There are many reasons why injectables are preferred over oral steroids. Firstly, some of them are only available in the injectables; this is true for steroids and other hormones like HGH and HCG. Secondly, injectables are safer. Thirdly, injectables allow taking much higher dosages. Fourthly, they have excellent bioavailability, as they bypass first-pass metabolism. Finally, most injectables have a prolonged duration of action.

The above reasons should be enough for those living with needle phobia to understand that it is always good to prefer injectables.

Of course, taking injections does require some degree of expertise. After all, it is a medical procedure. Nonetheless, most of these concepts are pretty simple to understand. Below are some of the things to know about injectables.

To begin with, one needs to remember just two routes of using steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs: intramuscular and subcutaneous. Other routes are irrelevant or do not offer any benefit.

Intramuscular injection

It is the safest route, and injecting drugs into muscles is also pretty simple. The benefit of this route is also prolonged duration of action, as drugs or steroids can form the depot in the muscles.
Theoretically, one can inject steroids into just any muscle. But, it is always good to inject on larger skeletal muscles. Thus, the three most common sites for intramuscular injections are gluteal muscles (dorso-gluteal or ventrogluteal), thigh muscles, and shoulder or deltoid muscles.

When it comes to hips or gluteal muscles, one can divide hips into four quadrants, and the outer/lateral upper quadrant is the safest place to inject.

Similarly, in the thighs, inject only in the lower half where the muscle is thickest and towards the outer or lateral side to avoid pricking any large artery or nerve.

One important thing to know is about rotation. Everyone has two hips, thighs, and shoulders. Thus, there is enough place for rotation. Rotation is vital as injectables cause local irritation, some damage to the muscles, and the formation of connective tissues. Thus, one may inject the first week in the right buttock, next, in a left buttock. After that, one can keep using only the buttocks as an injection site if using a weekly dose.

In the case of more frequent dosing, one may use sites like shoulders and thighs. However, it is vital to understand that the choice of the site may also depend on the focus of physical training. For example, if you are training legs in a particular month, it may be better to avoid thighs.

Subcutaneous route

It is relatively simple as there are many sites. These drugs are injected into the fat tissues just below the skin. Subcutaneous drugs rarely cause any severe side effects. Most of the peptides like HGH or HCG are taken subcutaneously. Additionally, subcutaneous needles are thinner and cause less local trauma, and many may not even feel a prick.

Some of the sites to consider for subcutaneous injections are the abdomen, outer or lateral part of thighs, and lateral part of the upper arm.

Steroids should not be injected into veins, as oil-based steroids may cause fatal complications. Even water-based steroids should not be injected into veins, as it would result in a much shorter duration of action. Similarly, the intradermal route is rarely needed when using performance-enhancing drugs.

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