How many pokes before finding a vein?

[Frozen]

How many times on average do you need to prick yourself before hitting a good, useable vein?

[chemboy7]

Well, that would depend alot on where I am trying to hit. I have used and abused the veins on the lower side of my body so I would say about 5-6 times on the feet or leg and if I don't register by then I usually go for a different location but my arm veins are nice, real nice. I can usually hit one (the latest favorite spots have been the top of my wrist and right in the middle of my elbow and wrist on the top of my forearm) on the first tap, 2-3 times maybe on average. The thing I like about my arm veins is all it takes to make them pop (if they aren't already visible, almost always are) is a few reps with weights and a turniquite and I have fat ropes springing up all over the place.

[Woowoo]

My veins are really big and easy to access, but one problem: they are all rollers!! But it's not so bad, because I know how to hit up a roller: you come in from a steep angle.

[Diacetyl]

My veins are really big and pop right out of my arms and hands so I can hit one easily first try without needing to tie off. I think its because I used to lift weights and I'm pretty lean.

[flipside]

Too many times, after years of abuse too much scar tissue.. too much damage.

Nothing left in my arms, feet. ( not that it keeps me from trying..sometimes I manage to find one).occasionally get lucky with my legs. usually have to go somewhere I would not reccomend to anyone else

And yes I use heat, hydration and usually tie off. I also have really low BP all the time and I'm sure that is a big part of the problem. Also blood clotting disoreder..before it was treated blood would clot in the rig before i could get off.

Whenever I am in the hospiatal they don't even bother trying with an IV..always end up with a central line.

If you have good veins..continue to rotate your sites and use new needles..treat them with the respect they deseve.

I notice other people's veins and remember when mine used to be like that..and wish I had taken more precautions to protect them. Abuse those beautiful ropes and they won't stay that way for long.

[Somanax]

Heed flip's advice, I use to be able to hit myself in the dark,now I am at the point she is ie:central line or in E.R. venous cut down sound's awful and it is usually done by someone less proficient than yourself :(


SOMANAX

[Chipper]

Spare a thought for the tweakers because their veins don't come up much when they are loaded up on amphetamines. I have spent *hours* trying to find a vein in that state, yes - stuck in a loop, no less.

I call this fighting against yourself.

These days I give my veins a good rest between attempts.

[dirtdog]

My veins are weird. They are huge for a girl's.
I have a big ol one from my hand all the way up to my shoulder.
When I first started IVing, it was like shooting at the water from a boat and missing.
Now, it takes one or two tries for me to hit the vein.
Usually it needs to be hot, or I need to tie it off nice and tight. So tight that it feels like my arms gonna fall off from no circulation.
Christ...

[Seedy]

^^ Well whaddya know, dirtdog is a chick! :p

This thread is making me squirm.

[nick]

10 times and the rest....I have poor veins.


once you start,you won't stop.........till you find a vein.

[Woowoo]

If anybody ever tells you "It's like riding a bike" don't believe them, you have to be in practice to really be good at it.

However, just a little bit of practice and all the old techniques start come back to me. I remember now how I always used to miss this one vein by nicking it on the right side instead of in the middle, and how another one I'd be liable to go straight through if I don't have a light touch.

Part of the whole battle is knowing what lies under the surface--experience with your own physiology gives you a kind of x-ray vision, if you will.

But lately I've been dead on. Like an expert sniper: one shot, one kill. wooo WOOOOOOOO

[OpiBli$$1988]

ive only tried iv'ing twice and nvr w/ opiates..last time i ended up sticking myself 34 times trying to shoot up some meth w/ an insulin syringe before i finally gave up. i hate needles now

[kidding]

ive only tried iv'ing twice and nvr w/ opiates..last time i ended up sticking myself 34 times trying to shoot up some meth w/ an insulin syringe before i finally gave up. i hate needles now


34 times... jesus

[Opiyum]

Spare a thought for the tweakers because their veins don't come up much when they are loaded up on amphetamines. I have spent *hours* trying to find a vein in that state, yes - stuck in a loop, no less.

I call this fighting against yourself.

These days I give my veins a good rest between attempts.

