Abscesses

Abscesses are caused by not following safer injecting procedures.  They are formed when bacteria from dirty injecting equipment or from the surface of the skin gets under the skin's protective barrier.  This happens when the user misses the vein or when they inject blood into a muscle. 

An abscess is a connected area of flesh containing stagnant blood and puss, which causes inflammation, swelling, heat and pain.  They will sometimes form a head and break, releasing the blood and puss, but not always.  If dealt with early on they can cause no problems but left alone they will impair the blood flow to the adjacent areas and can result in the loss of a limb or even death, through a gangrenous condition.

To avoid getting an abscess:

• Always use clean equipment (syringes, water, spoons, filters).  If you don't have any clean syringes, make sure that you clean them thoroughly (guide to this on the Safer Injecting page)

• Clean the area that you are going to inject with a sterile swab or alcohol

• Make sure that you are in a vein before injecting

• If injecting in a muscle, make sure that you inject no or very little blood.  If you get too much blood into your syringe, try putting it back on the spoon and re-filtering it before injecting.

• Avoid injecting into areas where veins branch

• Clean your hands before cooking up and injecting

NB  If you have an abscess, don't inject into or around it

If you get an abscess, apply heat to the area as soon as possible to help kill the bacteria causing the infection, as well as elevating the area to help it drain.  If you develop a fever you must seek medical attention.  If you haven't got a fever you could try draining it yourself.  To drain an abscess:

• Heat the area to make it easier to drain

• Thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water

• Wipe your hands and the infected area with a sterile swab or alcohol

• Using a new sterile needle puncture the abscess several times, depending upon the size and severity.  Apply pressure around the outside to help remove the blood and puss.  (Always use a new needle for this.  Even if you have cleaned your used needles thoroughly and sterilized them, they could still contain some bacteria and end up making the abscess worse)

If the abscess is particularly bad or you try treating yourself and doesn't help, seek medical attention.  They will be able to do a deep lancing and cut out selective tissue to help the draining, and they can provide antibiotics.

If you get an abscess, don't hesitate to get it seen to.  They are easily treated in the early stages but can be deadly if ignored, or cause the loss of a limb, so make sure that you deal with it immediately.

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Last updated: 2 September 2004