NARRATOR: THIS VIDEO WILL SHOW YOU HOW TO GIVE YOURSELF AN INTRAMUSCULAR, OR "IM," INJECTION. "INTRAMUSCULAR" MEANS "INTO THE MUSCLE." AN IM INJECTION MEANS PUTTING A NEEDLE INTO THE MUSCLE THAT LIES BELOW THE SKIN AND DELIVERING A SMALL AMOUNT OF MEDICINE THERE. INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTIONS ARE USED TO HELP MANAGE OR PREVENT MANY HEALTH PROBLEMS. THESE INCLUDE IMMUNE DISORDERS, INFECTIONS, LOW B-12 LEVELS, AND MANY MORE. THE MEDICINES USED FOR THESE INJECTIONS COME IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT FORMS. SOME MEDICINES COME IN AUTO-INJECTORS OR PENS. OTHERS ARE IN A NORMAL SYRINGE ALREADY FILLED WITH MEDICINE. AND STILL OTHERS COME IN VIALS. YOU WITHDRAW THE MEDICINE YOU NEED FROM THE VIAL EACH TIME YOU GIVE YOURSELF AN INJECTION. EVEN THE MEDICINE ITSELF CAN COME IN DIFFERENT FORMS. MOST OF THE TIME, THE MEDICINE COMES AS A LIQUID. SOMETIMES, YOUR DOCTOR MIGHT PRESCRIBE A POWDER. THIS HAS TO BE MIXED WITH A LIQUID, SUCH AS SALINE OR DISTILLED WATER, BEFORE YOU CAN USE IT. IF YOUR MEDICINE NEEDS TO BE KEPT IN THE REFRIGERATOR, IT'S A GOOD IDEA TO LET IT COME UP TO ROOM TEMPERATURE BEFORE GIVING YOURSELF THE INJECTION. THE INJECTION MIGHT BE MORE PAINFUL IF THE MEDICINE IS COLD. START BY WASHING YOUR HANDS WITH SOAP AND WARM WATER. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU'LL NEED: ALCOHOL PADS OR COTTON SWABS DIPPED IN RUBBING ALCOHOL, A DISPOSABLE SYRINGE, THE MEDICINE YOU'LL BE USING, COTTON BALLS AND ADHESIVE BANDAGES, AND A PLACE TO SAFELY THROW AWAY THE USED SYRINGE. IM INJECTIONS CAN BE GIVEN IN DIFFERENT PLACES, LIKE THE DELTOID MUSCLE OF THE SHOULDER, THE UPPER THIGH, OR THE OUTER HIP. IT'S IMPORTANT TO AVOID GIVING THE INJECTION IN THE SAME SPOT EVERY TIME. YOU ALSO SHOULD AVOID INJECTING ANY SPOT THAT'S BRUISED, TENDER, OR SCARRED. CHECK THE EXPIRATION DATE ON YOUR MEDICINE. IF YOUR VIAL HAS A PLASTIC CAP, POP IT OFF. THEN WIPE THE TOP OF THE VIAL WITH THE PAD OR SWAB AND LET THE ALCOHOL DRY. NEXT, PREPARE THE AREA FOR INJECTION BY WIPING IT WITH ANOTHER ALCOHOL PAD OR SWAB. ALLOW THE SKIN TO DRY BEFORE THE NEXT STEP. THE SYRINGE IS MADE OF 3 BASIC PARTS: A BARREL, A PLUNGER, AND A NEEDLE. THE BARREL HAS MARKINGS ON THE SIDE. THESE HELP YOU MEASURE THE CORRECT DOSE. SYRINGES COME IN DIFFERENT SIZES. YOUR DOCTOR OR PHARMACIST WILL HELP MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO USE THE MARKINGS FOR ANY SYRINGE YOU HAVE. WHEN YOU'RE READY, OPEN THE PACKAGE THAT CONTAINS THE SYRINGE. THEN OPEN THE PACKAGE THAT CONTAINS THE NEEDLE, AND SCREW IT ONTO THE SYRINGE. DRAW SOME AIR INTO THE SYRINGE BY PULLING THE PLUNGER BACK TO THE PROPER MARK FOR YOUR DOSAGE. NOW CAREFULLY UNCAP THE SYRINGE, AND SET THE CAP ASIDE. STICK THE NEEDLE THROUGH THE TOP OF THE VIAL. FLIP THE NEEDLE AND VIAL OVER, AND THEN INJECT THE AIR INTO THE VIAL BY SLOWLY PUSHING THE PLUNGER ALL THE WAY IN. NOW SLOWLY PULL THE PLUNGER BACK DOWN, MAKING SURE THE NEEDLE IS UNDER THE SURFACE OF THE MEDICINE. CONTINUE DRAWING THE MEDICINE INTO THE BARREL UNTIL IT CONTAINS THE CORRECT DOSE. KEEPING THE NEEDLE UNDER THE SURFACE OF THE MEDICINE DECREASES THE CHANCE OF DEVELOPING BUBBLES IN THE BARREL OF THE SYRINGE. IF YOU NOTICE ANY LARGE AIR BUBBLES, YOU NEED TO REMOVE THEM. YOU DO THIS BY PUSHING THE PLUNGER IN AGAIN, SENDING THE MEDICINE BACK INTO THE VIAL. THEN YOU SLOWLY DRAW THE CORRECT AMOUNT OUT ONCE MORE. TO GIVE THE INJECTION, HOLD THE BARREL OF THE SYRINGE SO THAT IT'S POINTING STRAIGHT AT THE SKIN. WITH A FIRM, SMOOTH MOTION, INSERT THE NEEDLE THROUGH THE SKIN AND INTO THE MUSCLE. ONCE THE NEEDLE IS IN, SHIFT YOUR THUMB TO THE PLUNGER AND SLOWLY PUSH THE PLUNGER ALL THE WAY IN. COUNT TO 3 TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SYRINGE IS COMPLETELY EMPTY, THEN PULL THE NEEDLE STRAIGHT OUT AND SET IT ASIDE. YOU MAY NEED A COTTON BALL AND AN ADHESIVE BANDAGE FOR BLEEDING. DON'T TRY TO RE-CAP THE NEEDLE. YOU COULD STICK YOURSELF. PUT THE USED SYRINGE INTO A SHARPS CONTAINER. IT'S EASY FOR NEEDLES TO GO IN AND HARD FOR THEM TO COME OUT. IF YOU DON'T HAVE A READY-MADE SHARPS CONTAINER, YOU CAN MAKE ONE USING A JAR OR BOTTLE MADE OF STIFF PLASTIC WITH A SCREW-ON CAP. ONE EXAMPLE IS A DETERGENT BOTTLE. LABEL IT VERY CLEARLY AS DANGEROUS. ANYONE WHO SEES IT WILL KNOW TO LEAVE IT ALONE. YOU SHOULD KEEP THE CONTAINER IN A SAFE PLACE, OUT OF REACH OF CHILDREN AND PETS. IF YOUR MEDICINE IS IN A SINGLE-DOSE VIAL, THEN DISCARD THE VIAL. IF IT'S A MULTI-DOSE VIAL, IT'S OK TO LEAVE IT UNCAPPED. IF IT NEEDS TO BE REFRIGERATED, BE SURE TO PUT IT BACK IN THE REFRIGERATOR. EVERYTHING ELSE CAN BE THROWN OUT NORMALLY. INTRAMUSCULAR INJECTIONS MAY SEEM SCARY, BUT AS YOU'VE JUST SEEN, THEY'RE NOT THAT DIFFICULT IF YOU FOLLOW A FEW SIMPLE STEPS.