Here is a tip. ALWAYS use clean needles, and there is more benefits to clean needles than just safety. Clean needles hit easier than dull old ones. If you have trouble finding a vein use a tourniquet, remember to release the tension before pushing down on the plunger though because this will fuck ur veins. I like to just use a tourniquet to get a feel for where I need to go in. My veins are alright for injecting, I like to go on my hands and wrists a lot. The vein that runs right below my thumb is good. If it is cold or I'm dehydrated than I first prep the shot and place it down close . Then I use a tourniquet to locate the veins and release. Then the vein I want to use like for instance the one that runs up my bicep, I will make a mental note of where it is with the tourni, release , then I take a HOT washcloth and press it over the bicep for a minute or so, then I take my thumb and start to work blood into the vein by massaging it (slapping your arms like you see in movies doesn't work, you have to massage and rub the vein). Next I take an alcohol swab and sanitize the injectIon site and get the needle in my hand making sure the open side of the needle is facing up. Then when I can barely see it I go in, the instance I break the skin I pull back a little so that when I hit blood automatically enters the syringe and I don't have to gauge when I have to pull back. Once a little blood enters I pull back a little more, and steadily push down and halfway through the shot I pull back a little lore to make sure I'm still in so that I ensure I don't miss.
Supplies you should always have on you: .2um micron filter (and thus u need a lure lock syringe . I prefer 3ml lure lock), alcohol swabs, neosporin, clean needles, clean cooker, hydrogen peroxide, and a sharps kit to discard of used needles.
When I miss a shot, I immediately run to the nearest sink or bathroom, heat the water up as hot as it can go. While it is waiting i pour hydrogen peroxide onto a towel and hold it over the missed shot. Then I soak the same towel in the hot water(the hotter the better (it might be a painful but scolding hot water will help dissolve the shot quicker and kill bacteria)and do a warm compress for 5-15mins. This will help the drug dissolve into your skin so you still get some of it into your body. You won't get the rush but you will still feel it. Then I dry the missed shot injection site and put neosporin over it to prevent any abscess from forming. There is a neosporin the acts as a topical analgesic so I use that to help with the soreness and to halt any abscess or infections . You can also take some ibuprofen or aleve(naproxen sodium) to reduce swelling .
If you are goin to use needles , please take the proper precautions to promote safety. Also if you have to take an hour to do a shot then I suggest taking a break from the pins and let your veins heal upon your elbow so it will be easier to hit. If you hit one spot too many times you will develop phlebitis (inflammation of the vein. Your vein will be hard and feel like a rope), phlebitis makes the vein temporarily unusable for IV use. This will go away if you leave the vein alone.
Stay safe man,
-laC
