Im going on lantus with i injections the old fashioned way. The only syringe needles avaiable are 8mm. I dont want the pen. Does anyone do this? How is the absorbtion and risk of intermuscular injection? Just a sidenote i hate needles and am squeamish. Thanks!!
When I was on shots, I used 8mm needles most of the time and my thigh was a go-to site. I did not have problems, though it occasionally stung a bit.
And I hate needles too - a LOT!
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Thanks for replying! I found 6mm needles today and am going to try it!! Its funny how they tell us to rotate injection sites and then question why I want to use my leg instead of abdomen. After 18 years I’m running out of real estate! Lol
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For me, thighs and butt are the best spots for basal insulin injections and worst spots for bolus injections. I want my bolus injections to kick in really quickly, and I found that arms and belly tend to work much faster than thighs and butt. The timing matters less for basal, and I’m not even sure how you’d track this anyway.
I think the risk of intramuscular injection probably depends on the person. I personally would think you’d be alright with a 6 mm needle.
Best of luck!
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Ok thank you! Yeah i think i have enough on my thighs im 5’6 and 140 pounds. If i sit down for thighs it seems better too.
I take four Lantus shots every day, two in the morning and two at bedtime. I’m using the 8 mm needles and have been for a long time. I do double small shots — according to Dr. Bernstein, shots over about 8 units just sit there in a pool and that slows down absorption.
I can pretty much guarantee I’ve got more meat and surface area to my thighs than you do! If I was leaner, I might try injecting at a bit of an angle so as not to go so deep. I’ve never had a problem with scarring. Almost never any pain either — I just inject like a dart and hardly feel anything. The bigger issue for me is forgetting whether I’ve taken my shot or not. Everything is so automatic and today is just like yesterday or like tomorrow.
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Thank you! Good to hear there’s little pain.
I’ve heard of people doing intramuscular injections of quick-acting insulin, for example for rapid corrections of stubborn highs, but what is the advantage of intramuscular injection for your long-acting/basal?
If you are worried about pain, you can get 4 mm needles if you use a pen – though I know you said you weren’t interested in the pen. Though I pump, I sometimes use 8 mm syringes and never experience pain, and parts of me don’t have much fat. Also when choosing a syringe, the needle’s gauge number is as important as its length. The larger the gauge number, the thinner the needle, the less the discomfort.
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One thing I’d be careful of is that if you change injection sites the dose may be different. I tried Tresiba in my rear end once and I might as well have injected water, so I probably needed a much higher dose there vs. my thigh due to absorption differences. I’ve also found the area of injection can alter when a basal kicks in and how long it lasts. I’m pretty lean but used 8mm needles in my thigh when I’ve injected a basal and found this to be painless and effective as long as I pinched up and injected on an angle. I tried 4 or 5mm needles but found that they were too short even though I don’t have much fat, and that insulin would leak out after injecting. I also found these more painful sometimes than pinching up with a longer needle.
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I did 15 units of lantus in my love handle area this morning. Blood sugars arent terrible so far but could be better(could be lower). Im using 6mm needles and was surprised how painless it was. Its going to take some experimenting. I’ll try different things.
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Thanks! I found 6mms and wow!! Didnt feel a thing. So far the absorbtion could be better but isnt terrible. We shall see.
Thats cool!!
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I really like the lids with a timer. They make it so easy to check when you last dosed. It’s been a major help for me.
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Timesulin. Available at Amazon. Here’s timesulin’s website.
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Timesulin at Amazon. Approx. $25 US
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I used to use Lantus with an old fashioned syringe and vial and then I used Humalog as a pen. I purposely did that so I accidently wouldn’t mix them up.
As much as I would try for no distractions, but I was so used to injecting, I wanted to make sure I never grabbed the wrong pen or remember which one I had already given myself. It was always easier to just put 1 syringe and then a pen with two pen needles that I would put on the counter first thing in the morning. The first pen needle was for my first adjustment and the second was for when I was going to eat my first meal.
But I never had a problem with thigh injections, but I didn’t use my thighs or arms as often. But my buttocks definitely did not work as well. But I have fat on my arms and thighs so I never had to worry about muscle injection.
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