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Opioids First Time IV user needing advice

S

sunshinebreezy

Greenlighter
Joined
Sep 20, 2011
Messages
5
Hey guys my boyfriend and i have been doing pills for years and we just recently decided to try shooting up. We bought 1/2 inch 30 guage needles to use but we're having a hard time tying off and getting veins to pop out enought to get the needle in. Instead of getting high we're just getting a bunch of bruises and puncture marks. Any advice would be super super helpful and appreciated.
- Sunny
 
Don't try injecting for any time soon. Take an hour or two to do some exercises, make sure you are adequately hydrated, are in a warm room (warm showers help), and most importantly, have one person carefully register/plunge while the other holds onto the needle. IVing yourself is quite difficult without a lot of practice.

It might be best to practice IVing together with just sterile water so you can get a feeling for it.

A 1/2" tip is prett long for IV usage in my opinion, if you get some new needles any time soon, I recommend 31G short tips (5/16").

Go to the OD directory and click on the "IV/Injection Complications Mega Thread" - it will contain vein maps and lots of other valuable information.
 
thanks for the advice!! the most trouble we're having is staying in the vein we'll try shorter needles and have some practice runs if you can think of any more helpful tips keep posting.
 
If there's two of you, get someone to hold the skin taught over the vein - on your arms, hold the skin away from the injection site (in the direction of your hands) and pull away from the body. This helps to stop the vein from rolling under your skin. When you register, advance it a tiny bit more to make sure the bevel is fully in the vein, then pull back a little to double check you've got free-flowing blood (not too much though as injecting blood back through the needle can cause haemolysis). You need the needle to have a pretty shallow angle, or you'll pop straight through the vein. Like CH said, get one person to hold the needle steady while the other depresses the plunger. Take your time and go slow. Once you've got the knack, you can often feel that the needle has entered the vein and is in the right place (always make sure you've got flashback though). It's worth making sure you get this right, or you'll end up fucking up all your veins.. practice runs sound like a great idea, make sure the water is sterile :)
 
sunshinebreezy said:
thanks for the advice!! the most trouble we're having is staying in the vein we'll try shorter needles and have some practice runs if you can think of any more helpful tips keep posting.
Click to expand...

OK here is the idea: as soon as you are in the vein, the trick is to keep the needle as steady as possible.

With the 1/2" tips - I find a lot of times it's common to register with only a part of the needle in - while injecting, it is easy to accidentally slide it too far in. This causes the tip to go through the other side of the vein, which is the most damaging (compared to a proper injection).

So ideally, when preparing to register, try to be as still as possible. When you do register, be extremely careful to stay still, and carefully plunge slowly. Be careful not to lift the needle up, or change the angle, or depth. If you do slip out, or aren't sure, try to register again. It shouldn't be hard.
 
Also i cant have tracks showing at work i can wear long sleeves but is there an alternative place that works just as good as in your arm?
 
sunshinebreezy said:
Also i cant have tracks showing at work i can wear long sleeves but is there an alternative place that works just as good as in your arm?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, no, the arms are your ideal place.However once you learn how to inject yourself properly and develop a good technique, track marks won't be much of a problem.You see, if you inject PROPERLY, without making multiple attempts, and always use new, sharp needles, the track marks will be small, and will usually heal within 24 hours.Honestly a lot of times I have no visible marks less than 12 hours after an injection. But it varies; I have tiny veins, and even with great technique and site rotation, I have to use veins that are hard to get to, and I can leave marks sometimes through missing.
 
Captain.Heroin said:
It is possible to IV elsewhere, but for a first time IV drug user, it is recommended you get used to the arm first.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Personally, I can't stand to inject anywhere else.Thankfully with good technique, I usually don't have to, though of course, I have had many experiences. That said, the hands and wrist are practicaly, but painful and will leave marks, defeating the purpose of being subtle.
Personally, I would stick to the arms right now; Quite frankly, if you can't inject into your arms effortlessly, then there is no point trying to inject anywhere else. So for now, get used to long sleeves; eventually track marks shouldn't be much of an issue, and once you get your technique down, you can rotate to some other spots. I'd say around the thighs is a good place to start. Apparently, there are some near your waist, but I have never used them.
But despite what people may tell you, DO NOT go between your toes, or around your feet period. First off, your feet are filthy; second, the veins in your feet tend to roll, making them difficult to hit, not to mention, circulation sucks in your feet. Actually, circulation is one of the biggest issues with injecting below the waist.
So basically, stick to the arms for now, and be sure to take things one at a time :)
 
thanks for all your help it took him a little longer but i got the hang of it real quick i would have ended up fucking something up really badly if it hadn't been for all of you <3
 
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