Harm Reduction Practicing IV'ing

[Michael_25]

So I went to the pharmacy today and got myself some syringes ( 1ml - 100 units) with a needle and some cotton balls and medical swabs. Now, before I inject a drug I think I should practice by IV'ing water into my veins. So I have a few questions...

1. How deep does the needle need to go in?
2. What "angle" should I insert the needle?
3. How do I know if it's in a vein?
4. What if I hit an artery?
5. Do I need to "push the air out" of the needle so I don't get... what do you call it? Dead?

Thanks for answering these serious questions

 

[bloodshed344]

I don't know much about it but I don't think you should IV cotton. If you were planning to use it as a filter try using a filter instead.

 

[Michael_25]

The "kit" came with cotton balls... Also, guys here who IV meth don't filter it at all.

 

[Abhaya]

So I went to the pharmacy today and got myself some syringes ( 1ml - 100 units) with a needle and some cotton balls and medical swabs. Now, before I inject a drug I think I should practice by IV'ing water into my veins. So I have a few questions...

1. How deep does the needle need to go in?
2. What "angle" should I insert the needle?
3. How do I know if it's in a vein?
4. What if I hit an artery?
5. Do I need to "push the air out" of the needle so I don't get... what do you call it? Dead?

Thanks for answering these serious questions

1. It depends. I'm skinny and roughly 1/3 of the needle of an insulin is enough. If you have more 'meat' maybe a little more, but if you can easily spot the vein you just need 2-3 millimeters. The more you push it in, the greater the chances to pierce the vein.
2. For the reason above: the flatter, the better.
3. Once you think you are in the vein, push the plunger back and if dark red slow blood enters the syringe, you're in. The thing that takes some time to be learned is how to do this without letting the needle slip out of the vein. If this happens, use another vein and another needle.
4. It never happened to me, but i understand that if you stick to injecting into what comes out of the surface of your skin with a properly short needle, the chances of hitting an artery are next to none. Don't take my word for it, search the info for yourself. The blood coming out of an artery should be brighter and have more pressure.
5. Just hit the needle two or three times with your fingers, make the air bubbles come on top of the solution on push it out. Don't worry about small bubbles that will stick to the surface of the syringe, they will do no harm.

There is an IV megathread, more and better info.

I don't know a thing about meth, but wait for some replies on filtering. You can also find lots of info on correct technique on the net. This is a good place.

Last: in my experience people who are dead set on doing this kind of things will probably do it without consulting anyone, avoiding the risk of being stopped or even judged. At least that's what i did, and it was not the smartest decision of my life. Are you sure you want to start this? Why? I only ask you to make you reflect on what you want, no preaching.

 

[Michael_25]

1. It depends. I'm skinny and roughly 1/3 of the needle of an insulin is enough. If you have more 'meat' maybe a little more, but if you can easily spot the vein you just need 2-3 millimeters. The more you push it in, the greater the chances to pierce the vein.
2. For the reason above: the flatter, the better.
3. Once you think you are in the vein, push the plunger back and if dark red slow blood enters the syringe, you're in. The thing that takes some time to be learned is how to do this without letting the needle slip out of the vein. If this happens, use another vein and another needle.
4. It never happened to me, but i understand that if you stick to injecting into what comes out of the surface of your skin with a properly short needle, the chances of hitting an artery are next to none. Don't take my word for it, search the info for yourself. The blood coming out of an artery should be brighter and have more pressure.
5. Just hit the needle two or three times with your fingers, make the air bubbles come on top of the solution on push it out. Don't worry about small bubbles that will stick to the surface of the syringe, they will do no harm.

There is an IV megathread, more and better info.

I don't know a thing about meth, but wait for some replies on filtering. You can also find lots of info on correct technique on the net. This is a good place.

Last: in my experience people who are dead set on doing this kind of things will probably do it without consulting anyone, avoiding the risk of being stopped or even judged. At least that's what i did, and it was not the smartest decision of my life. Are you sure you want to start this? Why? I only ask you to make you reflect on what you want, no preaching.

Well, I just tied a tourniquet around my arm, tried 5 different veins, but not ONE drew blood when I pulled back the plunger! What am I doing wrong?

 

[Abhaya]

Hard to tell from a pc screen....have you ever seen someone else doing it? That's the way i initially learned, i watched others and repeated alone. If you are decided, maybe find someone that can actually look at what you are doing. Just don't blindly trust his/her words, get yourself more information on how to do it safely, but it's something that is better understood if seen...

