You are responsible for taking any prescription medications home, including fertility drugs, vitamins, hormones insulin, epinephrine, or cancer medications.

You'll need to know how to inject yourself safely using your medication. Also, you will need to be able to purchase the needles and other syringes that you need. These items are sold separately. They're made to fit together in a secure manner.

It is crucial to select the correct size needle and syringe so you receive the right dose of medicine. The right size helps to make the injection more comfortable and less painful.

A nurse or your medical professional will assist you administer a shot at home. They will also inform you which needles and syringes to use. However, it is important to know the fundamental principles of insulin syringes sizes so that you don't make mistakes when the time comes to replace them.

This article explains the way that needles and syringes get measured. The article also gives tips for choosing the right size for the injection you want to administer.

Syringe Sizes

medical syringes can contain some amount of liquid. There are two ways to gauge them.

Syringe Measurement

For volume of liquid milliliters (mL).

Cubic centimeters (cc), for the volume of solids

Whatever measurement is chosen 1 cc equals to one mL.2

If you inject the medication yourself, it is important to select a syringe that will hold the dose you've been given.

For example, if you're required to inject yourself 3 cc of drug, you would want to choose a syringe that holds exactly 3 cc. If you choose to use an syringe that is able to hold 2 cc, you would have to inject yourself more times. This is unnecessary pain.

On the other hand when you are using a syringe that holds 15 cc, it will be more difficult to read the cc marks. It is possible to end up giving you too much or too many medications.

Needle-Sizes

Syringes are labeled in a different way from needles. The packaging will have the number first, followed by the letter "G," and then another number.

How to determine the needle's size

The gauge of the needle is determined by the first number before the letter G. The greater the number, the thinner the needle.

The other number refers to the length of needle, measured in inches.

For example, a 22 G 1/2 needle has a gauge of 22 inches and it measures one-half inch.

Needle Gauge

It is usually more comfortable to inject tiny amounts of medication using a thin needle.

For greater amounts of medicine, a wider needle with a lower gauge is often an ideal option. While it can cause more discomfort, a bigger needle that is smaller in gauge will provide medicine faster than a smaller needle, with a greater gauge.

Needle-Length

The right needle length is determined by the height of the person. A child of a smaller size may require a needle shorter than a tall adult. It is also important to consider where you are planning to place the needle. Some medications can be absorbed under the skin. Others require injection into the muscle.

Subcutaneous injections go into the fatty tissue just beneath the skin. These injections are quite small. The needle is small and thin, generally around one-half to five-eighths an inch long, with a gauge of 25 and 30.

Intramuscular injections go directly in the muscle. Muscle is deeper than skin, so the needle used to administer these shots must be thicker and longer. It is best to use needles that have an average gauge of 20 to 22 G and an overall length of 1 to 1.5 inches.

Also, consider how much fat the needle has to pass. Someone who is thin may have the ability to use an inch-long needle. Someone heavier might need a needle that is an inch-and-a-half-long.

Summary

If you need to administer injections to yourself or to someone in your home, knowing the sizes of syringes and needles can help make the job simpler.

Syringes are able to hold solids or liquids. To measure liquids the tube should have milliliters (mL). To measure solids, see cubic centimeters(cc). Choose syringes needles the one that contains the exact amount you require.

Needles are measured in a different way. The initial number that appears on the label of a needle is the gauge. This is how thick the needle is. Higher numbers mean thinner needles. The length of the needle can be located on the label at the second number. If the drug is designed to enter a muscle, you'll require the longer needle. For people who weigh more the longer needle is also needed.

A Word From Verywell

You or a loved one will require knowledge on how to give shots safely to yourself or others at home.

Reach out to your doctor if you have any concerns. Avoid blunders in administering injections or replacing equipment by understanding the fundamentals of labeling needles.