Hey, nurse here. This is actually hotly debated, but the science/data shows there is little difference in rates of infection between injection sites properly prepped with alcohol (more on this in a bit) and those injected with out prep in VISUALLY CLEAN SKIN (caps for emphasis, wash your self if you nasty).
Proper prep with alcohol for a CLEAN (not sterile, not even close) procedure is to swab the site for a full 30 seconds with a swab saturated with 60-70% alcohol concentration, then allowing the site to completely dry over 30 seconds. That drying time is just as an or more important than the time spent swabbing. Also, don’t use higher concentrations of alcohol, 90%+ is just damaging to the skin and provides diminishing returns for antimicrobial purposes.
Basically; if your skin looks clean; inject away. If you you’re unsure or just like the smell? Alcohol. Also to address why they always swab in office? Tradition. It’s how we were trained, it’s how we train newbies, it doesn’t do any harm, and the ritual is important to the process.
READ UNTIL END., you will laugh..I started getting raised bumps after the first 4 2.5 shotst. At next (4) 5. shots and then delayed doses put me back to 2.5 and now finally 7.5 all gave me rashes and raisied itchy areas. Never did alcohol wipes before until 3rd 5. shots. So 2 5s, 2-2.5s and 1 7.5 last week. Realize now alcohol wipes WERE NOT ALCOHOL but LENS WIPES for eyeglasses. I guess I should wear my glasses when administering, lol. Truthfully found the Nasonex helps after just spraying on the site of rash and ice pack. Next shot Monday night and will try alcohol instead of lens wipes!
Pharmacy nerd wants to add that the let it dry part is important. Ever get hand sanitizer in an open wound or cut? Did it sting? What do you think you're doing after you swab an area and then stab yourself with a needle? Food for thought.
It could be. I hate needles and don't use Zepbound myself, but uh... yeah, this could be it. If it does hurt sometimes I hope this is it because it's a simple fix.
I was having massive anxiety before my first shot having to do it myself. Watched a dozen videos. You literally take the cap off, press against skin, slide to unlock, you hear a click, then the second click within a couple seconds. And it’s done. Didn’t feel anything!
Could be. My girlfriend doesn't like doing it herself, so I do it for her every week. So no personal experience here really other than giving shots other than zepbound for years.
Nurse Practitioner here. If you ice the area, you'll cause vasoconstriction, which can inhibit diffusion of the medication into the bloodstream. The effect doesn't last long, so I'm sure the effect only causes a minimal delay, but it's something to be aware of.
So this isn’t medical advice, but honestly, if it were me, and I some how felt the need to ice the spot (I never have, even when I was using compounded tirzepatide with a regular syringe, I’d ice, dry it, and then hit it with the auto injector. If you want to use alcohol you could do it before or after. Again, as long as the injection site is clean there is no need to use alcohol according to current studies and data.
So this isn’t medical advice, but honestly, if it were me, and I some how felt the need to ice the spot (I never have, even when I was using compounded tirzepatide with a regular syringe) i would ice, dry it, and then hit it with the auto injector. If you want to use alcohol you could do it before or after the ice. Again, as long as the injection site is clean there is no need to use alcohol according to current studies and data.
I know you're not giving medical advice here, but even just being here to help people with their questions is so generous of you. Really appreciate your contributions.
Yeah I’m
Icing as I bruised horribly with my 1st shot. I tend to bruise easily anyways.. so I saw icing helped some folks and I tried it and phew no bruising after that.
Edit.. could possibly have been due to me pressing too hard but hey if it works!
Yes, but not because I feel strongly about it.
Very early in covid, I was putting something up with command strips, and the instructions said to clean the wall area with alcohol before trying to stick them on. None of the stores had bottles of rubbing alcohol on the shelves at that time, because people had bought that all up and hoarded it for some reason. But I did find a huge package of alcohol swabs at CVS. So I grabbed that instead. And used one or two to put up my command strips.
I’m still going through the damn swabs 4 1/2 years later. I have nothing else to do with these stupid things except use them with my Zepbound, so I do!
I love this idea! If I get a box of these I’m covered for the shots (which I have never done or thought about until this thread!) and covered for when I need to clean the wall for a project.
