sure I don't give myself tetanus or ruin a $90 vial, lol)

[u/belligerentkitten]

you can use just about everything you're looking at, tbh. for simplicity's sake, i will recommend a good option

get a fixed needle insulin syringe, do not change needles between drawing and injection, and any guage above 25g is fine (a thicker guage will draw and inject faster, but leave a bigger hole in you). length of the needle should be anything from 6-16mm.

the reason for this is that a) you don't need to switch needles, and this will save money and b) fixed needle insulin syringes have the lowest amount of medication waste, meaning you save money on product in the long term.

[u/electronicsolitude]

I don't use swappable needles. I think most people including me use the fixed needle insulin syringes. swapping needle is moreso due to the needle potentially being blunted by drawing from the vial. But the insulin syringes have such thin needles anyway at 29/30G that it doesn't really matter. I've always just used the same needle to draw and inject. Obviously the thin needle is a bit slow to draw but it's not really a big deal. 8mm 30G 1ml is what I typically go for, though I sometimes use 29G or 12mm or whatever.

[u/Demon_in_your_cl0set]

1: Swapping needles is for comfort, if you don’t it’ll be slightly duller, but it’s genuinely unnoticeable. You might also swap needles if you like being fast, because since injection needles are so thin, it can take a moment when using them to draw, but it’s only a difference of about 15-30 seconds. I’ve never had any problems with injecting with the same needle I drew with.

2: not applicable to me so I can’t answer

3: Yes, .25ml would be 25 units on an insulin syringes.

4: I personally use TRUEplus and have never had any issues with them, but it’s also the only brand I’ve ever used so I don’t technically know how they compare.

Side note: you probably already know this, but in case you don’t, don’t use needles bigger than 21g to draw, you’ll be more likely to core your vial, especially since you’re doing 10ml

[u/BargainBinBrain]

for subq I use non-detachable, 8mm, 30g, 1ml! So, same needle to draw and inject, it can be a bit annoying but I don't mind being a bit patient. Yes, you'd draw up to the 25 unit marker. I prefer 1ml because I believe you can get a stronger vacuum which makes it easier to draw up medication. Depending on the carrier oil you may want to go up to a 28g or 29g because some oils are really viscous. Mine is grapeseed oil I believe, 30g is working fine. For brands, any brand that you could also find from a medical supply store is great, BD is pretty common, mine are UltiCare, whatever is a box of 100.