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purchasing insulin needles

nevrendr

Bluelighter
Joined
Mar 12, 2003
Messages
27
Location
gr, mi
what are some of your experiences with purchasing syringes at pharmacies? do you get hassled for it or not? i've been going to a needle exchange for the past few months but last week i showed up and it was all shut down for some reason.
 
Use the search engine, there are loads of topics relating to this.

Anyway. Depending on where you live there are different rules and laws but for the most of it its up to the person that serves you in the pharmacy. Just be confident, say what you want, dont look like a junkie and you should be fine. Im not sure of any procedures, like signing and giving ID, that are in place in America (Im an Aussie). If you get refused dont worry, just go on to the next chemist. Also check your phone book to see if there are any other needle exchanges in your area.
 
'allo,
that is quite unfortunate that the needle exchange has shut down where you are. search to see if there is another one near you, or maybe a new one that has opened. i like needle exchanges best because they are less stressful, the people know why you are there and so you can just be yourself.
as far as pharmacies... it differs from state to state. i am in florida, i just tell them i need insulin syringes for a diabetic family member and that works. you have to be confident and well, not look like a junkie obviously. know what to ask for before you walk in.
good luck!
 
In Michigan, weve never had any trouble. Just know what size you want, smalls, medium or larges.

Dont ask for "cleans", thats just unnecessary ;)

Most pharmacies Ive bought needles from give me dirty sad dissapproving looks.

ces't la vie.
 
I'm in Virginia. Some pharmacies hassle me. Others don't ask any questions.

The most important thing is to be confident and act like you know what you're doing. Know what kind of syringe you want before you go in.

In my case, I would walk to the pharmacy person and say "I need a 10 pack of BD brand 1 CC insulin syringes with the long needle". Then I start pulling out my ID which they glance at before I sign the registry. They get the syringes, I pay, I leave.

Rarely does anyone ask. If someone does I will say that my dad asked me to pick some up for him because he forgot to after work or something like that. Either they'll tell me he has to pick them up on his own or they'll sell them to me. If they don't, I'll just go somewhere else.

Also, the pharmacy I have never had problems in is CVS.

And one last thing, do not even bother trying to get needles from a city with a heroin problem. Nobody will sell them to you without you showing them an insulin card.
 
i live in the bay area and i've only had to buy needles once (they sold me the HUGE 100 pack...hehe) anyway, i tried longs and walgreens first and was told i needed a prescription 8) then i found this nice small store called drug emporium (gotta love that name huh). they just let me sign a roster and the lady was really nice about it she said i could just leave the "use" line blank ;) (kinda prying tho asking u what u use them for :p )
 
please pardon my igonorance, but insulin needles are IM needles, correct?

what other brand names would one be able to use?
 
There are several sites on the internet where you can order them from, no problem. Can't remember any off hand (it's been awhile ;) ), but check some of the major piercing and body mod sites. They should be able to point you in the right direction. :)

evans
aim: evans970
 
28-29 gauge insulin needles, like the kind Love in Vein described, are great for IVing. You want the kind with the 'long' needles like he said. So yeah, they are ideal for IVing, not just IM. In fact slightly larger gauge needles are ideal for IMing, but 28-29 g works for IM too.

cuckoos nest --

You must now have a prescription to buy needles in CA. The law changed a couple years ago. I too bought mine before the law went into effect.
 
Actually, I've found the short needles (8mm) tend to work better for IV'ing. Less chance of the needle poking where it shouldn't and causing damage.

evans
aim: evans970
 
^^^

True I suppose, but on the other hand there are many locations in which a short needle isn't long enough (i.e, the inner elbow for most people)...all depends on your methods I guess.
 
See, I always use/used the inner elbow. Heh, I don't even have to tie off the ol' arm, just extend and fist. I guess I just have big veins. :)

evans
aim: evans970
 
Yeah, my inner elbow used to be like that...I could hit myself blindfolded, no need to pull back to even make sure I was in, I knew it...which was extremely convient in the car, especially since you don't particularly want other people to notice you, so the armrest by the door pretty much kept it out of view, plus I was down as quick as it took me to press down the plunger (note i do not advocate shooting while driving, there are so many people who do it though I know i'm not giving anyone any ideas they have never heard of/considered, as most all the smackheads I know can't make it back home without doing at least one shot on the way). Well, needless to say after a while (maybe 4 months and a couple hundred injections later) it finally gave up, what a fucking suprise huh? Anyways, another thing I really liked about it was that I basically need to put the needle in all the way, or close to it, and I had a lot of room for movement, as in, I could probably move it a couple of millimeters (which is a lot when you're talking about a needle tip and how precise it's gotta be in there) in each direction and still be in.
 
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