This video from The Compounding Center in Leesburg ,VA. provides step-by-step instructions on how to draw up your dose from a vial and inject it into the subcutaneous tissue or fatty tissue just under the skin.
Subcutaneous or SUB-Q injections are shots that go into the fatty layer just under your skin. It may seem scary to give yourself a shot, but we’ll walk you through it step-by-step.
The best areas for self administering Sub-Q shots are the upper thighs and the belly, but avoid the area right around the belly button. If someone else is giving you the shot you can also use the outside of the upper arm and upper buttocks. It is important to rotate injection sites.
First gather all your supplies:
Your medication
The syringe and needle
Alcohol pads
Band-Aids
Sharps container
Wash your hands
Using an alcohol pad clean off the area of skin where you are going to inject the medication. It will dry while you draw up your dose.
Remove the protective cover from your medication vial. It will either be a little metal circle in the center of the top or a plastic flip lid. This will expose the rubber topper on the vial.
Clean the rubber stopper with an alcohol pad. Pull back on the plunger of the syringe to fill the syringe with an equal amount of air as the amount of drug you will be using.
Remove the cap from the needle by pulling straight off away from your body. Push the needle through the rubber stopper and push the air into the vial. Then turn the vial and syringe upside down and pull back on the plunger to allow the liquid to flow into the syringe. Exchanging air for liquid keeps the pressure in the vial equal. If you are using a small amount of a one time use vial you may not need to do this step because there won’t be a pressure build up.
If there are any air bubbles flick the syringe to get them to the top and push them back into the vial. You may need to push and pull the plunger a bit to work the air bubbles out. Don’t worry about the little ones. Carefully remove the needle from the vial so as to not bend it.
Hold the syringe like a pencil or dart. With your other hand pinch about 2 in of skin or fatty tissue and push the needle quickly through the skin all the way. Don’t try to slowly slide the needle in, that tends to cause more bruising and pain. Once the needle is in the Sub-Q tissue, then press the plunger to inject the medication. If it stings or burns, press the plunger a little more slowly. When all the medication is gone from the syringe pull it straight out and dispose in a sharps container or other hard plastic container.
If needed apply a Band-Aid. That’s it, you're done!
