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Swelling after IM ketamine

B

BeEasy

Greenlighter
Joined
Apr 17, 2009
Messages
20
I tried searching but couldn't find anything, and couldn't find any other thread to ask this in, but i've been doing ketamine recreationally for like 6 months, once or twice a week. I noticed last time that after each IM injection, i would get swelling at the injection site for a while, and then it would go away. it didn't hurt and it always went away. this has happened several times in the past as well. But now, i got some more again, and its happening after EVERY shot. what is the reason for this? This isn't pharmaceutical ketamine but i am always very cautious. I always wash my hands, swab, etc.

This can't be an abscess can it? because the swelling always goes away. But i've done like 5 or 6 shots in the last 2 days and EVERY time, the injection site swells up. Again, it doesn't hurt, and it stays swollen for a pretty long time, id say like 4-6 hours but im very worried about doing any more. I am using clean syringes , 1/2'' and i am only injecting in deltoid muscle, and i alternate arms and also do it in different spots.

1 last question... is there another muscle i can IM with only a 1/2'' 1mL syringe? I'm pretty sure 1/2'' is not long enough for the thigh muscle because i tried it once and didn't have any effect. I assume 1/2'' isn't long enough to reach the muscle. Thank you all for the help in advance.

Well, after doing a bit of reading, it seems maybe im not actually performing an IM injection, as 1/2'' syringes are too short? I have used the long (i think 1 or 1.5'') 3mL syringes and have injected in the thigh but i dont have those as much. It seems the effects are about the same, so maybe someone with more knowledge can shed some light?
 
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It's probably fluid sitting between the skin & the muscle. Even if you are getting it into the muscle with the 1/2", some probably comes back to the surface of the muscle through the puncture. Rubbing it in will help it absorb into capillaries.
 
Thanks for the reply. So i shouldn't worry about the swelling? I'm still pretty hesitant to do anymore until the swelling goes down . And when you say rubbing it in, do you mean after i complete an injection?
 
Unless it's really sore to touch, I wouldn't be concerned about it. Lately I've been pinning my test enanthate with a 27g 1/2" insulin syringe IM into my quads, and so far it's been a bit irritated once which was the one time a little bit of the oil came back out of the injection site. Prior to giving IM a shot with such a short needle, I was just pinning subQ around my lower abdomen, which frequently resulted in a decent amount of swelling and minor irritation like a HUGE mosquito bite, but it goes away.

Any foreign fluids sitting somewhere they "shouldn't" be will cause irritation :) don't stress until it's a bloody huge lump and feels like it's full of fluid haha.
 
Yeah, rub the spot to mix the injected fluid with your body fluid after any IM injection. This will stimulate blood flow in the area to absorb the drug & it won't just be sitting under the skin or in the muscle. If it just sits there it can trigger an immune response (swelling)
 
great, thanks for the responses guys, very much appreciated. that makes me feel better about it. i'd still prefer to find another site besides my arms (deltoid muscles) if anyone has any idea (using a 1/2'' syringe) would be appreciated. Thanks again to those who responded.
 
Sorry, I don't mean to keep bumping my thread, but i'm having a hard time figuring out if there are any other sites i could use besides deltoid , using 1/2 inch syringe
 
BeEasy said:
Sorry, I don't mean to keep bumping my thread, but i'm having a hard time figuring out if there are any other sites i could use besides deltoid , using 1/2 inch syringe
Click to expand...

In the thigh is what I've always done- I use regular 27 gauge needles, but I'm a skinny motherfucker. I've always found it considerably easier than the shoulder and causes less pain (though if you do fuck up, you'll probably limp a bit for a day or two)

You just need to be careful not to stick it into your sciatic nerve, there's a particular technique with your hands to insure you hit the right spot- there are a lot of proper guides on the internet so just find one of those (like the ones for transgender peoples who are taking hormone therapy).

As people have said, it's fairly normal to have a certain amount of swelling/pain for a day or so after an IM injection, particularly if you've injected a decent amount of liquid. As long as you're using appropriate materials (i.e. preferably vials, at very least sterile 0.2 micron filters & sterile water) you shouldn't need to worry, it'll most likely just be a bit stiff and maybe a little tender for a day or so. If you hit/irritate nerves or you fuck up the depth it can be more painful for longer, but the pain will involve the whole muscle rather than being localised around a infection.

Abcesses have a particular feel and look to them. You only need to worry if it gets bigger and/or more painful and inflamed- sure signs that an abcess is forming.
 
Also, I think using saline instead of regular water might help because regular water makes the area hypotonic & the swelling is a result of the body trying to restore the electrolyte balance by sending fluid to the injection site rather than an immune response (immune response would be warm or itchy most likely), either way rubbing will help mix it in & get it absorbed. I always found the butt cheek easiest to IM but I'm also skinny so fat wasn't an issue there. That said I only ever used vials & that was a long time ago & i'm pretty sure it was in a saline solution in the vial.
 
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