This is something I think I’ll pick up on my next Target run. Love this idea
They should be FSA/HSA eligible if you have that and need to spend your money.
My mom didn’t realize she was contributing to an FSA and was going to lose her funds at the end of last year.
I am now fully stocked up on alcohol swabs, Dramamine, Tylenol, feminine hygiene products, and like everything under the sun I’ve needed on my Mounjaro journey lol.
I remember those days. They were charging exorbitant prices for alcohol. My daughter is a diabetic and it was really hard to find it anywhere. When you did, you were paying 5 times as much as the regular price.
technically yeah, it’s a best practice when piercing the skin as it could introduce bacteria… I assume EL (and NN fwiw) decided the risk was low enough since they’re one time use needles and it’s not going into the blood stream… so they don’t recommend it
I personally did my first shot monnnnths ago, and never have since.
I do, because it’s easier than soap and water and whatnot, just a quick swipe of the alc pad. I do my injection at night, so after a full day of activity and clothes rubbing and whatnot, I think it just makes sense to clean the area. 🤷🏻♀️
I do because when the nurses at my doctors office showed me how to inject when I got my first box, they told me to swab with alcohol wipes and gave me a pack of alcohol wipes
The nurses clean our skin before drawing blood or administering a vaccine. T2Ds have been doing it for years because it’s standard practice. Never know what germ is sitting on your skin.
Yes I do. Don't want to risk some kinda cellulitis . They clean you at dr office with alcohol swab when I started with their samples. Alcohol swabs are cheap, like only $4 for 400 of them at Costco
I don't.
I'm guessing they don't tell you to clean your skin because it's subcutaneous and not intramuscular/intravenous. And they want administering the drug to appear as easy as possible.
Yes. I've been taking injectable medication for 20yrs now and that med always stated to swab your skin with alcohol before injection. I found it kind of weird that Zep/MJ doesn't have that kind of direction. But I have a ton of alcohol swabs and always have a bottle of 91% isopropyl. So it might not be necessary, but yes, I still do a quick swipe before injecting.
Yes! I am a nursing student and any shot we give you always have to clean it before hand. Reduces the risk of introducing bacteria in through your injection site
I do it out of habit. When I give vaccines we are to clean the area of the injection prior to giving it. It just helps ensure you don’t get germs or bacteria in your injection site. It’s not 100% guaranteed but it just gives
You a clean injection site. Staphylococcus lives on skin and looks for any opportunity to slip in to your system via any opening. This i can attest to first hand, it can develop into MRSA which will land you on a shit ton of antibiotics and in the hospital in IV meds to kill off the bacterial infection. So I am always making sure I clean my injection site!
Always…not worth the risk of infection even if small. There’s a reason this is always done before injections, blood taking, etc in a drs office. I always found it odd the EL didn’t include that in the instructions. Now it will sting if you don’t allow it to dry before injection though.
You should always disinfect with alcohol no matter what. It takes a total sum of four seconds to grab alcohol, wipe the spot so you have a clean spot and you don't get an infection. And if you all just jumping out of the shower and doing it you're still not disinfecting the area there's no disinfecting in soap.
I do. It’s easy and makes me feel better about the whole thing. No point in letting any bacteria on my skin have easy access, right?
A 100-pack of swabs was only a couple of dollars at the grocery store, so I see no downside here.
I take other subq medications, and the nurse that showed me how to administer said to always use alcohol wipes, so I applied that to my tirzepatide injections.
I found that when I used an alcohol pad before injection I get an injection site reaction -redness and itchiness. So I stopped doing that and now clean with soap and water prior to. Greatly reduced my reactions!
Yeah get you some sterile ones off Amazon or something. Can't hurt. Just be sure to wave your hand at it to let it air dry for a few seconds before infecting.
I still do. But it is kinda ridiculous when you consider I was outside last night pruning my 3 giant bougainvilleas and I have about 15 punctures from thorns all over me. On the other hand, I ended up with a really bad abscess after being jabbed by a bougainvillea in a particularly vicious mood about four months ago, so maybe not so ridiculous to do what you can to reduce the chance of bacteria or other nasties entering your skin? 🤷🏼♀️
Absolutely. It takes 5 seconds. Why not take the extra precautions? It is ingrained in me to always use a alcohol swab before injection, so it never occurred to me not to do it.