I hate when I all revved up and trying to find a vein. I would really hate to see a picture of myself in that state. Sitting there wide-eyed poking myself over and over sweat rolling down my forehead from frustration mixing with the drool now running from my mouth down the long side of the tourniquet.
It's all very disturbing to look back on. Bottom line is I hate shooting meth or coke more than once at any point in time but apparently the drug requires much more of you.

[chemboy7]

34 times... jesus

Speed makes your hands shake.

[Frozen]

What can be done about veins hardening up (and staying that way for weeks) at an injection site?
Is that due to scarring? I know about using clean, new needles every time and rotating injection sites- but what else can be done? Thanx in advance for any helpful answers.

[chemboy7]

What can be done about veins hardening up (and staying that way for weeks) at an injection site?
Is that due to scarring? I know about using clean, new needles every time and rotating injection sites- but what else can be done? Thanx in advance for any helpful answers.

The crest of my arm has a vein doing that right now, I just figure that the vein is inflammed. I guess heat would work, that's what I would use. I was actually talking to someone the other night about it, as mine is going on a couple weeks old and is/was hard as a rock: they didn't think it was anything to worry about, and neither do I. I've had similiar hard spots, just never this hard or long lasting, and they eventually went away. I'm pretty sure that hardened veins close to the surface means that you've been hitting the same spot too frequently... I know that's what does it to me.

[Duckfeet]

I had that problem pretty bad with tar, worse than I had ever remembered it for anything else, even when I hit right on the money, seems like after a few hits, got harddened spot...really was hell on both arms. But the good thing was, once I stopped, after a few weeks they all seem to have gone away, and none of them turned into infections, which I thought might have been happening. Good luck with them....

[CIIORNOTHING]

Im new to the iv game. Mine are fresh and willing and easy and flash nice and quick. Im so fucked that I ever started this. Nothing else compares anymore.

[Duckfeet]

I hate to be a bore...but if u can hop off, you'll be glad u did...it doesn't get better w/time and experience...and those veins eventually aren't fresh and willing, and that feeling of being fucked will still be there....IMHO. I make the best of it, and try to keep a sense of humor alive about the whole thing, but never doubt that there are better ways to spend ur time on this planet...because, like u said, nothing else compares...and that can be sad, when "nothing else" actually means love, family, friends, freedom...all that boring other stuff....


Im new to the iv game. Mine are fresh and willing and easy and flash nice and quick. Im so fucked that I ever started this. Nothing else compares anymore.

[CIIORNOTHING]

I hear ya on all counts bro. But right now, because of a job situation my wife is in, we have pretty much unlimited access to amps of hydromorphone, morphine, fentanyl, and valium. Its not exactly easy to walk away right now. But like always happens in life, things change, security procedures change, etc and our free ride is gone with the wind and its back to reality.....

We both know it has to stop....but damn its fun while it lasts!!

[Somanax]

Just one now........finally

31 gauge needle's yes !!!!

[GOLD N DIEMONDS]

ONE, with eyes closed. I have great veins from years of weight trainig. It's been a bit for me, everything has healed nice

[Woowoo]

I have become a master of the "forearm shot" recently. Even thought these veins are as thick as boat rigging, the angle is what makes it hard to hit up there. I used to think I needed a "hit-up buddy" to get those veins. Now I got it under control, I can hit up my forearm veins without any help at all.

Gee aren't I skilled?

[Duckfeet]

Yep, I can remember when I was still doing the ditches, and thought no way on the forearms, but eventually they too, fell by the wayside...all the tattoos help, too, all these vikings and mexican princesses been stabbed bunches...but still, to me, the bummer of tar...besides it's so brutal, is that u can't see good that u r registering, cuz it's so dark...hell, on forearms, I used to be able to use an eyedropper instead of a plunger, because u could see blood...but they only works w/light powder...tar is too damn dark and is just a fucking curse and hell on veins


I have become a master of the "forearm shot" recently. Even thought these veins are as thick as boat rigging, the angle is what makes it hard to hit up there. I used to think I needed a "hit-up buddy" to get those veins. Now I got it under control, I can hit up my forearm veins without any help at all.

Gee aren't I skilled?

[Moonrock]

Veins? What veins?
They deserted me long time ago, arms and feet, all collapsed. But no regrets there cause i knew what i was doing at the time, and i sure did enjoy every fucking hit while they lasted.
Only neck ones left, and i try not to use them so as to stay alive.
Now i resort to smoking and snorting and remembering the days of the glorious veins.

[Saint]

I started IV-ing when I was 15 and only needed one try at the time. My veins were very good. I could take a shot just about anywhere, very fast. I also fixed in these so-called 'anti-junky toilets' with their blue light.. no sweat. But after 15 years of on-and-off addiction one poke became two pokes. Then two became four or five.
Countless moments I spent in the bathroom, swearing in absolute anger and frustration while I saw how my needle slowly filled up with more and more blood - without hitting the right spot once.
I remember being sick as a dog and then loosing my one and only shot 'cos my needle got stuck after numerous tries and 'blowed up'. Leaving a mix of heroine, blood and lemonjuice dripping on my arm.
All gone. These weren't my best moments.

Finally I just quit, it simply wasn't any fun anymore. I relapsed once but sniffed it.. shooting up H is great in the beginning (well, ok then.. the first 15 years...) but eventually it gets sort of difficult.. & don't even get me started on the scars. Hate it.

[Duckfeet]

Yep, there's a particular hell that u get to know, once yer veins are really gone. Or worse, u watch somebody u love, just bleed and bleed all over the place, and damn-all u can do about it. These last 2 or three posts touched on that. I know when I was young, and could hit myself with either arm in a bouncing car I thought I'd never get "that bad." Hahahah....

And when yer sick, and finally score, and know that then the *real* problems just begin. And this tar, boy that doesn't make things any better, since u can't see a register, and as yer rig slowly keeps filling with blood, and yet when u try to hit, u *know* it's a miss...there is no hell I know like it. Should be mandatory reading in the "should I try I.V.ing heroin?" threads....

Sigh...just came from the clinic, knocked it down from 100 to 80mg...now smoking a cuban puro...what a world...

[Saint]

Wow that's a lot, 20 mgs at once... well, as you know most won't notice any withdrawalsymptoms before the 2th to 4th day. Or most likely you will not even feel the difference too much since your dose is relatively high. But please don't go down too fast ey? And keep putting those duckfeet on!
I will make a post about the done-to-sub-thing later this week. Not feeling too good yet... (the pharmacy didn't have the subs in stock, FUCK! So I had to half my dose today, subs won't come in till thursday)

And yes: people should read those comments before they start IV-ing. Wish I had done something of the sorts back then. That would have saved a lot of pain and frustratiing moments.
Ah well, too late for that now :-)

[Duckfeet]

Hey Saint: Nah, actually I went 10mg today and ten tomorrow. And yer rite, at these high doses u don't notice it at much. My only goal is to get down to fifty...then maintain there for a while, see what I want to do. My biggest problem is always my brain. Once I realized I had no consistency of thought on anything to do with opiates, that's when I realized what a dilemma this crap can be...cuz what I think and want *today* won't be the same as what I think and want *tomorrow.* ...and that alone is enough to drive u bonkers. And that was actually the hardest lesson of all to learn, weirdly enough...

On one long bout of sobriety I took a bunch of philosophy classes, and this one philosopher I kind of liked, David Hume, said that reason was a slave to our passions. Now that may seem obvious, and I guess it is, but it's kind of dreary too...because it's basically telling me that when I"m kicking, my brain will come up with all this logical stuff on why I need to fix...and of course, when I'm loaded, and a little tired of it all, then me old brain will come up with all this reason and logic on how I gotta quit. What's a poor junky to do with the deck so stacked against us LOL...even the old brain, which I thought was on *my* side, is basically just there to follow and give thought to my damn sick ass urges :-(

And yes, the whole drugstore/sub supply deal is a bear over here too, IMO. Hang in there with that, I'm rooting for you...



Wow that's a lot, 20 mgs at once... well, as you know most won't notice any withdrawalsymptoms before the 2th to 4th day. Or most likely you will not even feel the difference too much since your dose is relatively high. But please don't go down too fast ey? And keep putting those duckfeet on!
I will make a post about the done-to-sub-thing later this week. Not feeling too good yet... (the pharmacy didn't have the subs in stock, FUCK! So I had to half my dose today, subs won't come in till thursday)

And yes: people should read those comments before they start IV-ing. Wish I had done something of the sorts back then. That would have saved a lot of pain and frustratiing moments.
Ah well, too late for that now :-)

[Narkotikon]

I have really small girly veins, so I said 2-3. I usually use the ones in my feet, on the underside of my left wrist, or on top of my hands. The most common ones, the crook of your arm, are just too deep to hit. It's just easier to use a small guauge and go for the ones that are closer to the skin, although they are usually small (wrist, hand, etc.).

