Bac water sensitivity or am I imagining it, stinging keeps getting worse

Posted by freya530 in Safety & Side Effects - 2 points, 4 comments.

Genuinely curious if anyone else has run into this. I reconstitute with bacteriostatic water and for the first few months the injections felt basically fine, just a tiny pinch.

Lately the sting at the site has been way more noticeable, like a burning that lingers for a minute or two after. Same vials I have been using, same lot of bac water even.

Could this be a sensitivity thing that builds up over time, or is it more likely I am just hitting more sensitive spots on my stomach. Fwiw I rotate sites but maybe not aggressively enough.

I know the profile mentions benzyl alcohol sensitivity is rare but is there anyone here who developed it after a while rather than right away. Also is acetic acid water actually gentler or does it sting worse, I have only used bac water so far.

Not looking for a diagnosis, just want to know if the stinging can actually creep up on you or if something else is probably going on.

Comments

• rachel_ketogen: Honestly it could be a few things. The benzyl alcohol sensitivity thing can show up later, ive heard a couple people say that. Also site rotation matters a lot, if youre cycling belly button around the same few inches youre probably getting more scar tissue and that stings way more. Acetic acid water actually burns worse in my experience, i tried it once and noped out. Some people swear by it for peptides that dont dissolve well in bac but comfort wise bac wins for me. If you havent changed an
• freya530: Yeah the scar tissue angle is something I havent really thought about. I do mostly stay in a kinda rough circle around my belly button so that tracks. Acetic acid burning worse is good to know, I was kinda eyeing it because someone in another thread said it dissolves stuff faster. Did your stinging chill out after you spread out sites more, or did it stay kinda persistent.
• nomad_brandon: Yeah the scar tissue angle is probably underrated, i had a spot on my lower right belly that got so beat up i could feel it under the skin like a little knot and any pin there burned way worse than fresh spots. Switched to my outer thighs for a while and the sting basically disappeared. For what it is worth i also noticed colder bac water out of the fridge feels sharper to me, i let the vial sit out like 15 min before drawing.
• freya530: That knot thing is exactly what I was worried about. I do have one spot near my navel that I keep going back to even though I know better, probably my favorite because it barely bleeds. Cold vial thing is interesting too, I never even thought about that. Mine usually comes out of the fridge right before I draw so yeah that tracks. I will try letting it sit out and rotate more aggressively to my thighs for a bit and see what happens. Fwiw if the sting fades in a week or two then it was probably

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.