Harm Reduction My 2nd attempt at IV injection - What went wrong?

[FrogWarrior]

So I made my 2nd attempt at IV amphetamine just now. First thing I did is find that big vein in the elbow pit, I tied a strap then put the needle without syringe into it and blood started shooting out so I assumed I was in a vein. It was so messy (my clothes are covered in blood lol), I had to pull the needle out then I attached the syringe, went back into the same spot and injected about 10 mg of amphetamine slowly. I felt nothing. It was a 1 mL syringe so I had to load it up 3 times to inject a total of 25 mg. My last attempt was the worst, I went into a vein and once blood started shooting out, I attached the syringe and didn't go in any deeper. I injected slowly. Immediately after, a big lump appeared around the area I injected.

This lump can't be an infection since it appeared in seconds so I assume I missed the vein and the lump is actually the solution. If thats the case, will the amphetamine still get absorbed? Is this like a subcutaneous injection? I forgot to take the strap off when injecting, hope this doesn't mean I might have burst a blood vessel. It doesn't hurt at all.

I tried about 10 times to get into a vein, I'd stick the needle in and pull back the syringe to see if blood came out but every time, all that came out was air. Don't know what I'm doing wrong, maybe I'm not going in deep enough, I've been sticking the needle in horizontally. Should you inject more vertically when first puncturing the vein? I notice that doctors and nurses stick the needle in all the way. I've only been inserting it about 1/3 of the way. Is there an advantage to inserting the needle deep into the vein like that?

 

[BlueIV]

Why would you put the needle in without it being attached to a syringe? Get a big enough syringe, I know people who have to use multiple syringes as in some places they aren't supplied with ones intended to hold more than on box of the medication, but they are then given supplies to cut off the tubing when switching.

The angle you need to go in at depends on how deep your vein is. I have had issues where I'm not in far enough, so the opening of the needle isn't fully in the vein and some leaks out. Pushing it in a bit further works when that's the case. Needles come in different lengths, I have 2 lengths so some have more put in than others, and the location makes a difference too.

 

[LSDMDMA&AMP]

bee tee dub
you want to tie off before you stick it in you
it sounds like you missed
which with speed is a BIG no no (at least for crystal, i never shot euro speed)
it depends on the length of the needle as to whether or not you stick it in al the way, i used to use long needles (diabetic needles are either shorts or longs) and i wouldn't put it in all the way, but with shorts, i'd need it in all the way.
it would be best if you had someone to SHOW you how, its way easier to get how to do it once someone shows you how.
and btw
there's no point in shooting such a small amount of amphetamine anyway. liek if you're GOING to bang it, you may as well use a good amount ya dig? otherwise just sniff it

 

[dirzted]

I do not know much about IV, but OBVIOUSLY HOLD OFF AND WAIT UNTIL GETTING MORE INFO BEFORE YOU TRY AGAIN!
To me it sounds like you weren't even in a vein if blood was shooting out of your arm, that sounds like an artery to me, but again, do not know enough about IV use. If you are not confident in your technique DON'T SHOOT, obviously you haven't been doing it for that long, so just take it orally until you know how because your tolerance must not have changed yet, of course I would say to just NOT IV altogether, but that doesn't mean anything as to whether you will actually follow that advice or not.

Just hold off until someone responds with good info at least, here is the IV megathread, for god's sake read through the damn thing:

http://www.bluelight.org/vb/threads...MEGATHREAD-amp-FAQ-III-Vs-I-Want-Blood/page33

 

[crzydiamond]

First. You do NOT put a needle unattached to a syringe into your vein

Load up your syringe. With needle attached start at a slight angle going into skin. Once you have the tip in pull slightly back on plunger. Then when you enter the vein blood will go in automatically due to the vacuum you create

Do not push plunger unless you see a ribbon of blood flow into syringe. If you do not see this take it out and reinsert.

And yes the lump you see is most likely the shot you missed. If you shoot without seeing that telltale flash of blood upon drawing back, you will miss. That's why I recommend pulling back slightly as soon as you puncture skin. The. You don't have to draw back to see if you are in vein. You'll know.

That said, speed is not a drug I'd choose to IV. Tends to lead to all that stimulant psychosis a lot faster than other methods. At least IME

 

[Screaming_Skull]

Eh depends on the person, whenever I smoked Meth I got super compulsive redosing and all that, but when I'vd I could just do a shot and be good for the day..Don't have much experience with it but that what mine was...smoking,i dunno it's something about chasing the smoke off the foil and tasting that sweet taste, just wanna keep goin and goin. Not recoomending IV Meth to people though. And yeah you def don't wanna miss with crystal, or are you in the UK?? Sounds worse to miss with that since they call it paste...just keep an eye on it, keep a hot rag on it, not gone in a day or two go to a doctor.

 

[Kid Amine]

This is something that cannot be taught over the internet. Have a trusted friend show you or abandon this method. There is so much more than what I can describe in the time allotted that it's pointless to try. Even if I could describe it with perfect clarity, the amount needed via IV vs other methods is so much smaller that Id be inviting you to OD; no thank you.