[Duckfeet]

Right. And it's drugs *other* than opiates that made my veins disappear. With me it was coke, got rid of the good ones. All nighters with cocaine, doing shot after shot, was just too much abuse for the veins, and they never bounced back. And then, also, an endless supply of dilaudids at one time, helped destroy the other two good ones by my wrist. But a junky will always find a way, from ankles to backarms, to top of hands, I'll plug away until I find something. Oh no, I didn't mean to bring up *plugging* and that cursed thread again!


Speed makes your hands shake.

[vanilla_mlkshake2007]

I usually use 1 needle each injection time but sometimes its first try a hell of a great day if it goes like that but sometimes its 5-6 6-8 and even 10 before i just stop and eat the shit or plug it after all I don't wanna go through a bag of points a day right?

[Opiyum]

Gosh it really depends on the number of uses of the needle. I know what I said before but damn I just had more problems than I have ever had in my life just a few hours ago. Five gosh darn tries. Maddening.

[Frank Zito]

I'm like a FUCKIN' Marine sniper...ONE SHOT, ONE KILL.

[Jade Warrior]

I still have some decent veins on the bottom of my wrists, although small, are those ok to use? I've been having good luck with the veins in my feet recently, but I know those won't last long. And what about the viens in the legs I hear some people talking about? I've looked, but I cant find them.


I have really small girly veins, so I said 2-3. I usually use the ones in my feet, on the underside of my left wrist, or on top of my hands. The most common ones, the crook of your arm, are just too deep to hit. It's just easier to use a small guauge and go for the ones that are closer to the skin, although they are usually small (wrist, hand, etc.).

[nick]

I still have some decent veins on the bottom of my wrists, although small, are those ok to use? I've been having good luck with the veins in my feet recently, but I know those won't last long. And what about the viens in the legs I hear some people talking about? I've looked, but I cant find them.

Wrists are fine and look behind your knee.

Plus there's the themeral,but I'd save that for a rainy day if I were you.

[irish]

I'm another marine sniper: one shot........ I wish I wasn't though, if I had to dig around I would have quit a long time ago. The thing that bothers me the most is that my friends know I have a soft touch and ask me to fix them all the time. Once I fixed a friend with 4mg of dilaudid and everything seemed fine. Then he stood up and promptly collapsed. I thought I had killed him. He woke up took a couple more steps and passed out again. this happened about five times and scared the living shit out of me. I was sure that there was a manslaughter charge in my future. Now if you can't fix yourself then too bad, I'm not putting myself through that again.

[nick]

I'm another marine sniper: one shot........ I wish I wasn't though, if I had to dig around I would have quit a long time ago. The thing that bothers me the most is that my friends know I have a soft touch and ask me to fix them all the time. Once I fixed a friend with 4mg of dilaudid and everything seemed fine. Then he stood up and promptly collapsed. I thought I had killed him. He woke up took a couple more steps and passed out again. this happened about five times and scared the living shit out of me. I was sure that there was a manslaughter charge in my future. Now if you can't fix yourself then too bad, I'm not putting myself through that again.

Oh man,one day you won't be able to get your veins in one......or two,but guess what........you'll just keep trying till you get it.

[Jade Warrior]

Just want to make sure I'm being clear about the wrist veins I'm talking about. It's the ones on the bottom of the wrist, you know where some folks slice their wrists. After reading the discussions about arteries I'm a little paranoid about getting off the beaten path so to speak.

Themeral, huh? Looks like I need to get my dictionary out.

Behind the knee? Hmmm, I'll look again.

Thanks for the tips!



Wrists are fine and look behind your knee.

Plus there's the themeral,but I'd save that for a rainy day if I were you.

[SurfRat]

Wrists are fine and look behind your knee.

Plus there's the themeral,but I'd save that for a rainy day if I were you.


Did you mean to say Femoral?



(If so you would indeed want to save that for a rainy day.)