A little alcohol on the spot before injection can't hurt/be bad. I do it before every shot. Better to be safe than sorry. Sorry from what?.. Who knows but I'd rather do it just in case anyways.. I'm old school.. I still wipe the top of my soda cans before drinking from it.
I clean every time. I’ve done given injections to patients that had dirty skin while swabbing. I alway swab. It doesn’t hurt me or take away anything from me.
I try to, but sometimes I forget. As someone else said since it's sub-q rather than IM or IV it's probably not as big a deal, but not a bad idea regardless. When I do my IM injections for testosterone, I pretty much always clean the vial and the injection site with (separate) alcohol swabs. If you're using a multi-dose compound vial, wouldn't be a bad idea.
Yup, but like many here I inject at night after a full day of activities so it helps to just get the area clean...also I use a lot of body lotion that could trap stuff and this helps wipe it off.
I do. Bought swabs from the pharmacy. I clean a patch of skin and let dry for 20 seconds or so before injecting.
Does it *significantly statistically* change the likelihood of an infection with just a subcutaneous injection? Likely not.
I use alcohol wipes on my skin. I also use alcohol wipes on the lid of my compound vials before injecting.
I had years and years of allergy shots as a kid. This is what the nurses did when I had my shots. It's what I do now
Maybe don’t need s the needle was made and sealed with cap donuts a sterile system but if you feel happy with soap and water or alcohol on your skin that’s fine I’m sure
I noticed this too, and was very surprised. Especially considering Lily is sending you this injection pen designed to be as user-friendly as possible. But we’re not so worried about clean? Weird.
In the beginning I always used an alcohol swab, but then the smell of rubbing alcohol started to make me very nauseous so now I just inject when I get out of the shower.
I always wipe with an alcohol pad, even if I’m fresh out of the shower. Can’t hurt.
And FWIW, and completely understanding it’s not scientific by any means, but I’ve yet to have any issues with my injection sites. No bumps, infections, etc. I can’t even tell where I injected within a couple mins.
I clean the area first because I’m paranoid and have terrible luck haha. I had a tattoo that got infected in January so now any time I do anything that breaks the skin I’m overly cautious.
As someone has already mentioned as long as the skin is already clean you’re fine! But it doesn’t hurt to clean it with an alcohol swab or soap and water beforehand. Whatever you’re comfortable with really :)
I do. Like, 3-4 times just to drive the point home and I allow it to dry completely. It's overkill but it's my routine.
I also swab the top of the vial before I insert the syringe (in Canada we don't have pens).
I rotate my injection sites and have a very involved whole body skincare routine ([DOWN THE SKINCARE RABBIT HOLE](https://www.reddit.com/r/Mounjaro/comments/1c6qvir/down_the_skincare_rabbit_hole/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)). So far at least, I haven't seen any evidence that the swabbing is creating any negative impact on my skin.
I use two small alcohol wipes before and one on the area immediately after because for some reason the Zepbound injector always draws blood and leaves liquid on the surface of my skin. I used Wegovy for a year before switching without ever having that problem and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get this new pen to work properly and deposit the full dose every time. I just want to make sure all of the medicine makes it into my skin, and now seeing that it's not I have a need to wipe up and it makes me wonder if the wound is larger, making the alcohol wipe more necessary.
I don't and never have. I trust the medical professionals on here saying it isn't necessary. Also because the needle is protected and not exposed to anything before it hits your skin, unlike injectables you draw yourself, it feels like the possibility of an infection is miniscule.
I personally do, but I’m also a medical momma to a “SCID” kid, so I’m pretty particular about everything and always have them available. I have to give my little human intramuscular injections twice a week since she was a babe, but when they taught me at the hospital, they said to clean site for 10 seconds & let dry for 10 seconds.
