Uusally I get my bf to inject my triptan but I have just spent the last 10 mins familiarsing myself with how the kits works for myself so I can bring myself to do the imitrex tip.

a few question...

I have an empty kit with some empty vials. If I take a full vial and empty half of it into an empty vial and then use a half full vial with the pen, will I be injecting myself with air? Is this dangerous?

I feel a little uneasy about using a qtip because 1) It's not sterile, 2) I don't want bits of fluff being injected into my body and 3) I don't think I can stand to stab myself with a needle (besides - would I do it straight on, or at an angle...?)

Joeytastic wrote on Jul 31^st, 2009 at 12:08pm:

I don't want bits of fluff being injected into my body

I can't help you with the other questions, but consider this: If you knew the 5 grossest things you've ever eaten, you'd starve yourself to death from this point forward. ;)

Oh oh oh! I just had a Dopeymax bubble in the brain. I am actually freinds with a qualified pharmasist. I bit she will advise, or pull some strings to give me something to help inject it better. Hmmm... I'm a genius...

Ahh my point was I don't want cotton wool in my blood....ticking into my heart...resulting in totally un-rock and rock heart attack death.

Jeeessshhh... I feel like a junky. :-/

I've never used Imitrex (or Imigran), and have never injected myself with anything. But I seem to remember reading somewhere that it comes in larger vials, and that you can use diabetic needles to draw and inject just the amount you need.

Joeytastic wrote on Jul 31^st, 2009 at 12:08pm:

I have an empty kit with some empty vials. If I take a full vial and empty half of it into an empty vial and then use a half full vial with the pen, will I be injecting myself with air? Is this dangerous?

I don't think that will work.

Quote:

I feel a little uneasy about using a qtip because 1) It's not sterile,

You are only using it to push the rubber part (which also isn't sterile).

Quote:

2) I don't want bits of fluff being injected into my body

you are only injecting the Imitrx / Imigran - nothing different from the injector - besides that you are controlling how fast and far the needle will go in

Quote:

and 3) I don't think I can stand to stab myself with a needle (besides - would I do it straight on, or at an angle...?)

simply get used to it ;) (it is less "painful" than the injector)
I'd use an angle of ~45°

If you are being prescribed the stat-dose injections of Imitrex, then ask your doc to give you vials and syringes.

The vials have the same amount of trex as a stat-dose "vial", and you can then use a syringe to take 1/3 or 1/2 of a shot (or a whole one). Then, use a different syringe next time to draw the rest out, and inject yourself with that.

I told my neuro I was splitting the shots anyway with the stat-dose, and asked for the vials and syringes. You need a script in this state for syringes. He didn't realize imitrex came in vials, and had to look it up real quick, but he gave me the script, with enough syringes to use with them.

Gizmo is right, you won't be able to inject half a shot into an empty stat-dose container. And you won't be injecting any cotton, the Q-Tip is only used as a plunger to push out the trex in the stat-dose container. Kind of like the way a syringe works.

Whether you go in straight or at an angle, doesn't matter really. Just don't inject your muscle.

Hope this helps.

Oh God I'm stupid

I just had another look, I didn't realise there was a rubber bung in there (I'm looking at empty containers remember, and it was pushed right to the bottom). Now I see where the qtip comes into play.

I suppose the thing that makes me feel uneasy is re-using the same needle. It seems a bit gross.

I got in touch with my pharmacist friend and I am going to see her tmrw. We are going to take the kit apart together to work out the best way of splitting the dose and she said she will get me some needles to use.

So am I right in thinking I will still need to use the qtip method to push the bung out  so the triptan drips out of the of the needle tip into my new needle syringe and then inject it into the fleshy part of my arm?

I never thought I hear myself having this conversation lmao  ;D

Quote:

I suppose the thing that makes me feel uneasy is re-using the same needle. It seems a bit gross. I got in touch with my pharmacist friend and I am going to see her tmrw. We are going to take the kit apart together to work out the best way of splitting the dose and she said she will get me some needles to use. So am I right in thinking I will still need to use the qtip method to push the bung out  so the triptan drips out of the of the needle tip into my new needle syringe and then inject it into the fleshy part of my arm? I never thought I hear myself having this conversation lmao

Yup,

You sound like a right old Junkie..... ;D

Lefty...!

Yup,

You sound like a right old Junkie..... ;D

[/quote]


I am gonna get me a mornful dog with big brown eyes, a begging cap and cardboard box to live in  ;D

Joeytastic wrote on Jul 31^st, 2009 at 6:44pm:

I suppose the thing that makes me feel uneasy is re-using the same needle. It seems a bit gross.

Well, I guess I am gross, then ... LOL!  I don't worry about using the needle a second time (as long as I was the one to use it the first time).  Heck, when I use the vial, and an insulin syringe, I use the needle three times!

