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Primal Zone
May 31, 2026 8:30:49 AM
2 min read
Your medication has arrived, and it's time for your first injection. Feeling a bit nervous is completely normal. Almost everyone is before their first one. The honest truth is that it looks harder than it is, and once you've done it once you'll wonder what the worry was about.
This is your simple step-by-step guide, written and checked by our Australian doctors. Take your time, follow each step, and you'll be fine. Your prescription tells you the parts that are specific to you, like your dose, your needle, and whether it goes into muscle or under the skin. And if you're ever unsure, your care team is one message away.
Draw the dose
Wipe the vial top with an alcohol pad. Pull air into the syringe equal to your dose, then inject the air into the vial — this prevents a vacuum.
Invert the vial and slowly draw your prescribed dose. Tap to release any air bubbles, then push them back into the vial before disconnecting.
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Prep the site
Wipe the injection site in a single outward circular motion with a fresh alcohol pad. Let it air-dry for 10–15 seconds — injecting wet pads will sting..png?width=1536&height=1024&name=ChatGPT%20Image%20May%2020%2c%202026%2c%2002_35_04%20PM%20(2).png)
Inject
Insert the needle at the angle your prescriber specified — 90° for intramuscular, 45° for subcutaneous. Push the plunger slowly and steadily, around 10 seconds per mL.
Keep the needle in for a few seconds after the dose is delivered to stop backflow.
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Withdraw and dispose
Remove the needle at the same angle, press gauze over the site for 30 seconds. Drop the entire syringe and needle straight into the sharps container — do not recap.
Log the date, dose, and site in your tracker so you can rotate sites cleanly next time.
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Message the care team if: redness is spreading, there's a hot or painful lump, swelling, a fever within two days, or you think you've used the wrong dose or vial. Get in touch before your next injection rather than pushing on. And if you ever just want a hand or some reassurance, we're genuinely happy to talk you through it. The first one is the hardest part, and you've got everything you need to do it well. You've got this.