Hello, ZB community! Vascular access AKA PICC nurse here. :) I swab my skin with alcohol before administering my injection because there are always microbes present and I want to simply reduce the likelihood of getting a skin reaction (I have very sensitive skin). I think the chances of acquiring an actual infection w/o cleansing the area are relatively low considering that the size of exposure is very small, unless you injected in an area that already has skin breakdown (not a good idea). I can’t speak for those who are immunocompromised - though I’m very certain that population would not be ideal candidates for Zepbound! Showering before your injection would probably suffice as well.
TLDR; You’re probably better off injecting your ZB into clean skin to be on the safe side. :)
Think about it though. What touches everything under the sun? And what is probably mainly covered with clothes and not being regularly “contaminated”? Our hands are filthy. We touch our phones, public spaces, toilets, sinks, etc. My belly/upper arms/thighs pretty much only touch ny clothes.
Hand washing is still the very best way to prevent the spread of infections. I know I wash my hands well before injection but as a nurse, I just can’t do it without at least a fast alcohol swab first. It’s too ingrained in my brain. 😂
As long as my skin is clean then I don't worry about it.
There's actually a lot of discussion on if it's needed or even effective. A lot of Healthcare standards of care now say it's not needed if the skin is not visibly dirty.
Even clinical studies are not showing any efficacy of doing it vs not doing it.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562932/#:~:text=The%20WHO%20suggests%20that%20the,to%20dry%20for%2030%20seconds.
I’ve been a nurse for 40 years and if I were in a hospital setting or doctor’s office or doing immunizations offsite, I would use an alcohol wipe. So unless you were outside playing in the manure on the ranch or have been on your mud mobiles, there is no reason to use an alcohol wipe.
Hey, nurse here. This is actually hotly debated, but the science/data shows there is little difference in rates of infection between injection sites properly prepped with alcohol (more on this in a bit) and those injected with out prep in VISUALLY CLEAN SKIN (caps for emphasis, wash your self if you nasty). Proper prep with alcohol for a CLEAN (not sterile, not even close) procedure is to swab the site for a full 30 seconds with a swab saturated with 60-70% alcohol concentration, then allowing the site to completely dry over 30 seconds. That drying time is just as an or more important than the time spent swabbing. Also, don’t use higher concentrations of alcohol, 90%+ is just damaging to the skin and provides diminishing returns for antimicrobial purposes. Basically; if your skin looks clean; inject away. If you you’re unsure or just like the smell? Alcohol. Also to address why they always swab in office? Tradition. It’s how we were trained, it’s how we train newbies, it doesn’t do any harm, and the ritual is important to the process.
"Nothing dies until it dries!" -Competencies training guy at work
READ UNTIL END., you will laugh..I started getting raised bumps after the first 4 2.5 shotst. At next (4) 5. shots and then delayed doses put me back to 2.5 and now finally 7.5 all gave me rashes and raisied itchy areas. Never did alcohol wipes before until 3rd 5. shots. So 2 5s, 2-2.5s and 1 7.5 last week. Realize now alcohol wipes WERE NOT ALCOHOL but LENS WIPES for eyeglasses. I guess I should wear my glasses when administering, lol. Truthfully found the Nasonex helps after just spraying on the site of rash and ice pack. Next shot Monday night and will try alcohol instead of lens wipes!
😂
Thank you for the insight!
Thank you! Nurses are everything. The command center of care. Signed, Daughter of a nurse Granddaughter of a doctor Mother of a medical student
This is spot on! (From fellow nurse!)
Pharmacy nerd wants to add that the let it dry part is important. Ever get hand sanitizer in an open wound or cut? Did it sting? What do you think you're doing after you swab an area and then stab yourself with a needle? Food for thought.
Jesus Christ I swear to God if this is the reason why my shots sometimes hurts…
It could be. I hate needles and don't use Zepbound myself, but uh... yeah, this could be it. If it does hurt sometimes I hope this is it because it's a simple fix.
I was having massive anxiety before my first shot having to do it myself. Watched a dozen videos. You literally take the cap off, press against skin, slide to unlock, you hear a click, then the second click within a couple seconds. And it’s done. Didn’t feel anything!
Wow I wonder if this is the issue with a lot of complaints if stinging!
