Daily SUBQers: 5 stars for BD Ultra-Fine Insulin Syringe - 31G 3/10cc 5/16"

[Willyt]

Like many on here, I started with harpoon needles from my general physician and then graduated (mercifully) to 29 gauge x 1/2 fixed insulin needles for shallow IM thanks to the advice of this forum. A year ago I moved on to low dose daily SUBQ and began using 31 gauge x 5/16.

For insulin needles, I had always used the Easy Touch brand. A syringe is a syringe, right? That’s what I thought until I tried BD (Becton Dickinson) brand 31 g x 5/16 x .3cc needle. BD claims on their website that “BD Insulin Syringes with BD Ultra-FineTM needle are the #1 selling brand in the United States.”

I have found that the BD needles make daily SUBQ of small amounts a much more convenient, faster and dare I say, pleasant experience. I highly recommend them if you haven’t already tried them.

The following Pro/Con list is based on numerous daily comparisons (very unscientific!) drawing small amounts (up to 5 units) of Propionate or Enanthate.

PROS

• BD appears to have a much better seal on the gasket than EasyTouch. This leads to a number of benefits.
• BD loads significantly faster than Easy Touch.
• BD’s plunger holds its position when pulled back to desired dose. You can just let the syringe hang upside down from the vial without having to hold onto the plunger.
• Drawing T with the BD seems to generate less air bubbles than Easy Touch. I only get a single small air bubble, which is easily expelled back into vial. By contrast, I would sometimes struggle with EasyTouch trying to wrangle multiple air bubbles. (Not a huge deal, but when you’re drawing every day, bleary-eyed first thing in the morning…)
• BD dose is easier to read because there are no half marks on the .3cc barrel (although lack of half marks could be a con for some).
• BD’s screw top is more secure which is good for pre-loading multiple syringes.
• BD’s needle head appears to be shaped differently from the EasyTouch. This might explain why I get less droplets on the end of the needle with BD.
• Even with small SUQQ 5/16 needle, I get the occasional pain zinger when injecting. I seem to get less of those with BD. Not sure if this is because of the different shape of the needle head or not.

CONS

• BD brand is usually $5-6 more per box than EasyTouch (a relatively small incremental cost in the world of TRT). That said, BD only has 90 per box whereas Easy Touch has standard 100.
• I have occasionally found a slightly bent needle in the packets.

TIPS
This may be nothing new to many of you, but here’s my daily low dose draw routine based on tips from other members along with my own trial and error:

• Assume you want to inject 5 units.
• Wipe down vial top with alcohol as per usual and inject 5 units of air into vial
• Flip vial upside down for the draw.
• As you draw, pull an extra unit into the syringe – in this case, draw 6 units instead of the desired 5 units.
• Allow syringe to completely fill. A single air bubble will settle at top.
• Flip vial & syringe to dislodge the air bubble.
• Now flip vial & syringe upside down again and expel the air bubble along with the extra 1 unit back into the vial, giving you the desired 5 unit dose.
• Before pulling needle out of vial, wait couple of seconds to avoid droplets forming on the needle end.

I’ve had good experience with this online source although I’m sure there are others:
BD Insulin Syringes Ultra-Fine Needle 31g | BD Needles | Total Diabetes Supply

 

[Vince]

I recently bought 400 covidien monoject 29 g 1/2" syringes. When I went to the easy touch store, they were out of my size. So I'm trying these out, so far so good.

 

[Hank Moody]

OP - I have been using these exact same BD syringes for 5+ years for both daily sub-Q T injections and EOD HCG. I believe BD makes a superior quality product and have also recently started to buy them from Discount Diabetic Suppliers - Total Diabetes Supply. For those that believe these small syringes take too long to load - the simple workaround that I use is flip the vial upside down, pull the plunger a few units beyond what you need, and gently place the T vial and syringe onto a standard empty plastic water bottle (the lip of most brands is more narrow than the T vial) and wait 2 minutes for it to fill. Before removing the syringe from the rubber stopper inject whatever excess you pulled back into the vial. That's it - super easy and you are now using the smallest, least painful syringe IMO.

 

[Cataceous]

The BD syringes sound nice, but I do make use of half-unit divisions, and the price is double what I'm paying for the rebranded Easy Touch syringes at my Sam's Club pharmacy.

 

[Willyt]

OP - I have been using these exact same BD syringes for 5+ years for both daily sub-Q T injections and EOD HCG. I believe BD makes a superior quality product and have also recently started to buy them from Discount Diabetic Suppliers - Total Diabetes Supply. For those that believe these small syringes take too long to load - the simple workaround that I use is flip the vial upside down, pull the plunger a few units beyond what you need, and gently place the T vial and syringe onto a standard empty plastic water bottle (the lip of most brands is more narrow than the T vial) and wait 2 minutes for it to fill. Before removing the syringe from the rubber stopper inject whatever excess you pulled back into the vial. That's it - super easy and you are now using the smallest, least painful syringe IMO.

Good water bottle tip. Although with my small amounts (no more than 5 units), it takes about 10 seconds to fill the draw.