[irish]

If you are going to use the underside of your wrist be very careful. The radial artery is really close to the surface. If you can feel a pulse don't do it, it really sucks.:(

[underide]

Oh man,one day you won't be able to get your veins in one......or two,but guess what........you'll just keep trying till you get it.


Exactly!
Just pray that you never get that far in this 'game'.

And if you continue slamming, eventually you will (more than likely) run out of most of your usable veins - it's just a question of time really.
I used to think that i had it SO good, compared to some other iv users. I hardly ever needed to tie off - just pick a vein and shoot, so damn easy!
But the longer i was at it, the more veins i've blown.
Then i started shooting coke, and it was the proverbial nail in the coffin - now i hardly have any usable veins left.
And the ones that i do have left, you would probably never even want to slam into.

Be careful, and don't take your veins for granted - advice i wish i took long ago.

[nick]

Did you mean to say Femoral?



(If so you would indeed want to save that for a rainy day.)

Exactly and the wrist is fine.Just be careful-the veins are small and fiddly.

[nick]

Exactly and the wrist is fine.Just be careful-the veins are small and fiddly.

Oh and remember guys,anything I write after 9 is alcohol assisted.

[OneHundred80s]

I make sure my veins feel valued, I let them know I appreciate them. Talk to your veins. Good babies.

[blackdog]

as many as it takes!!!!
yeah just call me the human pin cushion!:o

[StrungOutAgain]

Now I don't IV anything unless its done in a hospital environment so since its done there I'm not sure this counts but it literally takes them fucking forever. Its like I think to myself hey these guys should be like pros at doing this but they can't do it for shit. I'm in so much pain after all of the stuff they put me through just get the damn IV in, the little bit of morphine they give me doesn't do shit. Thats just them though sometimes I seriously think I could do it better even though I've never even so much as tried. So its hard to say how many times it would actually take me, I certainly wouldn't mind trying if I had some D's right now.....

[bindegal]

Just one, but i am using my Femoral, and have been hitting there for years. I have no visible veins left, too much yola and water up methadone in my long gone youth.

[asplinteredfawn]

If I'm just using dope then usually 1 or 2 pokes if I have a sharp new rig. But if I only have a old dull dinger or I've been doing speed or coke a lot that week then sometimes up to 8-9 tries before I'll get one I'm happy with.

[Nate]

After taking a couple days for my hand to stop shaking when I first started, 1 poke everytime (rotating)

[blackdog]

A Dab'll do yah i always say?:rolleyes:

[Raine]

It depends, sometimes it's one try...there are a couple spots I KNOW i can get in one try but trying to rotate and preserve them makes for a few frustrating times and then having a barrel full of bloody goods and not being able to tell anymore if it's registering. That's so frustrating.
Already used up the easiest spots. My girly arms have NO visible veins, the only one in each arm I had is now covered in scar tissue. If i stick 'em, i can almost not get the needle out, it pulls the skin up with it so much but at least it doesn't hurt.

[devilsdrug]

one,even in the dark , even drivin down the road and prolly standin on my head

[chemboy7]

I thought Double D had posted until I looked at the date.
People shouldn't vote on old threads.

[Matt]

I got my technique down good enough to where it takes me one try on a good working vein.

[Dr. McKay]

This is a blast from the past!

Me first try just about 99% of the time!

It took me quite a while to figure out if I use a new tip every time I wont mess up my veins and I can keep hitting the same spot over and over for months on end with out getting any scars.

I did mess up the inside of both arms years ago, but I have great veins everywhere else and I plan on keeping it that way.

If I dont get it in the first prick I change out tips and use a fresh needle.
Hell they only cost about .25 cents each..so mine as well get a new one out!

[XxGanjaXXGOD]

For me its 1-3. most the time now adays its just one unless im shakey as hell.

[Aqfchair]

I'd been using very good ecp (for the past few months, at least...I started with pharms like seemingly everybody else, than progressed to bad-to-mediocre dope, then found a hookup for the good stuff) or some variation of whatever's been available in the area for 6 years now, four of them with a habit, and just started hitting veins a month and a half ago or so. I really, really didn't want to, but this is what it's come to, and I'm always careful, sterile, and rotate sites as much as possible, so I'm better off than many. Never takes more than one try to hit. Maybe two if I'm sick and my hands are shaking.