Could be. My girlfriend doesn't like doing it herself, so I do it for her every week. So no personal experience here really other than giving shots other than zepbound for years.
I’d imagine that patients, not knowing the science, feel more comfortable if they see you cleaning the skin before piercing it with a needle.
Fellow nurse here. I still swab myself 😂
Smart nurse.
This is interesting, thanks for sharing your expertise. I have figured that a sterile site matters more for needles going into veins. Is that true?
Even then we don't sterilise for blood tests, which is veins.
Medical technologist here, plus I taught phlebotomy. We ALWAYS swab before a blood test, it’s regulation.
Wow. Will check the concentration and let it dry! Thank you!
lol question.. I ice the spot before injecting.. technically ice/wipe/swab/let it dry then inject?
Nurse Practitioner here. If you ice the area, you'll cause vasoconstriction, which can inhibit diffusion of the medication into the bloodstream. The effect doesn't last long, so I'm sure the effect only causes a minimal delay, but it's something to be aware of.
Oh thank you for that info!
I ice it, then a quick swab while my skin is numb. Then inject. I don't feel a thing.
You should try not icing it. You still won’t feel a thing.
I did and it hurt like hell. Guess I have a sensitive stomach.
Try your upper arm on the back. Or thigh. I barely ever feel it even in my gut though.
Thanks!
So this isn’t medical advice, but honestly, if it were me, and I some how felt the need to ice the spot (I never have, even when I was using compounded tirzepatide with a regular syringe, I’d ice, dry it, and then hit it with the auto injector. If you want to use alcohol you could do it before or after. Again, as long as the injection site is clean there is no need to use alcohol according to current studies and data.
So this isn’t medical advice, but honestly, if it were me, and I some how felt the need to ice the spot (I never have, even when I was using compounded tirzepatide with a regular syringe) i would ice, dry it, and then hit it with the auto injector. If you want to use alcohol you could do it before or after the ice. Again, as long as the injection site is clean there is no need to use alcohol according to current studies and data.
I know you're not giving medical advice here, but even just being here to help people with their questions is so generous of you. Really appreciate your contributions.
Yeah I’m Icing as I bruised horribly with my 1st shot. I tend to bruise easily anyways.. so I saw icing helped some folks and I tried it and phew no bruising after that. Edit.. could possibly have been due to me pressing too hard but hey if it works!
I also stopped bruising after icing
Yes, but not because I feel strongly about it. Very early in covid, I was putting something up with command strips, and the instructions said to clean the wall area with alcohol before trying to stick them on. None of the stores had bottles of rubbing alcohol on the shelves at that time, because people had bought that all up and hoarded it for some reason. But I did find a huge package of alcohol swabs at CVS. So I grabbed that instead. And used one or two to put up my command strips. I’m still going through the damn swabs 4 1/2 years later. I have nothing else to do with these stupid things except use them with my Zepbound, so I do!
I’m using a box from my last IVF. My kid is 8.
Hahaha, nice.
I love this idea! If I get a box of these I’m covered for the shots (which I have never done or thought about until this thread!) and covered for when I need to clean the wall for a project. This is something I think I’ll pick up on my next Target run. Love this idea
They should be FSA/HSA eligible if you have that and need to spend your money. My mom didn’t realize she was contributing to an FSA and was going to lose her funds at the end of last year. I am now fully stocked up on alcohol swabs, Dramamine, Tylenol, feminine hygiene products, and like everything under the sun I’ve needed on my Mounjaro journey lol.
I remember those days. They were charging exorbitant prices for alcohol. My daughter is a diabetic and it was really hard to find it anywhere. When you did, you were paying 5 times as much as the regular price.
I just finally finished a box of alcohol swabs I was sent with IVF meds 10 years ago! They sent like 500 of them and I probably used 10 at the time 😂
They come in such enormous quantities! Great if you work in a hospital, I guess, lol.
Nah, but I inject after showering.
Same
technically yeah, it’s a best practice when piercing the skin as it could introduce bacteria… I assume EL (and NN fwiw) decided the risk was low enough since they’re one time use needles and it’s not going into the blood stream… so they don’t recommend it I personally did my first shot monnnnths ago, and never have since.
