Can'T Draw HCG Into Syringe

I have a weird problem when drawing HCG. I reconstitute my HCG with 2000 of lyophilized powder and 1ml of sterile water. I inject the water into the vile the powder is in, and then just draw from that same vile for injections. My problem is that after 2 or 3 injections, I can no longer draw anything up from the vile, its so weird. Im fine for the first three injections but after that I cannot pull anything into the syringe. I am using a 1ml syrine with a 1/2 inch needle.

You’re using new syringes each time, right?

If you have never let air into the vials, and if (as preferably is the case) the vials still had a vacuum when you received them, then a vacuum inside your syringe will do nothing to draw from the vial. No difference in pressure.

Try inserting the plunger already drawn to the volume you need or a little more (or you can do a full mL of air if you like), and then after it’s pressed through the septum, inject the air. It should then be possible to draw the HCG, unless the needle is clogged.

Ive done that, thats how I do all my injects, HCG or not. Thats whats so weird, it works the first three times, then nothing, no matter how much air I press through.

I know it’s going to sound like I’m saying the obvious but there’s just nothing else I can think of: some needle angles will leave the tip of an insulin syringe not in the center, and out in the liquid, but still in the rubber (I’ve done it many times.) That’s just the only remaining thing I can think of, other than perhaps something weird about the septum and needle that is causing the septum to get plugged. Definitely I’ve never experienced trouble of this sort, other than from the vacuum and needle-in-wrong place causes and the rare plugged needle.

I dont get it, ive even used different sizes…what size do you use?

29 gauge, 1/2 inch.

The only thing I can think of is that there are both “coring” and “non-coring” needle types: I suppose a “coring” type – in other words, one that cuts out a core as it penetrates – would be far more prone to clogging on penetrating the septum than would a non-coring.

Standard insulin syringes are non-coring.

If you are injecting an equal volume of air prior to drawing this should dislodge any core. You may avoid coring issues by inserting the needle at a slight angle with the hole facing upward and moving to 90 degrees as you push through the rubber. This leads with the tip of the needle and the hole protected so it is more like a slice than a bore.

Basically the same thing Bill said above about the rubber- my HCG vials have a lot of thick rubber on the inside, to where if you don’t get it just right in the center, it won’t draw. However, the fact that you consistently get this problem after 2-3 pins (I assume multiple different vials?) then it seems something else odd is up. Maybe try a different needle.

Try to draw it out with a larger gauge, 1" needle, if it works just load that syringe up to max (3ml would last several shots) and then backfill into your smaller syringe. Pull some extra air into the “storage syringe” and try to store with the needle pointing up in your fridge to prevent any leakage…few drops at most.

are you keeping the HCG in the fridge ?