Hi,I am Dr. Amitkumar Sharma (Internal Medicine Specialist). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
Is It Safe To Use Old Syringe After Disinfecting It With Ethanol Solution?
I'm transsexual and I've self medicated female hormones from grey/black market sources for over a year now the NHS waiting list for my condition is in the order of years. (My GP knows but has only referred me on as he dosen't know what to do with me.) I take my estrogen through IM injection. however I ran out of syringes (not needles) There aren't any sources where I could get a new one so I disinfected an old one with 70% (Non-denatured) ethanol solution as best as I could and reused it. I've not shared my syringes with anyone else and it was only used on me am I at risk of serious infection?
I know my situation isn't ideal at all but I'm effectively alone and nobody will support me and I just want to be functional in society.
Hi, Thanks for writing to HCM. Re-use of syringes is strictly not recommended. Although there are ways of sterilizing a syringe after its use by boiling or with alcohol, it is not a scientific way to do it and use as there is always a risk of infection. These syringes are strictly meant for SINGLE USE ONLY. Hope the information provided would be useful.
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Is It Safe To Use Old Syringe After Disinfecting It With Ethanol Solution?
Hi, Thanks for writing to HCM. Re-use of syringes is strictly not recommended. Although there are ways of sterilizing a syringe after its use by boiling or with alcohol, it is not a scientific way to do it and use as there is always a risk of infection. These syringes are strictly meant for SINGLE USE ONLY. Hope the information provided would be useful.