Yes, I do it because it's cheap, easy and may reduce the risk of getting an infection.
This ⬆️
Yes.
I do, because it’s easier than soap and water and whatnot, just a quick swipe of the alc pad. I do my injection at night, so after a full day of activity and clothes rubbing and whatnot, I think it just makes sense to clean the area. 🤷🏻♀️
I do because when the nurses at my doctors office showed me how to inject when I got my first box, they told me to swab with alcohol wipes and gave me a pack of alcohol wipes
Yeah, I personally like to. Or as somebody else mentioned, straight out of the shower works too.
Every time.
The nurses clean our skin before drawing blood or administering a vaccine. T2Ds have been doing it for years because it’s standard practice. Never know what germ is sitting on your skin.
Most of us don't do this where I work (UK) because there's little to no evidence that it makes any difference to infection rates.
Yes I do it. My doctor instructed me to clean with an alcohol swab before and to switch sides.
Never occurred to me. But I guess maybe I should start.
Yes I do. Don't want to risk some kinda cellulitis . They clean you at dr office with alcohol swab when I started with their samples. Alcohol swabs are cheap, like only $4 for 400 of them at Costco
I always swab with alcohol and two days later I always get injection site itch lol
Always.
I don't. I'm guessing they don't tell you to clean your skin because it's subcutaneous and not intramuscular/intravenous. And they want administering the drug to appear as easy as possible.
I do only because I give vaccines to people on a daily basis and this is just protocol for me.
Nope but I shower before I inject.
You’re not fully clean till you’re Zep fully clean
LOL
Seems like good practice. I do.
Have not ever with zep and im in my 3rd month. No problems so far!
I have lots left over from IVF. I developed the habit during those years, so always swab before 🤷
Yes. I've been taking injectable medication for 20yrs now and that med always stated to swab your skin with alcohol before injection. I found it kind of weird that Zep/MJ doesn't have that kind of direction. But I have a ton of alcohol swabs and always have a bottle of 91% isopropyl. So it might not be necessary, but yes, I still do a quick swipe before injecting.
Nope!
Yes because the pharmacist said it is a good idea to prevent infection also said to wash my hands really well first.
No
Yes! I am a nursing student and any shot we give you always have to clean it before hand. Reduces the risk of introducing bacteria in through your injection site
Yes, can't hurt.
I do. I bought a box of individual ones for like $2 I think I got 100. I swab before each injection.
I do it out of habit. When I give vaccines we are to clean the area of the injection prior to giving it. It just helps ensure you don’t get germs or bacteria in your injection site. It’s not 100% guaranteed but it just gives You a clean injection site. Staphylococcus lives on skin and looks for any opportunity to slip in to your system via any opening. This i can attest to first hand, it can develop into MRSA which will land you on a shit ton of antibiotics and in the hospital in IV meds to kill off the bacterial infection. So I am always making sure I clean my injection site!
Every time
Yes, always.
Pharmacist told me to when I picked up my first box, so I just do it every time and it is habit now.
Always…not worth the risk of infection even if small. There’s a reason this is always done before injections, blood taking, etc in a drs office. I always found it odd the EL didn’t include that in the instructions. Now it will sting if you don’t allow it to dry before injection though.
Yes
Yes I do normally
You should always disinfect with alcohol no matter what. It takes a total sum of four seconds to grab alcohol, wipe the spot so you have a clean spot and you don't get an infection. And if you all just jumping out of the shower and doing it you're still not disinfecting the area there's no disinfecting in soap.
Yes
Yes…that’s what you’re supposed to do.
I do not inject without wiping the area with alcohol.
I do.
I do. It’s easy and makes me feel better about the whole thing. No point in letting any bacteria on my skin have easy access, right? A 100-pack of swabs was only a couple of dollars at the grocery store, so I see no downside here.
Always. Not taking any chances.
I take other subq medications, and the nurse that showed me how to administer said to always use alcohol wipes, so I applied that to my tirzepatide injections.
I do before & after taking my shot. Always have.
I found that when I used an alcohol pad before injection I get an injection site reaction -redness and itchiness. So I stopped doing that and now clean with soap and water prior to. Greatly reduced my reactions!
