By Condie Carmack, PhD (Molecular Immunology and Experimental Pathology)
There are several things you can do to minimize the reaction of a GLP-1 injection. Before we get into that, let’s review why there is a reaction. The skin is the protective layer of the body and there are a lot of cells that are on guard for foreign substances. Your body considers vaccines and the GLP-1s foreign substances and the fact that they react is really a good thing. There are several types of cells involved; macrophages, polymorphonuclear cells, neutrophils, eosinophils and basophils. These are all cells which can cause local inflammation.
Remember that GLP-1 are small proteins and proteins are food for us and bacteria. Pharmas sterilize the drugs usually using filtration and if they are in a single shot pen (like ZepBound) then no problem. Throw it away. If however, you go into the vial time and time again, you run the risk of bacterial contamination. Refrigeration helps but there are bacteria that can grow in the cold. Many of the compounded GLP-1s will contain a preservative like EDTA or timerasol. These are salts. Salts can irritate the skin. This is highly dependent on the individual. Sometimes the drug companies will disclose the preservative and sometimes they will not. You can try Google or any of the AI chatbots to see if they can find the ingredients.
The first thing is to inject into the skin properly. It is best to pick a spot where the skin is thinnest and there is plenty of fat underneath. Don’t pick a callused area that thick. Fat is not vascularized but skin is, and has nerves (pain). Make sure that the needle is perpendicular to the skin at a 90 degree angle. The worst thing is to get an injection into the skin and get a bubble under the skin. NOT GOOD! The needles on the insulin syringes are short and are designed to go just below the skin. There is not a lot of extra length
You can use topical cream before to lessen the reaction or after. If you use it before wipe off the area with alcohol to prevent infection. The most common cream is a topical corticosteroid like 1% hydrocortisone (Cortaid). You can also take an antihistamine like Zyrtec or Claritin. The cream and the antihistamine should not interfere with the GLP-1 working at all. There is no evidence that I or ChatGPT knows of.