How to Give Yourself an Injection
The first injection is the hardest one. By the third, most patients wonder why they were nervous. This guide walks you through both types of shot we teach: subcutaneous, into the fat layer, and intramuscular, into the muscle.
Use only the amount on your personal dosing sheet. This guide covers technique. Your medication, amount, schedule, needle size and injection type come from your individual plan, which we give you privately. If anything here differs from your plan, follow your plan and call us.
Which type of injection is yours?
A short, thin needle places medication into the fat layer just under the skin. It absorbs slowly and steadily. Most patients find it easier and less painful.
A longer needle places medication deep into a muscle, where it absorbs into the bloodstream faster. Used for some medications and larger volumes.
What to have ready
- Your medication vial, with the label and expiration date checked
- A new sterile syringe, plus the needle or needles listed on your plan (some plans use one needle to draw up and a smaller one to inject)
- Alcohol swabs
- Gauze, a cotton ball or a bandage
- A sharps container
- Your dosing sheet and an injection log
Get set up
- Pick a clean, well-lit table and a time you can repeat on each injection day.
- If your medication is refrigerated, let it sit out until it reaches room temperature. Cold medication stings more.
- Check the label. Right medication, not expired. Do not use it if it looks cloudy, discolored or has particles in it, unless your pharmacy told you it is supposed to look that way.
- Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, including between your fingers and under your nails. Dry with a clean towel.
- Lay out your supplies on a clean surface.
Drawing up from a vial
- Remove the vial's plastic cap the first time you use it. Wipe the rubber top with an alcohol swab and let it air dry.
- Check the syringe package. If it is torn or opened, throw that syringe away and use a new one.
- Attach the drawing needle firmly if your syringe and needle come separately. Remove the needle cap by pulling it straight off.
- Pull the plunger back to draw in air equal to your prescribed amount.
- With the vial upright on the table, push the needle straight down through the center of the rubber top and push the air in. This makes the medication easier to withdraw.
- Turn the vial and syringe upside down together. Keep the needle tip below the liquid line.
- Pull the plunger back slowly to your prescribed amount. Thick, oil-based medications take patience.
- Look for air bubbles. Tap the syringe so they rise, push them back into the vial, then draw back to your amount again. A tiny bubble will not hurt you. But a large one means less medication.
- Check the amount one more time against your dosing sheet. Then pull the needle out of the vial.
- If your plan uses a separate injecting needle, swap it on now. Do not let the needle touch anything.
Subcutaneous injection
- Belly, staying at least 2 inches away from the belly button
- Front and outer thigh
- Back of the upper arm, if someone is helping you
Move each injection at least an inch from the last one. Avoid scars, bruises, moles and stretch marks.
- Clean the spot with an alcohol swab and let it dry completely.
- Pinch up a fold of skin with your free hand.
- Hold the syringe like a pencil. Insert the needle in one quick motion at a 90-degree angle, or 45 degrees if you are lean or were told to.
- Let go of the pinch. Push the plunger slowly and steadily until it stops.
- Pull the needle straight out. Press gently with gauze. Don't rub.
Intramuscular injection
- Outer thigh. The easiest site to reach yourself. Use the middle third of the outer thigh, between your hip and your knee.
- Upper arm (deltoid). Two to three finger widths below the bony point of the shoulder. Best for small volumes and easier with a helper.
- Hip (ventrogluteal). On the side of the hip. A helper should be shown this site in clinic first.
Rotate sites each time. We will show you your sites at your visit.
- Sit or lie so the muscle is relaxed. A tense muscle hurts more.
- Clean the spot and let the alcohol dry.
- Stretch the skin flat between two fingers. Don't pinch.
- Insert the needle in one quick, firm motion straight in at 90 degrees, all the way to the hub.
- Push the plunger slowly. Thick medication may take 10 to 20 seconds.
- Pull straight out at the same angle. Press with gauze.
Making it hurt less
- Inject medication at room temperature.
- Wait for the alcohol to dry. Wet alcohol stings.
- Relax the muscle and breathe out as the needle goes in.
- Go in quickly. Slow insertion hurts more.
- Keep the needle straight going in and coming out.
- Never reuse a needle. Each use dulls the tip.
Throwing away needles safely
Put every used needle and syringe straight into a sharps container. Never recap a used needle, and never toss loose needles in the trash or recycling. An FDA-cleared sharps container is best. If you don't have one, a heavy plastic bottle with a screw-on lid, like a laundry detergent jug, works. Label it "Sharps. Do not recycle." When it is about three-quarters full, seal the lid with heavy tape. And disposal rules vary by city, so check with your pharmacy or city for drop-off sites. Keep it away from children and pets.
Keep a log
Each time, write down the date, the site, the medication and the amount. It keeps your rotation straight and helps us if your labs or symptoms change.
- Redness or warmth that spreads or keeps growing after a day
- Pus, drainage, or a hard, painful lump that gets bigger
- Fever or chills
- A dose you think was drawn up or given wrong
Call 911 for hives with trouble breathing, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or feeling faint after an injection.
A small bump, a bead of blood, or mild soreness for a day or two is normal.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Best Way to Get Rid of Used Needles and Other Sharps. fda.gov.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Vaccine Administration: Intramuscular and Subcutaneous Injection. cdc.gov.
- MedlinePlus. Giving a subcutaneous injection. medlineplus.gov.
This page is general education, not medical advice, and it does not replace a visit with your own clinician. Your diagnosis, treatment and any medication instructions come from your individual care plan. Reviewed by Jessica Boggs, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ENP-C.
5301 Alpha Road, Suite 34, Dallas, TX 75240 · (469) 653-3124 · contact@navarahealthtx.com · navarahealthtx.com
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