Learning how to do a subcutaneous injection is an important skill for giving certain medicines at home. A subcutaneous, or sub-q, injection sends medicine into the fatty layer of tissue just above the muscle using a needle.
Wash your hands and gather all necessary supplies: a needle and a prefilled syringe or a medicine vial with syringe, alcohol wipes and cotton pads. Always make sure you have the right medicine, correct dosage, and that the expiration date hasn’t passed.
If you’re using the vial for the first time, take off the plastic top and clean the rubber stopper with an alcohol wipe. Remove the syringe from the packaging and pull off the needle cap without touching the needle. For vials that are meant to be reused, draw air into the syringe equal to your needed dose, inject this air into the vial, then turn the vial upside down and draw the correct amount of medicine. Remove air bubbles from the syringe by gently tapping it. Then check that you have the right dosage and carefully remove the needle before recapping the vial.
Choose an injection site that isn’t red, swollen, bruised or scarred. Talk with your care team about their recommendations for age-appropriate injection sites. You can use vibrating toys, ice packs or distractions to help with pain.
Clean the site with an alcohol wipe and allow it to dry all the way. Remove the needle cap, pinch the skin and fatty tissue, then insert the needle quickly. For babies, use a 45-degree angle; for children and adults, use a 90-degree angle straight into the skin. Push the plunger slowly and all the way, wait two seconds, then remove the needle at the same angle you put it in. Put pressure on the injection site with a cotton pad until bleeding stops, but don’t rub the area. Dispose of the needle and syringe in a sharps container or thick plastic bottle right away.
Contact your healthcare team if you cannot give the injection, if bleeding continues even with pressure, or if you see signs of an allergic reaction (rash, breathing difficulties, or significant redness and swelling at the injection site). Never throw away full sharps containers in your regular garbage. Instead, ask your pharmacist about correct disposal.
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