Intra-muscular & Skin Popping

 

Intra-muscular injecting (muscling) is when you inject into muscle instead of a vein. Most people muscle in the upper arms or legs.  Skin-popping is when you inject between skin and fat layers. Also called “subcutaneous” or “sub-Q,” it is injecting the drug just underneath the skin.

 

Most people inject this way because their veins have collapsed and they havent got anywhere else to go, whilst others just dont like injecting into a vein. Some do it because drugs absorb more slowly this way. Muscling and skin-popping give you less of a “rush,” but the effects of the drug may last longer. 

 

 

Risks Involved

All injectors are at risk for infections related to using needles. Muscling and skin-popping allow germs to “sit” inside muscle and fat tissue or under the skin. These are great places for abscesses and other infections to brew. Infections in these areas can be very serious. They can also spread to the blood, bones, hear t and other places in the body. Some of the worst infections include wound botulism, tetanus (also called “lockjaw”) and necrotizing fasciitis (“flesh eating disease”). If not treated quickly, these and other infections can become life-threatening and result in death.

 

All three ways of injecting (vein, muscle and skin) have serious risks. All three put you at g reat risk for blood-borne infections like HIV and Hepatitis B and C. Although muscling and skin-popping may cause more abscesses and skin infections, shooting into a vein may be more likely to cause serious long-term illnesses like endocarditis. This is an infection of the heart valves. It can do permanent damage to your heart. It can also kill you. Injecting into a vein also increases your risk of dying from an overdose. This is because the dope gets to your heart, brain and other organs much quicker than if you muscle or skin-pop

 

 

Into your muscle (intramuscularly)

Safe muscle injecting areasIf you want to reduce the risk of infected or collapsed veins, or if you haven’t any good veins left – then you could try injecting into a muscle. The safest injection site is your upper arm. Some users choose to inject into the upper thigh but a great deal of care needs to be taken not to inject into the sciatic nerve. You can reduce the risk by picking a sight six inches below the hips and six inches above the knee. Alternate limbs each time and inject into a different place within the ‘safe’ areas each time.  

 

As with veins, each injection will leave a residue which may leave your arm/leg feeling stiff for a while and, also as in veins, eventually you will not be able to inject there because of the residue build-up.

 

If you are going to inject into a muscle, remember the following:

 

  • Use blue (0.6mm) or green (0.8mm) needles -  Orange needles (1ml Myjector/Insulin) are too short for injecting into muscle, they may break!

  • The muscle should be relaxed

  • Ensure veins are avoided

  • Inject in one fluid movement

  • Rub the area afterwards to disperse the fluid and minimise the risk of abscess

  • Hit big fleshy areas such as the outside of your upper arm, the top of your thigh or your butt.

  • Avoid the bony areas below your elbow or knees - especially around your wrist.

 

 

TECHNIQUE

  • Get your leg comfortable, straight and relaxed. The more tension there is in the muscle, the more it will hurt to inject.

  • Clean the injection site with a sterile swab.

  • Take hold of the barrel of the syringe and push the needle into your leg with one quick stab. Make sure that nearly all the needle goes in.

  • Draw back on the plunger – if you get blood, it means you’ve hit a vein (or an artery!). Draw the needle out ¼ inch and pull back again. If no more blood, then keeping your leg relaxed - Inject slowly, pull the needle out and dispose of it safely.

 

 

 

Skin-popping (subcutaneously)

Skin-popping is the injecting of drugs between your skin and fat layers. You can do it on your forearms, thighs or on your tummy.  Repeated or prolonged ‘skin popping’ will lead to serious infection and problems due to bacteria and viruses surviving under the skin.  If you skin-pop street drugs, sooner or later you will get an abscess but it is safer than trying to get one of the big, deep veins. Trying to hit a deep vein is very dangerous and you can easily miss and hit an artery. You also run the risk of deep infections. Don’t do it!!  Ask your local syringe-exchange or drug service for help if you are skin popping.

 

TECHNIQUE

  • Clean the site

  • Get comfortable so you can inject without moving

  • Slide the needle under your skin at a shallow angle

  • Inject no more than ½ m.l. (50 units on an insulin syringe) to make a little bubble under the skin

  • If your hit is more than ½ m.l. then inject ½ m.l. doses into different sites

 

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Last updated: 2 September 2004