I guess the smart thing to do would be to wipe it down (and your skin) with an alcohol pad first, but I never do that.  I guess I am just a gross pig!


Joeytastic wrote on Jul 31^st, 2009 at 6:44pm:

then inject it into the fleshy part of my arm?

I always inject into my thigh.  It is easier to see, and be able to control the depth and injection rate.

When I used to give my wife her insulin injections, it was:  Inject the needle fast; inject the medicine slowly; remove the needle fast.  If you grab a bit of fatty skin, and pinch it, the needle does not hurt as much.  I guess it is sort of like a local anesthetic, or something like that.

Chuck the junky

UPDATE ON THIS

I spent ages getting the low down on this from my pharmacist friend today. She says It's prob safier to use the vial needle (obviously never ever share it with a friend) rather then to drip it into a new syringe because of the risk of introducing bubbles which IS dangerous, even tho this stuff is not going into the muscle or vien.

At least  the way it is manfacturered it will be free of air under the bung.

She says however it's important to keep the need clean between uses and recommends getting some alcohol wipes after each use.

Administrator - It took me ages to get my head around the trex tip intructions on the link tothe left. Can I suggest you get some pics up of the kit up in pieces? I think it would help a lot.

Thanks for all your advise of this. I think cutting my dose will benefit me a lot

Jo xxx

I pretty much swear by the imitrex "tip" on this site and have used it MANY a time. It saves me money, allows me to abort more than two attacks in a 24-hour period, and I am a believer in using the smallest effective dose of anything to get the job done.

Once you start using the "tip," you'll notice that many of the prefilled syringes already have an air bubble in them. That being said, the auto-injector is already injecting that air bubble when used as directed. I was a bit skeptical when I first started using the "tip" for that reason, but after inspecting the used syringes that I had used the auto-injection method on in the past, I pretty much came to the conclusion, that there must not be much of a risk with the air being injected into fatty tissue.

However, I would like to point out something that I have noticed through my own experiences with the "tip," and I have used this method for well over 30+ doses. If after you load the autoinjector and unscrew the injection end, you hold the piece in one hand and press the spring loaded end with your other hand, you'll notice the length of the needle that would be inserted if you were to use the auto-injector. Now, if you remove the syringe from that piece, you'll notice that the needle is actually a bit longer. When inserting the needle by hand, as with the imitrex tip, I try not to insert the needle anymore than about 1/2 to 3/4 or so in order to keep the depth similar to what the auto injector would have done. Depending on the available fatty tissue in your injection site of choice, this may be more or less important.

I did some searching on the net in the past about whether or not it would be a good idea to wipe the needle after use with an alcohol prep. I thought it would be a good idea, myself, however I read that many syringes have a coating that may be removed by alcohol which would actually (supposedly) cause the needle to dull more quickly. Instead, the injection site should be wiped before and after only, and not the needle. I've done it both ways, and I didn't really notice a huge difference in the sharpness of the needle in subsequent injections, so I'd say if you feel safer doing so, then go for it.

Anyway, hope some of that helps. PF wishes!

I too swear by the imitrex tip.

I read somewhere to pinch a bit o' belly fat and inject it there.

Gross, of course, but practically painless there, WAYYY easier to handle than arm or leg for me.

I have also used the "tip" many times. Never bothered with doing anything special about keeping the needle sterile, just never touch it and put it straight back into the holder and it will be fine.

My method is usually to sit on the toilet and push the needle into the right hand side of my right thigh, then hold the needle/vial steady with the left hand and push with the qtip.

I scratch of some of the paper off the vial so I can see how much I have used.

As for any air in the vial (and there may well be a bit after the 1st half dose as the rubber bung springs back a bit after injecting - if you inject into the thigh the needle is far too short to hit an artery and a tiny bit of air in the muscle/fat won't harm you.

I can do this so easily after all these years and the bit of a sting you may get from pushing the short needle in is not even felt when you have CH pain - trust me  :D

Just keeping a little spray bottle around containing grain alcohol in the form of vodka (it doesn't have the toxicity that isopropyl alcohol reputedly can) oughta help with the old sterilization. Spray it on hands, needles, etc. (but don't swig it when you're in a cycle unless you feel like hanging out with Mr. Kip 10!!!  :o :D )

Joeytastic wrote on Aug 1^st, 2009 at 7:00pm:

UPDATE ON THIS Administrator - It took me ages to get my head around the trex tip intructions on the link tothe left. Can I suggest you get some pics up of the kit up in pieces? I think it would help a lot.

I realize this is an old post to quote, but I have created an illustrated PDF file that shows the steps to the Imitrex Tip. I have already contacted the original author of the tip to see what he thinks about possibly getting this posted up on the site for any others that may be new to the idea of manual injections.

As soon as I hear something back, I'll let everyone know what's up.