How to inject safely and store your medication

Getting ready to inject

Most GLP-1 medication comes as an injection you give yourself just under the skin. The technique is simple once you have done it once or twice, and your doctor or nurse will usually guide you through the first dose in person.

Start by washing your hands. Then check the medicine. It should look clear, and the label and expiry date should match what your pharmacist handed you. If the liquid is cloudy, discoloured or has floating bits, do not use it. Set out what you need before you begin: the pen or syringe, an alcohol swab, and a sharps container within easy reach.

Choosing where to inject

You inject into the fatty layer just under the skin, not into muscle. Three areas work well:

• The stomach, staying at least 5 cm away from your navel.
• The front of the thighs.
• The back of the upper arms, if someone can help you reach.

Rotate your site every time. Using the same spot week after week can leave hard lumps under the skin, and medicine absorbs less reliably from tissue that has been overused. Move to a fresh spot with each dose, and keep the new injection a few centimetres from the last one.

The injection itself

Wipe the skin with the swab and let it dry. Pinch a fold of skin if your doctor advised it, hold the pen at the angle you were shown, and press until the dose finishes. Many pens hold for a count of several seconds, so wait before you pull out. A small drop of blood afterwards is normal. Never share a pen or needle with anyone, even a family member on the same treatment.

Storing your medication

This class of treatment is sensitive to temperature. Keep unopened medication in the fridge at 2 to 8 degrees Celsius. The middle shelf is ideal. Do not let it touch the back wall, where it can freeze, and never put it in the freezer. Medicine that has frozen must be thrown away, even if it looks fine.

Once a pen is in use, the rules can differ by product. Some may sit at room temperature for a set number of days, while others must go straight back in the fridge. Follow the leaflet that came with your specific medicine, and ask your pharmacist if anything is unclear.

Keep the medication in its original box so it stays out of direct light, and store it well out of reach of children.

Load-shedding and travel

Power cuts are a real concern for a fridge-based medicine. A small cooler bag with ice bricks keeps your pen in range during longer outages, but do not let the pen rest directly against the ice. When you travel, carry it in a cool bag and keep it in your hand luggage rather than a hot boot or a checked case.

Getting rid of needles safely

Used needles are a hazard to everyone in the home, so never drop them loose into the household bin.

• Put each used needle or pen straight into a proper sharps container.
• If you do not have one yet, a thick, sealable plastic container works as a stopgap.
• When it is about three-quarters full, seal it and return it to a pharmacy or clinic that accepts sharps.

Before you begin

Results vary from person to person, and good technique is part of getting the most from treatment. This is general information and not medical advice. A doctor registered with the HPCSA decides whether this treatment suits you and shows you the exact method for your medicine.

If you are wondering whether you qualify, treatment is usually considered from a BMI of 30, or from 27 with a weight-related condition such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or sleep apnoea. A short assessment with a registered doctor is the place to start.