FAQ and Resources

What do I do if I get air in the syringe?

While preparing the dose, hold the vial and syringe with the needle pointing up. If you see air bubbles, tap the barrel of the syringe with your fingers to make the bubbles rise to the top. Then push the air bubbles back into the vial, be sure the needle tip is below fluid level and redraw again more slowly until you get the proper dose with no air bubbles.

Where is the best place to give a subcutaneous injection?

If I find a body site I am comfortable using for injections, can I use it all the time?

Do not use the same injection site each time. Rotate the injection site in a regular pattern. For example, divide the abdomen into four areas with the navel in the center. You can rotate within the same body part or rotate from one area to the next. Each injection should be at least 1 inch away from the last site used.

TIP: It will help to keep a record of where you give each injection

When should you give an injection?

Check with the doctor. The schedule for giving an injection will depend on the medicine being given.

What if the medicine in a vial does not look right?

Throw the vial away.

I have noticed my family member’s skin sometimes seems spongy and swollen, why is this happening?

Sometimes after giving injections in the same site the skin becomes spongy, swollen, and less sensitive. Rotating the injection sites in different body areas can help to prevent this.