 

[Keif' Richards]

Firstly, you can find some very good information online about how to IV. However, it is like a lot of things in life, you can gather all of the pertinent information, but experience is truly the only way to learn and master it. I luckily had a buddy who helped me out when I was first starting.

One thing that I've found beginners often do is insert the needle too slowly. They would break the skin but not enter the vein and just end up "fishing" which is both painful and can cause tell-tale bruises depending on the guage of the needle and how many times it has been used.

When you're ready and have your tourniquet tied and are ready to go, find you main vein like you did before. Eyeball your vein and make a mental note of the exact point where the needle will enter. Be aware of the path that the vein takes as your mai veing makes a little turn after the elbow. After that, insert the needle with appropriate force and speed. Do not hesitate in regards to the initial entry of the needle. If done right, piercing the skin and entering the vein will be on fluid motion. If you manage to insert quickly and accurately, you will often have the benefit of seeing a small amount of blood in the rig before you even pull-back on the plunger.

I hope this information is helpful, but the real truth is that you should have someone who really knows what they're doing either hit you or teach you. IV'ing for the first time solo felt a little daunting to me. I can only imagine how hard it must be to learn it on your own.

 

[vajeeh]

what?! I have absolutely never heard of the problem you have just faced, and I've been IVing for off and on for 8 years. Why would you use a needle without the syringe which has the actual substance?

Did you just decided to puncture your vein with a needle tip just to see if that area has a vein or not? And then you attached it to the syringe and blindly hit the same spot without re-registering...leaving you uncertain if you were even in the vein at that point? Just because you hit the same spot, does not mean that you successfully lodged in the vein. Never, ever, ever do that again.

I don't even know what your motivation on that was...why did you avoid just using the syringe and needle combo to begin with...and register/hit the vein with that, and then push the shot from the get-to?

The angle should be more or less a 45 degree angle when you go in. Make sure that the swivel of the needle tip is facing up...meaning you should be able to see the hole of the needle when it goes in. There is nothing wrong with pushing in the needle all the way in. However keep in mind that arteries are a bit deeper than veins in certain parts of the arm and body. If you ever register and you see suspiciously light red/pinkish blood that is a bit frothy and has a bit more pressure as it enters the syringe, then pull out immediately...because that's an artery. A vein should give you rich dark purple color. If you are even suspicious that it's lighter than you believe it should be, then pull out and try a different spot.

Some veins can be hit with just pushing in a third of the tip, others are easier to hit when you have the full tip in. I am referencing the half inch needle.

Also it's a bit pointless to break your dose into three separate shots. Especially if you are shooting speed. I've only shot speed once...cocaine dozens of times, and heroin 95% of the time. However the main thing in common with all of these as far as IVing, is obtaining the rush, which is highly compromised by breaking it up so much. Simply obtain half inch, 1cc 28 gauge insulin syringes (or 29 gauge, or 30 gauge). This would solve your little issue with having to break it up into three shots, and having to register with a needle first and all that other nonsense.

 

[LSDMDMA&AMP]

he's using 1ml needles already, 1ml=1cc last i knew.
read "Getting off Right", its how i learned hwo to IV in the beginning
but you're doing it completely wrong.
Getting off Right is a comprehensive manual by the chicago harm reduction alliance that details how to inject drugs as safely as possible.
But in the future, dont IV something if you're taking a low dose (25mg amphetamine is a very low dose if you've got any kind of tolerance, and you shouldnt IV if you dont have a tolerance..), especially when you're bangin only 25mg and have to do 3 shots in order to get it all dissolved.

 

[killacali000]

don't shoot up while that still is an option it's hell to live and die by the needle

 

[bukweat]

Jesus Christ!!!

 

[FrogWarrior]

Load up your syringe. With needle attached start at a slight angle going into skin. Once you have the tip in pull slightly back on plunger. Then when you enter the vein blood will go in automatically due to the vacuum you create

Nice one, thats exactly what I needed to know.

And yeah you def don't wanna miss with crystal, or are you in the UK?? Sounds worse to miss with that since they call it paste...just keep an eye on it, keep a hot rag on it, not gone in a day or two go to a doctor.

It was pharmaceutical grade amphetamine sulfate. Besides a sore arm the next day, didn't cause any long lasting problems.

he's using 1ml needles already, 1ml=1cc last i knew.
read "Getting off Right", its how i learned hwo to IV in the beginning
but you're doing it completely wrong.
Getting off Right is a comprehensive manual by the chicago harm reduction alliance that details how to inject drugs as safely as possible.
But in the future, dont IV something if you're taking a low dose (25mg amphetamine is a very low dose if you've got any kind of tolerance, and you shouldnt IV if you dont have a tolerance..), especially when you're bangin only 25mg and have to do 3 shots in order to get it all dissolved.

Thats why I decided to shoot it. 25mg is too low a dose for me. I coulda used much less to get it dissolved, I just added a bit too much water. I also had 5cc syringes, don't know why I decided to use the 1 cc one. Lessons learned.