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Are you using short tip or long tip (12.7mm) needles? Since you're new to the game & slim, short tips will probably be your best bet. Can't tell from your post, but if you can find a way to comfortably place your non-dominant arm (the injection site) on a counter or similar, then do that to steady yourself a bit. Practise using saline/water, so you don't waste any drugs. You might find it helpful to pierce the skin, pull back on the plunger, go deep until it registers, then press the plunger down. I've never heard of anyone hitting a tendon.

You might not need to tie off, but if you do the vein will swell, causing a bigger target. It's advised to remove the tourney before injecting, but it's easier to leave it in. However, it's not good practise to adopt, because of the pressure it places on the vein.

from here

A little air bubble won't kill you, but it makes everything easier to eliminate them. When I use short tips on the fat veins in the elbow crooks I go in almost all the way.

 

[ldeezmoney]

Impossible to tell. Veins may be rolling, may be pushing through...make sure you get the tourniquet tight and pump your fist a few times to get the vein out as much as possible. Look at the point on the syringe.... You will see that it is kind of slanted where the hole is at. The hole needs to be facing the vein, not the other way. Use short insulin syringes not long ones. Stick it in smooth and straight and don't do it nervously. Ultimately if you can't get it get someone to help you. I had trouble registering initially bc every time I'd pull back it would come out.

Good luck. And don't ignore Abhayas question at the end of his post. You will ultimately regret this in my opinion. By the way, are you injecting method?

 

[ldeezmoney]

Sorry, meth, not method.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Also, you're using a fresh pin each injection, yes? If not, you're doing a lot of damage & that would help explain why you're having trouble registering.

 

[thesameoldfears]

I always advocate practicing with sterile saline (0.9% NaCl) solution for a few reasons. For one, it's sterile. Two, it's isotonic so you don't mess up the salinity of your blood (not likely with small shots but it is possible if you do a lot). And three, you can kind of taste it when it hits you so that makes it very useful for knowing whether or not you did everything correctly since there's no drug therefore no rush to be expected. Also be sure to sterilize the iv site and don't reuse your rigs.

As far as your questions go....
1. The needle only has to go in far enough that the bevel (the slanted part of the needle tip where the hole is) is in the vein. Obviously it's hard to keep it steady with just that tiny amount so people generally choose to put more of the needle in. Some people like to put the entire needle in the vein, they usually use short tips. I use long tips and am more comfortable only putting 1/3 to 1/2 of the needle in. It's really all about personal preference as long as the tip is inside a vein and not poking out one of the sides.
2. This depends on what vein you're trying to hit. For something you can see popping out with a tie on, I find it's best to go in at the shallowest angle possible. You want to try to basically be at the same angle the vein is, it lleaves a lot more room for error. If you're going for deeper veins not visible on the surface you do have to adjust the angle a bit but you always want to be way more parallel to the skin than perpendicular.
3. You know that it's in a vein is you can register - that is pull back the plunger and have blood come into the barrel. Another way to do this is insert just the tip of the needle in your skin, then pull back the plunger so it looks like air bubbles have formed, this is really just negative space and it creates a vacuum. Then continue pushing the needle in and when you hit a vein the blood will come in on it's own. You can tell you're NOT in a vein if anything is stinging or a bubble is forming under your skin as you depress the plunger. Both of these are indicative of a missed shot. It's always good as a beginner to register several times throughout a shot. Once you get used to it you'll know the feel of a needle entering vein.
4. An artery will produce a pulse - if you can feel a pulse in the iv site don't inject. It can also have bright red, frothy blood that has a lot more force to it than a vein. And it will hurt. If you feel stinging, don't inject. I've never hit an artery personally so all this info is from BL.
5. Yeah it's preferable to get the air bubbles out, makes it all go a lot smoother. But a few tiny ones are NOT a big deal. Even a full 1cc rig of air won't kill you - though I don't recommend doing that obviously.

Look at that ib thread others have mentioned and just around BL in general, there's a lot of good info. It's hard to learn how to iv via text so if you can get some real life experience I recommend it. There's are also videos etc online that are better than nothing.

 

[laCster]

So I went to the pharmacy today and got myself some syringes ( 1ml - 100 units) with a needle and some cotton balls and medical swabs. Now, before I inject a drug I think I should practice by IV'ing water into my veins. So I have a few questions...

1. How deep does the needle need to go in?
2. What "angle" should I insert the needle?
3. How do I know if it's in a vein?
4. What if I hit an artery?
5. Do I need to "push the air out" of the needle so I don't get... what do you call it? Dead?

