Why are my subcutaneous injections leaking?

Question

Hey everyone. I've been injecting my own testosterone (deep IM) for well over a year with no problems, but within the last month I started another med (not insulin) that is taken subcutaneous 1mL, 3 times per day. The only problem is that often when I pull out my needle, I find much of the med leaks out with it. (It doesn't keep leaking afterward; only when I first remove the needle.)

I'm a big guy, so I've got a lot of tissue for it to fill into. The only idea I might have is using the wrong size needle -- I'm using 27G x 1/2-inch, what the pharmacy gave me since my doctor didn't specify a size. (Oh, and these are prefilled syringes.)

Injection site doesn't really matter in terms of leaking, whether it's abdomen, outer arm, or outer thigh. My last injection actually leaked about 0.5mL (of a 1mL injection) so I'm barely getting my med.

Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

It sounds like you are using the wrong size needles. I would call the physician's nurse and ask what size they recommend. I myself with being a medical assistant would use a 27g 1 inch needle or even go to a 26g 1/2 inch if available. Hope this helps ya out.

Answer 2

A longer needle would probably help. Also, you could stretch the skin a bit and release promptly when you withdraw the needle. This helps obliterate the needle tract.

One thing you should probably not do is to leave a small bubble of air in the syringe. In certain instances, the small amount of medicine normally left in the hub of the syringe and in the needle could produce an overdose if it were injected.