[Saint]

This is an old fart of a thead but I (seriously) wish the 38.35% who find a vein right away good luck... I mean, I know it's a great *gift*. I had it too for a long, long time. Hit, push and be done.. Took a few seconds at most. Been there, done that over a thousand times.
But then, out of the blue, the dreaded day will come, the day where you can't register no matter what or where you try.
I know one thing: it totally sucks having to search for a proper vein over an hour while the spots you've tried so far are starting to swell and hurt like hell, while blood is seeping out of a dozen spots you've tried already, meanwhile hearing your 'friends' drinking and chattering away in another room, trying desperately to find that ONE GOOD SPOT.

Shit, I don't want to lecture here. To be honest, at times I even wish I was still able to find that magical spot.
Other times I'm reallly happy I quit alltogether.

No matter what, it'll remain a struggle. What I think I want today is always different from what I'll really act like tomorrow..

[bluish]

I know one thing: it totally sucks having to search for a proper vein over an hour while the spots you've tried so far are starting to swell and hurt like hell, while blood is seeping out of a dozen spots you've tried already, meanwhile hearing your 'friends' drinking and chattering away in another room, trying desperately to find that ONE GOOD SPOT.
.

You just perfectly described me last night, how creepy. Ugh, my poor arms.

[duck]

One -- if you have been doin it for a while and still have decent veins and cannot hit on the first try you should just give up and go back to snorting your drugs.

[TheTalkingAsshole]

sometimes ill take a look at a vein and be like "whoa, lookin good enough for a poke"

but then other tiems, no poke.

to everyone reading this: get your poke right on my ride

[chemicalchart]

One -- if you have been doin it for a while and still have decent veins and cannot hit on the first try you should just give up and go back to snorting your drugs.

What duck says. I never missed, hardly ever and then suddenly I couldn't even bear the prick, couldn't manage to hold my arm steady, starting missing and missing, finally had to have a buddy do it even with still good veins and that's when I called it quits. Lost my nerve. Everybody is different but sometimes you just know. Not that I haven't revisited the needle a few times since. Now I just snort 99.99% of the time and am happy to do it.

[Chipper]

right now, it takes about 10-15 attempts or I go for IM after removing clots.

[candy]

]One thing I wanted to quickly add is that those surface veins that show up and can be seen as greenish-blue outlines of veins are generally not the best to use. They are more likely to blow and the blood will end up clotting up inside your rig making injection impossible at that point.

You want to try for veins you can see and feel. If you can only feel them, that is a good thing and you should use them of course. Those veins should give you some bounce and as I said are seen and felt.

I know it is hard not to hit those veins we can see but cannot feel. These are not good to use and you should try and only use them if there is nothing else and if you are really wanting a hit. You want to go in almost parallel to the skin and try and get in the vein without going through it or blowing it. Inject very slowly and with only small amounts of liquid in your rig. These veins are not made for a large injections.

If they do blow, pull out immediately and treat by using warm compresses to help increase circulation and prevent an abscess and if there is bruising, then apply cold compresses to help decrease bruising.

Another way to decrease bruising is to apply Arnica gel to the site. It can reduce inflammation, heal wounds, and fade bruises. You can find it at any vitamin store and it is fairly cheap too.
Alternative Names for Arnica Gel:Arnica montana; Leopard's bane

Believe me, I know how hard it can be to get a hit. Especially now with cold weather, try a nice hot shower before that first morning hit. When it was cold, I would prepare my shot, get in the hot shower, and then hit after I got out. I could usually find a vein somewhere. Not that I recommend anywhere but your upper extremities, but we all know where desperation can take us.

There are many vein finders out there, like the Transilluminator. You can also use a flashlight if you have some help from someone else. You can find a small flashlight with the LED lights. Once you have the tourniquet on, trace the flashlight over your arm or have a friend do it for you. After you find something you think you can easily hit, you want to press above the vein and hold the vein in place as you insert the needle. This is a good way to find veins and does not cost much either.

Here are a few tips that are practiced by nurses and ones that I have used in the past for years on adults, kids, and babies:

Don’t just look, feel:
Sometimes the very best veins the patient has to offer aren’t visible to the eye. If you get in the habit of simply looking for veins your going to miss some great pickins’. Start by getting in the habit of feeling the good veins that you can see. With a little time, you’ll learn to feel the ones that aren’t visible as well.

