B12 injections,can you give it in the arm muscle?

Nurses Medications

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What is the preferable site for giving B12 injection? I'm a fairly new nurse and I have a pt that is receiving B12 injections. I haven't had much opportunity to practice intramuscular injections. I only gave one to a 3 day old baby in a thigh.

I heard that you can give b12 in the arm, thigh and buttocks.

I use the deltoid, but if I'm teaching a patient to self-administer, I have them use the thigh. The route (IM or SC) is ordered by the physician; I've always given it as an IM injection.

Specializes in ED.

I'm gonna throw a wrench in this whole discussion but I get B12 sub-cut injections in...wait for it...... on the side of my shin.

I get acupuncture and my doc (yes, a real MD and a doc of Chinese medicine) gives it to me there. Apparently, that is a "sweet spot" for immunity, circulation and energy.

If I were giving my patient a B12, I'd go for the deltoid though.

Specializes in Vents, Telemetry, Home Care, Home infusion.

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best place to get advice about medication administration is to consult your nursing drug books, textbooks or professional reference site. my homecare agency requires another rn/preceptor to observe staff in the home first time they perfom a skill they have no experience performing.

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identifying injection sites | nurses drug handbook > safe drug admin

pictures of landmarks: how to give an intramuscular injection care guide information

policy and procedure: patient education - oncare nursing policy

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I thought it was actually opposite.I thought that the shot in the buttocks hurts more.When gave my patient the shot in the deltoid today he said it didnt hurt him at all..I always though that gluteal area hurts the the most.

Well the injections have never hurt me either, so I have never bothered getting them in the butt ;). I'm just relaying what I've been told.

When I was recieving them, I would get them in the buttocks and they would alternate the sites(meaning left to right..)

I also received them DG. Completely painless.

Specializes in Cath lab, acute, community.

It's IM, so you have to look at the patient and think where is the most accessible and bigger muscle? Is it a thin, old patient? Or a chunky patient? If it's chunky I find its always better to give in the arm, if it's a frail older non-muscular patient I find there is less muscle on the arm, and more on the thighs, so I often opt for thighs. It seems to be less painful on the arm too.

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