Thread: Length of needle for IM injections?

You can use any length between 1" and 1-1/2". Most people use 1-1/2. You just need to get into the muscle.

So a lot depends on your body composition and how thick the fat layer is where you plan to inject. You might need a needle longer than 1-1/2 inches.

Dr. Simeons used a 2 inch long needle for his injections.

Oh wow, 2”! Whoa. I did it below the waist in the back (as Grammy had indicated to me awhile back) and I don’t *think* be he layer of fat there is quite thick enough to need 2” How do I know if I am (or am not) hitting the muscle?

I don't know if there is a physical way to tell. Your doctor or a nurse may be able to give you an idea.

You could use the thigh injection site (middle of outer thigh) if you feel that is a leaner area for you. The guidelines for needle length are that if your BMI is over 25, you need a longer needle than 1.5 for intramuscular injection. Probably why Dr. Simeons always used a 2 inch needle.

Finding that BMI guideline makes me wonder if reaching the muscle is a problem for a lot of people trying to use IM for HCG. But I don't have personal experience with IM. You could try sending grammy an email. She has invited people to write her if they need help. colleen "at" colleencoble "dot" com. She would be able to advise you better on IM than I can. (breaking up the address because of bot scans)

Thanks Leez! I must have used 1 1/2” last time because that is what I had for mixing and when my subq dose was super low/I couldn’t get comfortable I switched and it was magic. So I’m thinking if I wasn’t hitting the muscle last time, the dose wouldn’t have worked for me and I would have had hunger etc., especially since at 125 it was way higher than my previously effective/comfortable subq dose of like 90. Based on what you know to be true about HCG, does that make sense to you too?

Yes, makes sense. I suspect that since it worked to fix your dosing problem, you were able to hit the muscle.

Thanks, glad that makes sense and you agree. I may try the thigh area just to see if there is a difference I can feel, either in dose or resistance in injecting there vs lower back/upper hip area, but to be honest I’m kinda chicken to try it lol. The hip area is so easy/painless and seems to work so I’m feeling like “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” may apply here. I also did some searches for 2” needles and they don’t seem to be very common, and if they can be found, the gauges are pretty high so they’d be pretty thick (19, 20) and again...fear....so I think I’ll go with the 25 gauge 1 1/2” and if I start feeling hungry/like it’s not working then maybe I’ll give the outer thigh a try to see if that helps/changes anything. And if needed, I will reach out to Grammy to get her thoughts to see if she has other advice. Thank you again for your input and help!

Sounds like a good plan to stick with what has already worked. The heavier needle gauge may be a drawback to using a longer needle, too. Dr. Simeons mentioned that he used very thin 2 inch needles.

It might be helpful to review that part of the protocol:

...We use very fine needles that are two inches long and inject deep intragluteally in the outer upper quadrant of the buttocks. The injection should if possible not be given into the superficial fat layers, which in very obese patients must be compressed so as to enable the needle to reach the muscle. ..

What I get from that is that compressing the area over the injection site should facilitate reaching the muscle regardless of how much fat you have there.

Good point. I don’t know where he was getting those needles, but it wasn’t from any source that’s available to regular people that I saw in my quick searches. I could probably ask my doctor if that is something she could get for me if I found myself in need/the 1 1/2” isn’t working. I imagine there is still a need for fine/long needles in the medical community and maybe they are just not available “otc” because non-medical professionals aren’t in need of them or would break them easily due to the combination of fine gauge and long length and therefore, maybe not in demand....? Idk. But again, appreciate you weighing in and pulling out those quotes from P&I. I’ve read P&I a few times but I think I skimmed over the IM parts since I couldn’t picture myself ever doing that, especially when subq was so easy. Ha! Hindsight strikes again lol

Well, the unknown in that quote is his definition of "very fine", as no gauge is given. So again, we are left wondering about the exact information.

In past search adventures, I've found body building forums a source of at least the start of finding reliable information about various injection questions. Testosterone is usually injected intramuscularly, so some sources for needles could probably be gleaned from discussions about that.

So this was interesting and I thought I’d post for reference. I found the same info on a couple different sites, so at least it’s consistent advice. Looks like the majority of people (me included) should be fine with a 1 1/2” length needle when doing IM

“You should choose needle length based on the weight of your adult patients, as follows:

Adults weighing less than 130 lbs (60 kg): Use of a 1” needle is recommended. However, a 5/8" needle may be used for IM injection in the deltoid muscle if the fatty tissue overlying the deltoid muscle is flattened (i.e., not bunched between thumb and fingers during the injection) and the needle is inserted at a 90-degree angle to the skin.
•Adults weighing 130–152 lbs (60–70 kg): Use of a 1" needle is recommended.
•Women weighing 152–200 lbs (70–90 kg) and men weighing 152–260 lbs (70–118 kg): Use of a 1"–1½" needle is recommended.
•Women weighing more than 200 lbs (90 kg) or men weighing more than 260 lbs (118 kg): Use of a 1½" needle is recommended.”