 

[Willyt]

The BD syringes sound nice, but I do make use of half-unit divisions, and the price is double what I'm paying for the rebranded Easy Touch syringes at my Sam's Club pharmacy.

I can see where price would be a priority in your case considering the number of times you are injecting on daily basis, but just think - no more wood chips to hold the plunger! I am injecting twice daily now and the BDs just make it that much easier.

 

[Cataceous]

I can see where price would be a priority in your case considering the number of times you are injecting on daily basis, but just think - no more wood chips to hold the plunger! I am injecting twice daily now and the BDs just make it that much easier.

I was figuring it would be close to $200 extra per year for me to use the BDs. With my current lower dosing I no longer need the wood chip; the syringe plunger caps happen to be the right length.

 

[Vman]

Huge thank you to Willyt for making this post!

I am daily subq guy and have been injecting with 27G x 1/2" and drawing with 20G x 1 1/2" needles for years now. I usually get 2mg - 4mg of leakage of t cyp after injecting and some minor swelling after almost every injection.

After switching to these 31G x 5/16" insulin syringes I get no leaking at all of t cyp after injecting and I have not had swelling after an injection yet. I will actually have to lower my dose since my previous dose accounted for some leakage. I am thoroughly impressed at how much better these syringes are than what I was using before.

The only downsides are the super slow drawing takes some getting used to and the plunger for the syringe is kinda flimsy compared to what I was used to.

I am definitely switching to 31G x 5/16" insulin syringes going forward.

 

[madman]

Huge thank you to Willyt for making this post!

I am daily subq guy and have been injecting with 27G x 1/2" and drawing with 20G x 1 1/2" needles for years now. I usually get 2mg - 4mg of leakage of t cyp after injecting and some minor swelling after almost every injection.

After switching to these 31G x 5/16" insulin syringes I get no leaking at all of t cyp after injecting and I have not had swelling after an injection yet. I will actually have to lower my dose since my previous dose accounted for some leakage. I am thoroughly impressed at how much better these syringes are than what I was using before.

The only downsides are the super slow drawing takes some getting used to and the plunger for the syringe is kinda flimsy compared to what I was used to.

I am definitely switching to 31G x 5/16" insulin syringes going forward.

Where have you been?

Principles of Testosterone and hCG Injection Technique

Selecting the Devices There are many different syringes and needles, suiting many different procedures. It is important to choose the needles and syringes carefully according to the type of injection to be administered. For example, the length and gauge of the needle and type of syringe must...

www.excelmale.com

 

[Vman]

Where have you been?

Principles of Testosterone and hCG Injection Technique

Selecting the Devices There are many different syringes and needles, suiting many different procedures. It is important to choose the needles and syringes carefully according to the type of injection to be administered. For example, the length and gauge of the needle and type of syringe must...

www.excelmale.com

Hiding under my rock called that's what my doctor told me to do when I started so I've always done it that way. Better late than never I guess.

It's so good I need to say it again. 31G x 5/16" insulin syringes are primo for subq injections!

 

[Jurek Kletsy]

I liked using these too for subq. Very convenient. Unfortunately Sustanon doesn‘t agree with subq injections.

 

[GreenMachineX]

The BD syringes sound nice, but I do make use of half-unit divisions, and the price is double what I'm paying for the rebranded Easy Touch syringes at my Sam's Club pharmacy.

Where can half unit insulin syringes without a prescription be found online?

 

[Cataceous]

Where can half unit insulin syringes without a prescription be found online?

I think normally you'd be able to get them via the Easy Touch store site, but they're sold out of everything at the moment. The 0.3 cc size has half-unit markings. I'm not sure about the 0.5 cc size.

Insulin Syringes

easytouchstore.com

I see Amazon has them:

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Some other brand:

Amazon.com: UltiCare U-100 Insulin Syringes, Comfortable and Accurate Dosing of Insulin, Compatible with Any U-100 Strength Insulin, Size: 3/10cc, 31G x 5/16’’, 100 ct Box : Health & Household

Buy UltiCare U-100 Insulin Syringes, Comfortable and Accurate Dosing of Insulin, Compatible with Any U-100 Strength Insulin, Size: 3/10cc, 31G x 5/16’’, 100 ct Box: Insulin Injectors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[Willyt]

My vendor of choice:

.3cc Insulin Syringes | 3/10cc Syringes | Total Diabetes Supply

Browse our selection of .3cc insulin syringes at Total Diabetes Supply today. Our 3/10cc syringes feature an ergonomic design that ensures a secure grip.

www.totaldiabetessupply.com

Here is what they say about RX:

By purchasing syringes from TotalDiabetesSupply.com, you are asserting that you are over 18 years of age and that you intend to use these syringes for the treatment of diabetes or for another legitimate medical purpose.

It is legal in most of the U.S. to purchase insulin syringes without a prescription; however, you are solely responsible for following the laws in your state. TotalDiabetesSupply.com reserves the right to refuse any order in the event that filling such order would violate any federal, state, or local law or regulation.

