Hi all! Some info on syringes & needles in the UK...
I'm brand new to e-Smoking (my first e-Cig arrived today
); I'm really impressed with the quality of info in this forum, but am obviously unable to contribute yet. However, as a medic, I thought I'd chip in aboutneedles & syringes (the info might extrapolate, but I'm based in the
UK).
Unless otherwise noted, the info is for (human)
healthcare needles and syringes only. Needless to say, although I've provided information to the best of my (very limited) ability,
don't take my word for it - I'm not offering any of this info in any professional/expert capacity. Really just some notes, which some people might find useful....
Syringes:
The most commonly available syringes (due to some of the diabetic population) are primarily designed for insulin; they're likely to be completely useless for e-smoking purposes. Their capacity is only 1ml (= 1 cubic centimetre), and they usually have a (tiny) needle permanently attached. These are the injecting type that pharmacists are most likely to be familiar with; don't be fobbed off with them! They're also the type that most of the illicit-drug-injecting-population use. They're often marked 'U-100', and are of relatively poor quality (designed for single, sub-cutaneous injection).
In the vast majority of cases, any syringe bigger than 1ml does
not have a needle attached. They have what is known as a 'luer slip' attachment (a tapering end), where you can
optionally fit a needle (which is available separately).
The common sizes are:
1ml (no use to us, although you might rarely find them without built-in needles)
2ml (this actually has a capacity of 2.5ml)
5ml
10ml
20ml (quite rare for the public)
50ml (huge - scares the hell out of patients, and very rare in the context of public
healthcare availability). FYI, these are also available with a different needle attachment method - luer lock, which uses the same standard needles, but prevents the needle inadvertently flying off the end if you push the plunger too hard).
The useful sizes will be from 5 to 20 ml. The smaller the size, the easier it is to control them properly (i.e. small plunger movement effects smaller volume change). For squeezing used carts by removing the plunger and loading them into the barrel (known informally as 'backloading'), 10 or 20 ml syringes would be best (the ?Dutch instructional video shows a 20ml syringe).
Needles:
All standard needles will fit any sized syringe.
As Cashmere pointed out, the gauge system can be confusing. Whilst there are several systems, the gauge system usually used for hypodermic needles is related inversely to their diameter - i.e. smaller number = wider needle; there's a table on Wikipedia, under 'needle gauge comparison chart' (sorry, I'm not allowed to post links yet). The wider needles are nearly always longer as well.
Most health professionals that I've encountered are far more familiar with the colours of needle (hubs) than their specific gauge:
orange & blue - probably useless (too small & narrow)
green (21gauge x 1.5") - probably the best size for this sort of thing.
white (cream-coloured) - quite rare, but nice & wide!
There are actually blunt needles available, but they're probably pretty rare in the public domain. They're used for drawing up from ampoules; the pink ones are very wide, with a blunt chisel (or flat blunt) tip - good for fast flow, but would probably damage any cartridge you want to inject into. There are also blunt filter needles in a variety of colours (designed to prevent glass shards from ampoules from being drawn up), but I would imagine they're as rare as hen's teeth (outside healthcare centres).
Again, pharmacists are likely to be more familiar with the smaller (& less useful) varities.
NB: Luer slip syringes have a specific technique of attachment/removal from the syringe:
push straight on (i.e. don't twist)
twist and pull (simultaneously) off (i.e. it's easier than just pulling)
many healthcare professionals haven't cottoned on to the above (although it's in the manufacturers' instructions). However, if you twist while pushing the needle on, you run a greater risk of the needle flying off if you push the plunger sharply! (This can hurt quite a bit, although if no-one's in the direct line of fire, it's often funny to watch)! 8-o
Sources:
Healthcare syringes and needles are available from decent pharmacies.
However, if you walk into a small pharmacy, look unsure of yourself, and ask the pharmacy assistant for syringes/needles, they're likely to think you're pretty strange.
My advice would be this:
Go into a really big pharmacy (or an exceptionally friendly one) - ideally a really big Boots chemist. Go specifically to the pharmacy counter (where they issue prescription drugs). Don't be intimidated - you're the customer, they're the retailer; if they don't have what you want, then they should get their act together! An untogether pharmacy assistant might be unhelpful; if so, ask to speak to the pharmacist. The knowledgeable assistants should be helpful; the ideal is the registered pharmacist, who is likely to know exactly what you're talking about (if they're any good). S/he might not be familiar with the larger syringes/needles, but be persistent - you want e.g. 20 ml (pronounced 'twenty mil') syringes, with 'green needles' ('twenty-one gauge'). You might as well get e.g. ten of each.
If you're still worried, then consider this: there are numerous items in your average Boots (which you've probably already bought) which are used for nefarious purposes, and you might have already been scrutinised by the pharmacist. Conversely, many smart people follow the advice to take their own needles & syringes to 'Third-world' countries - and they buy them in major pharmacies.
They're very cheap (prices in pence rather than pounds).
Re: association with illicit use: people that are injecting illegal drugs are: 1) likely to want quite small versions of everything (typically 1ml 'insulin' syringes), and 2) likely to know a hell of a lot more about syringes etc. than you do (and not care very much what the pharmacist thinks about it). Actually, if the pharmacist did think you were going to use them for that purpose, s/he might even be more helpful: the policy in the UK is unrestricted access, to lower the incidence of re-use and potential infection. In fact, IV drug users often get their 'works' for free - the pharmacist might even offer you a free pre-packaged kit with syringes, needles, and sharps (disposal) box (although the syringes are likely to be too small)!
Bear in mind that syringes & needles are used for a huge variety of reasons - e.g. oiling small parts, mixing/applying glue, oral administration of medicines, measuring chemicals, etc, etc. - so you might be able to buy variants in all sorts of unexpected places. However, the healthcare types are likely to be better built, with stricter standards on materials and reactivity, and aren't full of any nasty substance that you have to (try to) empty first! I expect they're also available online, but the pharmacy access seems safest, probably cheapest (in small quantities), and probably easiest!
(continued, unfortunately
)....
