Instructions for Injecting Oneself with Semaglutide or Tirzepatide
- First, choose your injection site.
- The ideal injection site would be one where you could “pinch an inch,” ensuring that you have a layer of fat between skin and muscle (subcutaneous tissue).
- The areas of the body that consist of subcutaneous tissue are:
- Outer area of the upper arm
- Outer area of the upper thighs
- Buttocks
- The entire stomach, except for the belly button
- Make sure to use a different site for each injection, at least 2 inches from your previous injection.
- You may journal the injection sites to make sure you do not have any repeats.
- Once you choose your injection site, use one of the alcohol swabs provided and clean the injection site and about 2 inches around it.
- Allow the site to dry for about 15 seconds, but do not blow or fan the site.
- Without pressing on the plunger, remove the red cap from the syringe by twisting in a counterclockwise motion and attach one of the new needles provided to you in a clockwise motion.
- Pinch about 1-2 inches of skin between your thumb and index finger.
- To inject:
- Hold the syringe between your index and middle fingers.
- Place your thumb on the plunger on the back of the needle.
- Insert the needle between 45-90 degrees to your skin until it is fully covered by skin.
- Press down on the plunger slowly until the medication is fully administered.
- Immediately deposit the entire syringe into the sharps container provided.
- Do NOT try to recap the needle.
7. Hold a new alcohol swab to the injected site.
8. Apply an adhesive bandage to the injection site.
9. Once the sharps container is full, gently press on the lid to lock the container.
10. You may bring it into the office or deposit it at a commercial pharmacy to dispose of the needles properly. Needles can NOT be thrown away in the trash.Here is an example of proper sharps disposal in the Los Angeles area: https://dpw.lacounty.gov/epd/hhw/Sharps:
