The incorrect assumption by many beginners is that oral anabolic steroid preparations are a safer alternative. Many athletes and bodybuilders are hesitant to try injectable steroids for fear of discomfort and infection.
The harsh reality is quite the opposite, as oral steroids provide much more risk of adverse effects than the majority of their injectable counterparts.
For most athletes, achieving and maintaining their desired level of mass will be much safer to accomplish via the use of injectables such as testosterone and nandrolone than through faster acting oral drugs such as methandrostenolone or oxymetholone.
The five tips below will help make your next injection less painful, and potentially safer as well.
Always use a different needle to pull the oil than to inject
Rubber tops in multi-use steroid vials rapidly dull needles. The needle becomes increasingly dull when pulling from multiple vials.
By the time you’ve pulled out your Test, Deca, and EQ (for example), you will have dulled the needle to a point there is no way I’d dare stick it into myself.
It is, in my view, completely necessary to a painless injection that the needle is completely sharp and unused in any way before injecting.
A couple quick points:
- Use a larger needle to pull the oil out;
- Then switch to the desired needle size for injection.
If you’re already afraid of the needle, it’ll only get worse when it takes forever to draw oil into the syringe.
This tip does not apply to insulin syringes (slin pins), which do not have removable needles.
That said, slin pins should only be used for subcutaneous injections. The only recommended anabolic preparations to inject subcutaneously are growth hormone, insulin, and the various peptides related to growth hormone.
Warm the oil to make it pull and push faster
I recommend letting the tap water get hot and then rotating the steroid vials to be used, one at a time, under the water for ten seconds.
At that point, turn the vial upside down and see if there has been a change in viscosity. Some oils may need a few rounds under the water before a difference is noticed.
I don’t recommend leaving the vial under the hot water for too long at one time, as nobody would want to lose their gear to a cracked vial.
During the process of ensuring there are no air bubbles in the syringe, it is natural to push a small amount of the preparation out and have it slide down the needle.
This is a great thing, as a sharp and lubricated needle will have an easy time entering the injection site without incident.
Some carriers (oils) used can also be the cause of a slow injection. Many darker oils such as grape seed can be rather thick and slow to leave the needle.
As I’m sure we can all agree, an ideal injection is both QUICK and painless. Because of that:
- Some labs use ethyl oleate (linke Novo-Pharm);
- It’s nearly clear, very thin, and allows for quick, smooth, painless pinning.
Learn your body
A lot of steroid literature online is filled with macho BS and exorbitant doses that never need to be used unless you’re making a living off of bodybuilding competitions.
Just because the latest YouTube star can inject 3cc daily and not complain about it doesn’t mean it won’t hurt.
Similarly, some people are simply more sensitive to particular substances, such as testosterone propionate, which is known for causing pain that can last for a day or two after injection.
The general consensus among bodybuilders is that short esters such as propionate and acetate can be bothersome for many, while others don’t find the PIP (post-injection pain) to be any different than with the most comfortable shooting of compounds.
Injection sites are another preference you will see vary among longtime anabolic steroid users.
Many longtime users begin getting bolder and trying non-medical sites for injection. They do this both to avoid scar tissue and to reap the benefits of spot injecting the oil into muscles they may want to temporarily increase the size of.
I strongly recommend avoiding injections in non-medical sites, as health and longevity are paramount to being able to build a truly impressive physique and to perform at your best.
Rotate sites to avoid scar tissue
After a few cycles, you may find the injection sites that used to be your favorites will start to hurt more than usual.
Additionally, the muscle tissue may provide a bit of resistance to the oil being pushed in.
Once you notice a couple of slow-pushing injections in the same muscle, be sure to start re-evaluating your rotation.
There comes a time for most where they have to start making their least favorite injection site their temporary go-to, in order to avoid the scar tissue they have built from repeated injections in other sites.
For most, pinning is a necessary evil for reaching their athletic goals. It can be an uncomfortable process at times, and scar tissue forces the issue of pushing users outside of their comfort zones.
Don’t overdo applying alcohol or it’ll sting
With many first-time or novice AAS users being afraid of infection, you’ll see some use entirely too much alcohol to sterilize themselves.
In reality, a sterile wipe or two will go a long way.
The pre-packaged alcohol wipes are definitely my preferred route for sterilization, rather than buying alcohol and applying it to paper towels or sterile pads before dabbing onto the injection site.
I’ve had a few times where even my deltoids, a usually pain-free area, stung quite noticeably. Each and every one of these times it was due to applying too much alcohol to the sterile wiping pad.
Conclusion
If you find yourself in the position where more alcohol is on the site than desired, simply give an extra minute before injecting. The alcohol will begin to evaporate and dry on its own.