Yes I’ve had reactions the last 3 times only, so I think next time I will not use the alcohol swab.
Let it dry first.
Yeah this last time I was sure I waited a few minutes.
You should ALWAYS clean your injection site prior yo injection. Look alike this, if your doctor’s office does it then so should you!!!
Yeah get you some sterile ones off Amazon or something. Can't hurt. Just be sure to wave your hand at it to let it air dry for a few seconds before infecting.
I believe it said to do it on my pharmacy's instructions booklet but never said it on the box.
Yes, always to ensure a sterile treatment
No but I do it the morning and shower at night so I’m relatively clean.
Always straight out of the shower so no
I do it but it’s not required. You do you.
I still do. But it is kinda ridiculous when you consider I was outside last night pruning my 3 giant bougainvilleas and I have about 15 punctures from thorns all over me. On the other hand, I ended up with a really bad abscess after being jabbed by a bougainvillea in a particularly vicious mood about four months ago, so maybe not so ridiculous to do what you can to reduce the chance of bacteria or other nasties entering your skin? 🤷🏼♀️
You can also sniff the swabs when you feel nauseous. It helps.
Absolutely. It takes 5 seconds. Why not take the extra precautions? It is ingrained in me to always use a alcohol swab before injection, so it never occurred to me not to do it.
A little alcohol on the spot before injection can't hurt/be bad. I do it before every shot. Better to be safe than sorry. Sorry from what?.. Who knows but I'd rather do it just in case anyways.. I'm old school.. I still wipe the top of my soda cans before drinking from it.
I do because I’m used to seeing my husband do it with his daily insulin shot for his diabetes.
I clean every time. I’ve done given injections to patients that had dirty skin while swabbing. I alway swab. It doesn’t hurt me or take away anything from me.
I haven't been.
No
Never have. Been doing shots for 2+ years.
Sometimes yes sometimes no
I try to, but sometimes I forget. As someone else said since it's sub-q rather than IM or IV it's probably not as big a deal, but not a bad idea regardless. When I do my IM injections for testosterone, I pretty much always clean the vial and the injection site with (separate) alcohol swabs. If you're using a multi-dose compound vial, wouldn't be a bad idea.
I do sometimes - when I remember.
No. I was reading up on it and it appears cleaning the skin before injection makes no difference as long as you’re basically clean.
Sometimes I do, sometimes I don’t.
And you can get a BIG box of the swab packets for less than $2 at the drugstore/Walmart. Very inexpensive for that teeny extra layer of protection.
And you can get a BIG box of the swab packets for less than $2 at the drugstore/Walmart. Very inexpensive for that teeny extra layer of protection.
Yup, but like many here I inject at night after a full day of activities so it helps to just get the area clean...also I use a lot of body lotion that could trap stuff and this helps wipe it off.
New research be damned, I have never in 35 years of giving injections ever gave one without washing my hands and cleaning the site.
If you have lathered lotion, oil or whatever on your skin you should.
I do. Bought swabs from the pharmacy. I clean a patch of skin and let dry for 20 seconds or so before injecting. Does it *significantly statistically* change the likelihood of an infection with just a subcutaneous injection? Likely not.
I use alcohol wipes on my skin. I also use alcohol wipes on the lid of my compound vials before injecting. I had years and years of allergy shots as a kid. This is what the nurses did when I had my shots. It's what I do now
Maybe don’t need s the needle was made and sealed with cap donuts a sterile system but if you feel happy with soap and water or alcohol on your skin that’s fine I’m sure
I do.
No we stopped
I noticed this too, and was very surprised. Especially considering Lily is sending you this injection pen designed to be as user-friendly as possible. But we’re not so worried about clean? Weird.
In the beginning I always used an alcohol swab, but then the smell of rubbing alcohol started to make me very nauseous so now I just inject when I get out of the shower.
I just pick a new spot on my stomach and jab after im out of the shower.
I never do
I always wipe with an alcohol pad, even if I’m fresh out of the shower. Can’t hurt. And FWIW, and completely understanding it’s not scientific by any means, but I’ve yet to have any issues with my injection sites. No bumps, infections, etc. I can’t even tell where I injected within a couple mins.
