So, I am on the spectrum and have recently had to start using a medication that requires periodic intramuscular injections. I’m fine with the little bit of pain and the rest of the process, but there is an intense hesitation to do the initial jab. If I don’t use enough force to penetrate the muscle, I have to push again or start over and that is way worse of a sensation and pain.

No matter how many times I’ve done it, I can’t get over that intense hesitation. My brain just won’t let me do it. It’s not the pain since I have a really high pain tolerance. It’s just some inability to intentionally use force to injure myself or something like that.

So, anyone else had similar issues or have any tips for tricking my mind into allowing me to do the jab?

Thanks!

  • Shellofbiomatter@lemmus.orgEnglish
    4·
    5 days ago

    Yeah i had the same when i started TRT. It was the strongest when i was allowed to do injections at home. First few home injections went kinda badly and had severe PIP(post injection pain) and that created the hesitation.

    What helped for me was to minimize muscle tissue damage and over time the hesitation diminished, unless i try to inject into ventrogluteal site. Never figured that one out.

    • Using a smaller gauge needle, from 23G to 25G.
    • This limited the rate at which i could inject too and that reduced PIP as well.
    • Lowering the volume of med injected, though had to balance that with higher frequency of injections.
    • Keeping around 24H between leg training and injection. Last time i trained legs right after injection and my glute(ass) was in debilitating pain for a week.
    • Never reusing the needle. Once it already went in it’s dulled enough. Like stabbing it in half way and then pulling out. Not trying again with the same needle, but switching it to a fresh one before trying again.
    • rotating sites. Currently left and right glute, seems to be enough, but if I’m ever going to venture into steroid territory then i probably have to add in delts as well.

    Of course it took some hesitation even after that, but as each fix reduced PIP. The hesitation slowly went away.