Injections - arm or bottom??

[spainlads]

Why, when you have an injection do you sometimes have it in the arm and sometimes in the bottom??

Thanks in advance.

[Scarlett]

I don't know, but when it's in the arm is it because it has to go directly into a vein? whereas in the bottom it doesn't? Hmmm...

[scubadiver]

Very few people will give injections into the buttocks these days mainly due to higher levels of fat cells in this area making it more difficult to reach muscle.

Injections are designed to be given intravenously (directly into a vein); subcutaneously (just under the skin) or intramuscularly (into muscle). In general this is more easly controlled by injecting into an arm (or thigh, in young children) If a substance is injected into fat instead of muscle, the absorption is poorer due to lower blood flow through fat.

[Lollyhoney]

However they will inject you into the bottom if you need a deep IM (intra-muscular) injection for slow release drugs ie depo prevera contraceptive.

[spainlads]

Cheers for that. I now know.

[Fish Kid]

I've hard men of a certain persuasion are still keen on both giving and receiving injections in the bottom.

[jay139]

The muscle in the buttock is larger and it takes longer for the drug to enter the system, so the buttock is used for drugs with a higher concentration that need to be absorbed more slowly by the body, eg.painkillers are usually given in arm, but longer acting like psychatratic drugs and contracaptives are given in the buttock

[ann_h]

As a child abroad, I had many visits to the needle man!! Tetanus and penicillin (wide-bore needle, yum) went in the buttock as it was supposedly less painful.

[silver56uk]

as a child i cut my hand wide open after falling on top of a glass milk bottle i cut tendons and everything. For about 6 weeks i had to go every week to hospital for tetnus jabs as the wound was so big. every 1 them was given in the bottom it was still sore and it ached for a few hrs after. Ive no idea why it was given there. but i survived the ordeal.

[jabbot]

Throughout my childhood and adolescence I got all injections in my bottom; either bending over the receptionist's lap on surgery visits or rolling over in bed on house calls. Even at the time I realised it was the least painful place but I remained terrified, mainly of the embarrassment.

[boomerang111]

coz sometimes they need to go in different veins.