So, I am on the spectrum and have recently had to start using a medication that requires periodic intramuscular injections. I’m fine with the little bit of pain and the rest of the process, but there is an intense hesitation to do the initial jab. If I don’t use enough force to penetrate the muscle, I have to push again or start over and that is way worse of a sensation and pain.
No matter how many times I’ve done it, I can’t get over that intense hesitation. My brain just won’t let me do it. It’s not the pain since I have a really high pain tolerance. It’s just some inability to intentionally use force to injure myself or something like that.
So, anyone else had similar issues or have any tips for tricking my mind into allowing me to do the jab?
Thanks!
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Yes. I can inject you and others, our cats but myself is difficult. It works like in slow motion.
So my recommendation would be injection pens. They make the jab, not you. Works better.
Do you know of any brands that don’t require pre-filled cartridges but can be filled from a vial and inject a customizable amount since I need to adjust dosages periodically?
At first I thought I only ever saw them with fixed dosages but that’s not true. For diabetes I’ve seen variable dosages.
(a quick Google brought up varioject)
I still states pre-filled though. If you tell me which medication I could ask (German) doctors, by choice also via DM to me.
So, when I’m ready and I am wielding the weapon, I pick a spot on my skin. Don’t lose sight of it. That spot is now fucked. Sorry spot, you’re getting the jab. And it gets it.
Wish that worked for me. My muscles just won’t obey.
Yeah, I understand it doesn’t sound very different. But, don’t say it doesn’t work if you haven’t tried it (not telling you to try it). You either need to find your own Jedi mind trick or spend a lot of money on an auto stabber, or have it done by another person.
You could try something like an auto injector. These aren’t like the epipens. They’re a device that fits around a regular syringe.
Also, if it helps, I’m guessing you’re referring to estradiol valerate or estradiol enanthate. Either of those can be safely delivered as a subcutaneous injection rather than an intramuscular one. This allows you to use a much shorter and thinner needle. I inject EEn with little guys like these.
I had this exact same issue… it was like a survival instinct kicks in. Like the lizard part of my brain goes “woah hold up there mate, you’re not actually going to injure yourself right? We don’t do that.”
I never really found a quick fix… it was just really extremely unbearably hard for 100 times, and then it slowly got easier. But those first 100 injections were fucking brutal. I just had to get through it. I forced myself to do it only because I knew the alternative was worse for my health
Yeah i had the same when i started TRT. It was the strongest when i was allowed to do injections at home. First few home injections went kinda badly and had severe PIP(post injection pain) and that created the hesitation.
What helped for me was to minimize muscle tissue damage and over time the hesitation diminished, unless i try to inject into ventrogluteal site. Never figured that one out.
- Using a smaller gauge needle, from 23G to 25G.
- This limited the rate at which i could inject too and that reduced PIP as well.
- Lowering the volume of med injected, though had to balance that with higher frequency of injections.
- Keeping around 24H between leg training and injection. Last time i trained legs right after injection and my glute(ass) was in debilitating pain for a week.
- Never reusing the needle. Once it already went in it’s dulled enough. Like stabbing it in half way and then pulling out. Not trying again with the same needle, but switching it to a fresh one before trying again.
- rotating sites. Currently left and right glute, seems to be enough, but if I’m ever going to venture into steroid territory then i probably have to add in delts as well.
Of course it took some hesitation even after that, but as each fix reduced PIP. The hesitation slowly went away.
I just poke the surface of my skin and slowly push until I reach muscle.
Yeah that is worse, and by the time I get it in I’m about ready to pass out from the icky feeling of the needle and the resulting vasovagal response. Plus it hurts way more. Looking for a way to make it more of a jab.
I’m diabetic so not IM but I’ve always had a problem with needles. A few things helped over the years, by far the most helpful thing was simply not watching; pick a spot and raise the syringe up a few inches look away and let gravity drop it home.
At times I found it helpful to use more distance or more force.
I used to do something to distract myself like literally screaming while doing it.
I used to do something like taking a few quick breaths and then holding the last one as long as possible and then doing the jab on the inhale. Or the opposite (while exhaling).
I’ve never tried this, but there was a syringe design that covered the needle in a retractable sleeve. I imagine something similar could be rigged up with paper and tape… just be careful that it slides up the barrel rather than crushing. It’s probably a good idea to test whatever design you choose on some fruit or another object before trying it yourself.
Good luck :-)
Yeah, in highschool we were doing a bloodsmear on a microscope slide and the teacher gave us lancets to prick our thumb to draw blood. I just couldn’t do it, my brain would not let me self injure. Out of all the class I think there were maybe 2 of us that couldn’t do it, and the teacher had to.
Yeah, I had some trouble with those, too, when in had low blood sugar issues for a bit and had to test. But it was way easier to push a button than the forceful jab into the muscle. It’s like when I finally do force myself it ends up having all the force taken away anyway, so then I have to slowly push it further which sucks even more, and then since the drug is thick and needle very thin, push the plunger with a lot of force and feel the horrible feeling of the bulge of medicine in the muscle, and it’s just all too much. So making it a quick jab so the plunger push and feeling of the drug is not after already dealing with the slow insertion would be great.
You can ice the area beforehand, and leave the med on the counter to warm to room temp. Both should reduce pain. You can also take paracetamol 30 min before. It is normal to be averse to pain, and if it hurts less the process will become easier
I’m a caregiver for someone who needs twice daily subcutaneous shots, a little easier than intramuscular.
To train new caregivers I give them an apple and let them practice until they are comfortable.
Kind of different, since the reflex is to avoid self injury, not other person injury, but it might help?
I’m following this. I also can’t. It’s not the pain, as soon as I see the needle, stars, woozy, out cold. Hell, even if someone else is doing it and I know it’s happening…
I found a “fix” for the woozy part several years back. I used to think it was panic attacks, because I do get those, so in would try to relax and lower heart rate and all that I do with panic attacks. Turns out it was a vasovagal response, not panic, so it’s low, not high blood pressure. So all I was doing just made it way worse. It’s a reaction meant to help reduce blood loss after major wounds, but I happened to one day cut my finger pretty bad and happened to have a smart watch on and as I was getting dizzy, it warned me that my heart rate was dangerously low. So I read about the vasovagal reaction and that autistic people can sometimes have an exaggerated one. Instead, I immediately start hyping myself up and if I’m not dizzy yet, I get up and jump up and down and get the blood flowing. Anything to get the blood pressure back up. I still sometimes still get some ringing in the ears and cold sweat, but I haven’t passed out since then.
Do you use an autoinjector or a needle? For a needle, I just slowly push through and that works better for me. But the medicine I use that way can be IM or subQ, so I don’t really worry if I don’t go all the way to the muscle.
Autoinjectors don’t have that option, but it might be easier to find someone to do that for you. I give my brother his autoinjector medication. You just have to commit once it activates and keep it from coming out and leaking. Easier to do when you aren’t the one experiencing it.
Yeah it’s a needle. I find pushing slowly to be both really uncomfortable and a ton more painful than a quick jab. Especially since I also have a hard time relaxing my leg muscle for it. An autoinjector would total solve the problem, but I have to draw the right amount from a vial, clear bubbles, etc, so there aren’t pre-filled cartridges with the right amount.
There are autoinject devices you can put a syringe into. I’ve never tried them out, but I’ve seen them suggested (granted, for medication that could be taken subQ or IM, so depending on the volume you have to inject, it might be harder to find ones that work).
Thanks, I’ll see what’s out there. I’ve only seen the ones that take pre-filled cartridges in the past, but I have never needed one myself so I’m sure there is newer stuff out there.