CA, NV: In California and Nevada, you assert syringes will be used for diabetic purposes or legitimate purpose.

CT, ME, NH, NJ, NY: These states require a prescription for quantities over 10 syringes. If you order over 10 syringes to these states, we must confirm your prescription. Please fax your prescription to (833)-940-1956 or upload it via our RX Submission page.

IL: The state of Illinois requires a prescription for quantities over 20 syringes. If you order over 20 syringes to the state of Illinois, we must confirm your prescription. Please fax your prescription to (833)-940-1956 or upload it via our RX Submission page.

DE, TN: The state of Delaware requires a prescription to order syringes. If you order syringes shipping to Delaware, we must confirm your prescription. Please fax your prescription to (833)-940-1956 or upload it via our RX Submission page.

FL & VA: In Florida and Virginia, you assert that you are not a minor. A minor is anyone under the age of 18. Residents of Miami-Dade, Monroe, & Broward County require an RX prior to shipment.

 

[GreenMachineX]

I think normally you'd be able to get them via the Easy Touch store site, but they're sold out of everything at the moment. The 0.3 cc size has half-unit markings. I'm not sure about the 0.5 cc size.

Insulin Syringes

easytouchstore.com

I see Amazon has them:

Amazon.com

Amazon.com

Some other brand:

Amazon.com: UltiCare U-100 Insulin Syringes, Comfortable and Accurate Dosing of Insulin, Compatible with Any U-100 Strength Insulin, Size: 3/10cc, 31G x 5/16’’, 100 ct Box : Health & Household

Buy UltiCare U-100 Insulin Syringes, Comfortable and Accurate Dosing of Insulin, Compatible with Any U-100 Strength Insulin, Size: 3/10cc, 31G x 5/16’’, 100 ct Box: Insulin Injectors - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Would 5/16" be sufficient for shallow IM? Or I guess it might be an interesting experiment to have 2 delt shallow IM followed by 2 ventroglut injections that might be closer to subQ since there's a little more fat in that area for me...

Also does a needle that small have less air bubbles? I'm so tired of daily fighting with extra tiny air bubbles.

 

[Cataceous]

Would 5/16" be sufficient for shallow IM? Or I guess it might be an interesting experiment to have 2 delt shallow IM followed by 2 ventroglut injections that might be closer to subQ since there's a little more fat in that area for me...

Also does a needle that small have less air bubbles? I'm so tired of daily fighting with extra tiny air bubbles.

The 5/16" needle can make shallow IM injections; it depends on the individual and location. It would easily be IM in my legs with a 90° injection angle.

You can still get very tiny air bubbles in these syringes, but they are small enough not to worry about. If they still bother you, as they do me, then you may find that with practice you can completely purge the air every time. For me the key is to draw a little more than the intended dose and then ensure all of the unwanted air is merged into one bubble, which is mobile. I send the bubble towards the plunger, then invert. As the bubble arrives back at the needle I ensure it's centered with a flick of the wrist and press the plunger hard for an instant. The resulting flow ejects the air into the vial. After that I squeeze out a little more fluid until the correct dose is in the syringe.

 

[GreenMachineX]

The 5/16" needle can make shallow IM injections; it depends on the individual and location. It would easily be IM in my legs with a 90° injection angle.

You can still get very tiny air bubbles in these syringes, but they are small enough not to worry about. If they still bother you, as they do me, then you may find that with practice you can completely purge the air every time. For me the key is to draw a little more than the intended dose and then ensure all of the unwanted air is merged into one bubble, which is mobile. I send the bubble towards the plunger, then invert. As the bubble arrives back at the needle I ensure it's centered with a flick of the wrist and press the plunger hard for an instant. The resulting flow ejects the air into the vial. After that I squeeze out a little more fluid until the correct dose is in the syringe.

Gotcha; thanks!

 

[MDavidW76]

I’ve used the BD 27x1/2-5/8” IM and SQ and those needles are smooth like butter, I’ve honestly felt more sting from insect bites. I even used one twice as I hit a small vein, saw blood and withdrew the needle, then realized it was my last one so I bit the bullet and inserted again avoiding a vein. Even then it was still sharp enough that it was not terrible.

 

[Willyt]

I’ve used the BD 27x1/2-5/8” IM and SQ and those needles are smooth like butter, I’ve honestly felt more sting from insect bites. I even used one twice as I hit a small vein, saw blood and withdrew the needle, then realized it was my last one so I bit the bullet and inserted again avoiding a vein. Even then it was still sharp enough that it was not terrible.

Love the BDs. Why do you use the 5/8" for both IM and SQ? I thought 5/16" was plenty for SQ (although there have been times where I felt the tip wasn't deep enough at SQ angle).

 

[MDavidW76]

Why do you use the 5/8" for both IM and SQ? I thought 5/16" was plenty for SQ (although there have been times where I felt the tip wasn't deep enough at SQ angle).

Supply chain issues mainly. One of the reasons I went to Atrevis Hydrogel. It was getting more difficult to get proper syringes locally for me.