Thanks for answering these serious questions

I use 12.7mm syringes because my veins are deep and I go in at a very shallow angle. Most of the time almost all of the needle is in my skin when I refister . I go in at a 45degree angle and then I flatten out as much as I can

What I do is feel for the vein with my finger , then I go in almost halfway, pull back, and usually no blood comes in. Then I go in a little deeper and if I hit then blood will automatically enter the syringe. Once I see the blood enter a little, I pull back a little more and blood will shoot into the syringe in a little stream line. At this point if I usr a tourney, I release the tourney and then I pull back again to make sure I'm still in. I then push down half of the solution so about 20units and then I stop. Wait a second and if I want more. I pull back again to make sure I'm still in then I push down all the way.

Around 30-50 units is the ideal volume you want to use.
U know if you are in if you pull back on the plunger and blood comes back into the batrell. It is kind ofharf. To hit an artery but if you do hit then your hand will immediately swell up which is why you want to only push a little bit in at first and if u don't feel pain then u are good.

I have done shots with atleast 10units of air and I was fine. How to prep the shot is you draw up through a cotton. Then you shake the syringe up and Dow n and. That should gather all the liquid together. You push all the way to the top of the barrell, then you flick the barrel once or twice for the air bubbles and push up a little but. I like to squirt a little soln out before I go in to make sure the barrell isn't clogged and to make sure that mo cotton got into the shot.

If you are skinny like me then finding a vein isn't to hard, but if you are a big guy or girl, you might have to use a tourney. It's ok if u have to leave the tourney on for the shot but don't make a habit of it because it will out pressure on your vein.

What I like to do is get a tourney on, make the veins pop out so I can see the vein, then I release the tourney before I go in. This should give you an idea of where the vein is. A good piece of advice is to try to visualize the needle going into the vein and visualize where the vein runs.

Obviously the abtebrachial vein, the vein in the crook of your elbow, is the easiest to hit, but make sure yoy rotate sites after each shorn don't go into the same place every time or you will fuck Yo the vein.

When I first started I would sit around for hours trying to hit a vein and it was frustrating, but eventually you will get the hang of it.

Some people like shorts but I absolutely dislike short needles because I feel they are harder to use and my veins are deeper in my body and I like to go at a shallow Ngle.

Using a new rig each time really helps and it is much easier to register with a new needle than a used one. Only use the syringe once, but if you have to using it twice max isn't that bad. Just make sure you don't use it more than twice.

Feel free to pm me if you need more help

 

[Michael_25]

Fuck it. I'm done. I've tried over 20 times now and still can't get a needle to register. I guess it's a blessing in disguise, though. Back to snorting and smoking for me.

 

[opiatekrzy]

sometimes a piece of your skin can get caught into the tip of the needle, so when u push the plunger back u dont see blood, when in all actuality u may be in ur vein, which leads to confusion, it has happened to me, some people have real thick meaty veins and it happens, you should find out what gauge needle works best for you, i dont suggest anything higher than a 30 gauge...

 

[NeighborhoodThreat]

Since this is an intermediate HR level question I'm going to move it over to OD.

BDD--> Other Drugs

 

[dankJ]

I would highly suggest having someone show you your first time or 2. visual example where you can follow along at same time is much better than anything any of us can type. Also...that whole air bubble thing is a myth. If you inject some air into your vein...absolutely NOTHING will happen. I mean...you def want to try and get all the air out of the syringe...but its not a big deal if there is a little bit left in there. and probably will be especially if you dont register on your first try

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

I cringe every time I see these posts. It scares and saddens me so much to see anybody consciously making the decision to start down such a path of misery.

Please reconsider.

If not, we have tons of threads on here including the IV mega in my signature that go over all of this very basic information.

Good luck to you.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Also...that whole air bubble thing is a myth.

Air embolisms ARE REAL and CAN AND WILL happen.

They aren't as common in IDU's who use insulin syringes because I don't believe 1ml of air would be enough to cause an air embolism.

Fuck it. I'm done. I've tried over 20 times now and still can't get a needle to register. I guess it's a blessing in disguise, though. Back to snorting and smoking for me.

Blessing in disguise. Definitely better than my life which is like a curse in disguise.

 

[Mr.Scagnattie]

^^

Amen to that.

 

[RedRum OG]

45 degree angle. Always go in the direction of the vein (if its a little sideways, aim a littl sideways) and aim up towards your shoulder (pointing away from your hand). After you register do your best to not move the needle while shifting the plunger (this is the trickiest part) and if you're practicing with water it might be hard to tell if you miss- if you miss even a teeny drop of dope it'll burn like holy hell

Be careful- if it's blue, go for it, if it has a pulse, or you can't clearly see its blue, don't risk it