Use solid traction:
Once you’ve decided on the exact point of entry, get in the habit of placing a thumb a few inches distal to the site and pulling traction.

Use a shallow angle:
If you’re getting a brief flash in the chamber that stops before you have a chance to advance the needle, you’re probably inserting the needle at an improperly steep angle.
Some folks get the idea that they need to insert the needle at a 30 degree or even 45 degree angle. You’re not trying to dive bomb the vein there Red Barron. You’re trying to insert the needle tip within the vein.
Shallow out that angle. The closer the needle approximates the actual angle of the vein, the easier it will be to land the tip inside the vein where you want it.

Another tip is to stop squeezing your hand open and closed. It really does nothing. You stand a better chance at a finding a vein by having your arm hang down. This can be done by lying down and having your arm hang over the side of the bed.

Once you have missed a vein, pop the tourniquet right away. This will decrease the likely hood of bruising and the amount of swelling you may have. You want to move to the other arm when this happens.

Never try and inject under a site that has blown or is swollen. Try and inject above the site. So, it is best to start low and this way you can move up higher if you need to.

And of course, rotate, rotate, rotate! And a new needle each time if you can do this. If not, at least only use the same needle for the time you are injecting. When you go for another round a few hours later, use a new clean needle.

Believe it or not, each time you stick yourself, the needle gets a bit duller and with time, you will have a dull point that only causes more scarring of veins and tearing of surrounding tissues.

I hope this helps out for some of you. If you are new to injecting, read up on as much information as you can.
Here is a link to a manual many have found to be really good and helpful. I suggest to those new to injecting to read it.
http://harmreduction.org/drugs-and-drug-users/drug-tools/getting-off-right/

[CatMother]

candy, IMHO your post above should be a sticky somewhere.

[Duckfeet]

I had this one guy, in the V.A. hospital, who could always hit me, when drawing the countless blood samples they always want from me. Probably everybody who shoots up, has at least one nurse--after your veins are shot--that can do this. This guy would just do kind of like Candy suggests: didn't even look, but stood *behind* me, rather than in front, while I was sitting down. He'd keep me standing up, and just 'felt' my right forearm, and then kind of held it with his thump, and inserted the needle, amazing, every time...and I've nurses in their take more than one hit: one nurse took *four* misses before they called in another nurse, who on the fifth time, got it. But I watched the guy who was good, and he did that amazing: didn't seem to look, just 'felt' along my forearm and hit...didn't need a butterfly, like all the rest do, either...but when I feel, all I feel are bumps and muscle....all the good ones seem gone...

[at&t]

Dunno. I've often thought that lots of us on here would make the best Phlebotomists known to man-- if anyone is considering a career change.

put me down, though-- if we're still taking responses to a 6 year old survey, for 10+ tries before drawing blood...
IM *exclusively* now.... forget that shaking and bleeding and nose dripping eyes watering all but crying in frustration poking 108i493178378 places with no luck. And forget super tiny little hand veins that hurt for days and which explode halfway through anyway, or the Femoral so beloved of some of our more adventurous members, or etc/etc...

at&t

[ollieh]

When I was slamming dope there was no Internet and early on I learned the value of fresh works.

After a shot I would always trash it.
Normally I could always hit on the first poke.

I could lean over and put my knee right above my armpit and apply a bit off pressure and this was like tying off for me.

My habit was heavy for a few years and I have no track marks.
But I am not too sure about the insides cause my circulation is for shit in my arms, especially in the cold.

Wish I knew more about filtering dope when I started out.

[chemboy7]

Oh shit... someone voted on a dead poll. Tsk tsk tsk. The worst part is no one knows who to give the dunce cap to.

[QuittingTomorrow]

Chem, just for funzies you could give it to me...why not huh? just throw in a kazoo while you're at it :)

I'm not voting but one poke every time even in the dark....yea I'm the shit.

[chemboy7]

Chem, just for funzies you could give it to me...why not huh? just throw in a kazoo while you're at it :)

I'm not voting but one poke every time even in the dark....yea I'm the shit.

Don't drag me into your necros. I don't really care if it's for funzies or not...

Have your funzies with someone else man, I'm not interested... you're not my type.

[chemboy7]

Wow, that was rather mean of me. I apologize.