Bupe Suboxone IV abscess beginnings? Expertise needed..

[clicheconnection]

If you don't feel like reading the full backstory, please just read the bold text!

Long time browser, first time poster %)

So, I've been IVing suboxone for about 1 1/2 months now. Usually about .5mg-1mg at a time. 2 days ago, I decided to have one last shot before getting off the rig and back to normal sublingual administration.

However, during that last shot, I registered and got blood, but upon injecting, I felt some pain in the area I just injected into. Just to check, I drew back on the plunger to see if I was in, and everything seemed fine. I then found another spot on the same vein, reregistered and shot the rest immediately afterward.

I do not know if I missed the shot because there was no inflammation or skin bubbling at any point after the injection, just a very brief sharp pain.

I wasn't too worried about anything until I felt a very minor pain in the site of injection the next morning. I touched the area and it was very mildly tender, and it seemed like the vein is a little harder than normal or perhaps it's a very very small bump that's felt when pushing down on the area. The area is not raised up, swelling, hot, or red.

I am not quite sure if the vein hardening/minor vein bump was due to previous daily heroin usage a couple years back, or if it's the start of some kind of abscess...

Questions now:
1. It's been almost 2 days after the shot, and I am wondering if there is a chance that an abscess will still form? I have heard that abscesses can take over a day to form, but if there is no redness, raised skin, heat, or major pain, am I generally in the clear?
2. If I am not clear yet, how long would it be until I am in the clear if things don't get worse?
3. Also, I have found some antibiotics in the closet that are not expired. Should I just take these (Flucloxacillin) as a preventive measure? I know that this is generally not smiled upon but I really do not want to get an abscess (He had one before and it was terrible).

Thanks in advance! I know this seems kind of trivial compared to most problems people have, but I am just worried...

 

[ixy]

abscesses usually happen when u miss the vein, and it doesn't sound like u did that. I imagine that there's a lot of crap in suboxone, especially if it was the pill thing instead of the strips, and that crap can't be too good for your veins.
I think you just fucked up your vein, so find somewhere else too shoot. the antibiotics wont do anything for that.
If something is infected u usually end up with like a bubble of puss, and like i said, it usually happens when u miss a vein. But if you get a fever, go to the doctor, cuz that is a symptom of an infection getting REALLY bad.

 

[clicheconnection]

Thanks Ixy. I don't have insurance and a doctor's visit will really hurt my pocket. Thanks for the advice. Does anyone know how long until I can definitively know that this is not an abscess (if things don't get worse)?

 

[sekio]

You'll be fine. Abscesses should show up within 12 hours of a shot. If one hasn't formed and the site looks fine then you can stop worrying about it.

In future if you do notice redness/swelling/pain etc at the site you should see a doctor (generally if it persists for more than 3 days or is accompanied by e.g. high fever, vomiting, chills or muscle weakness). If it's mild, apply a hot compress and rest your arm. Do not take antibiotics as a "preventative measure", save them for when you actually need to be treated with antibiotics. Doing otherwise encourages the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria!

 

[clicheconnection]

Hey sekio,

Thanks a lot. That gives me a great deal of relief. It seems like you definitely know what you're talking about (I browsed through your other posts :D). And yeah, I know taking antibiotics when you don't need them are a pretty bad thing to do in general, but I was just getting freaked out over nothing it seems like.

Anyways, mucho gracias!