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About auto-injectors (lemmy.blahaj.zone)
submitted 1 day ago by AnxiousMiisha to c/mtf

I guess I'm a walking ad now. Oh well...

I used to struggle with injections, like a lot.
Every week, I had a panic attack, tried to stab myself multiple times, blunted my needle in the process and then gave up and let my bf do it for me. And this was only once a week...

After a blood test, my doctor told me to up my dose. In my country, we use a drug called Neofollin. It's estradiol valerate in sunflower seed oil at a 5mg/ml concentration. It comes in a small, glass, single-use ampule of 1ml, so 5mg of EV in a dose.

NeofollinNeofollin packaging Neofollin ampule

So, I started at 1 ampule a week. That didn't work (later I found out my E level after 7 days was about 30pg/ml. Jesus).
I was instructed to switch to 2 ampules weekly. Knowing a bit about how EV works, I decided to alternate 3 and 4 days between a shot.

Now at this point, there was a lot of stabbing. I was struggling quite a bit. My fear of needles was now omnipresent in my day-to-day life, fearing my next shot. I knew I couldn't go on like this.

So, I bought a new toy! A tool really. The Union Medico 90 auto-injector, made for intramuscular injections. I'll admit, it was expensive. 120$ for the product plus shipping is a LOT of money. However, I couldn't be happier...

Yes, I had to buy special BD 3ml syringes. Yes, I had to wait for the injector to arrive (took about a week). Yes, I struggled to push the button the first couple of times. I admit it.
But now? The longest part of my whole injection ritual is the drawing part. I don't fear the button press anymore. It's completely painless and every time, I'm surprised how quickly I get it over with.

4 days after a shot of EV, my E levels were at 110pg/ml, which was alright I guess, but I wanted just a bit more. So i switched to every 3 days.
I'm not lying when I say this: without this device, this schedule would have been impossible for me. A 1 1/2 inch needle into my thigh every 3 days? Nu-uh!
But now...I almost look forward to it...
The snap of the ampule, drawing up the oil (pink drawing needle to draw from a pink ampule, lol), switching the needle, readying the device, looking away briefly and just...pressing a button. I actually kinda enjoy it now.

Anyway, this post is already way too long. I just wanted to say, I get all of the benefits of injections (high and kinda stable levels) with almost the same comfort as taking pills. I'm glad I did it this way. If there's anyone out there debating whether to get a device like this for themselves: do it. It will pay off.

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I'm so happy you found a solution that works for you!

I also prefer injections now that I found a method that works for me. I started with sublingual then moved to estradiol cypionate 5mg/ml in cottonseed oil in 5ml vials. With injections I found that part of the problem was that I was prescribed 18G needles to draw and 23G needles to inject. With the 18G needles I was coring vials and with the 23G needles they hurt more than they needed to and left little red dots at the injection site that would last for months. I switched to 23G for drawing and 25G for injecting. The gauge of the needle made a huge difference for me. With the 23g needles I no longer core vials, but it does take longer to draw. The 25G needles are painless now. With the 23G I had to use a bandage where I injected, but now with 25G it can be hard to tell where the injection site was.

If I can obtain it I would like to switch to estradiol enanthate in MCT oil at 40mg/ml. The carrier oil is less thick which makes it easier to draw and inject. The much higher concentration means you have less volume to inject. I plan to use even smaller 30G insulin needles for drawing and injecting.

[-] AnxiousMiisha 2 points 1 day ago

Huh, did 23G needles really hurt? I was prescribed 18G to draw and 20G to inject and that's what I use still, even today.

Also, is the larger injection volume a problem for you, personally? I inject 1ml and I really don't mind. It feels good in a strange way...

Highly recommend enanthate tho. All the people that I talk to that are on DIY recommend it. Exceptionally stable levels and pretty cheap too.

[-] echedeylr 1 points 1 day ago

I recommend EEn too and single syringe of 29G, IQ

this post was submitted on 05 Aug 2026
59 points (100.0% liked)

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