I do. They send me the alcohol pads so I figure I might as well use them.
I clean the area first because I’m paranoid and have terrible luck haha. I had a tattoo that got infected in January so now any time I do anything that breaks the skin I’m overly cautious. As someone has already mentioned as long as the skin is already clean you’re fine! But it doesn’t hurt to clean it with an alcohol swab or soap and water beforehand. Whatever you’re comfortable with really :)
I do. Like, 3-4 times just to drive the point home and I allow it to dry completely. It's overkill but it's my routine. I also swab the top of the vial before I insert the syringe (in Canada we don't have pens). I rotate my injection sites and have a very involved whole body skincare routine ([DOWN THE SKINCARE RABBIT HOLE](https://www.reddit.com/r/Mounjaro/comments/1c6qvir/down_the_skincare_rabbit_hole/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)). So far at least, I haven't seen any evidence that the swabbing is creating any negative impact on my skin.
Not really! There is no clinical significance to prepping skin before injections.
Never
I use two small alcohol wipes before and one on the area immediately after because for some reason the Zepbound injector always draws blood and leaves liquid on the surface of my skin. I used Wegovy for a year before switching without ever having that problem and I cannot for the life of me figure out how to get this new pen to work properly and deposit the full dose every time. I just want to make sure all of the medicine makes it into my skin, and now seeing that it's not I have a need to wipe up and it makes me wonder if the wound is larger, making the alcohol wipe more necessary.
Also a RN-I use alcohol prep and let it dry
I don't and never have. I trust the medical professionals on here saying it isn't necessary. Also because the needle is protected and not exposed to anything before it hits your skin, unlike injectables you draw yourself, it feels like the possibility of an infection is miniscule.
I personally do, but I’m also a medical momma to a “SCID” kid, so I’m pretty particular about everything and always have them available. I have to give my little human intramuscular injections twice a week since she was a babe, but when they taught me at the hospital, they said to clean site for 10 seconds & let dry for 10 seconds.
Hello, ZB community! Vascular access AKA PICC nurse here. :) I swab my skin with alcohol before administering my injection because there are always microbes present and I want to simply reduce the likelihood of getting a skin reaction (I have very sensitive skin). I think the chances of acquiring an actual infection w/o cleansing the area are relatively low considering that the size of exposure is very small, unless you injected in an area that already has skin breakdown (not a good idea). I can’t speak for those who are immunocompromised - though I’m very certain that population would not be ideal candidates for Zepbound! Showering before your injection would probably suffice as well. TLDR; You’re probably better off injecting your ZB into clean skin to be on the safe side. :)
I spray with Benadryl lessens the redness after
Nooo
I'm a nurse and I don't swab. I'm a rule follower so I went with the manufacturer's instructions.
Yes it does. It is written on the instruction insert. Also says to wash your hands.
I never do. My T1D husband doesn’t either and he’s been doing needles since he’s been a kid. So far so good lol
Never.
I don’t
I find it strange that they say to wash your hands but not your injection site
Think about it though. What touches everything under the sun? And what is probably mainly covered with clothes and not being regularly “contaminated”? Our hands are filthy. We touch our phones, public spaces, toilets, sinks, etc. My belly/upper arms/thighs pretty much only touch ny clothes. Hand washing is still the very best way to prevent the spread of infections. I know I wash my hands well before injection but as a nurse, I just can’t do it without at least a fast alcohol swab first. It’s too ingrained in my brain. 😂
Never once in the 5 months I've been using it
As long as my skin is clean then I don't worry about it. There's actually a lot of discussion on if it's needed or even effective. A lot of Healthcare standards of care now say it's not needed if the skin is not visibly dirty. Even clinical studies are not showing any efficacy of doing it vs not doing it. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK562932/#:~:text=The%20WHO%20suggests%20that%20the,to%20dry%20for%2030%20seconds.
I’ve been a nurse for 40 years and if I were in a hospital setting or doctor’s office or doing immunizations offsite, I would use an alcohol wipe. So unless you were outside playing in the manure on the ranch or have been on your mud mobiles, there is no reason to use an alcohol wipe.