Irritation cough after injection from the doctor
August 26, 2010 | 25,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Ralf Berg
Hello,
I have androgen deficiency and this morning I received a testosterone injection from the doctor, as I have every 14 days. Two hours later, I developed a dry cough when inhaling, which has not disappeared until now (6 hours later) and is causing me fear. I have tolerated the previous injections well and had no problems. However, this morning, an apprentice administered the injection. Maybe she did something wrong? I read on the internet about aspirating...
Is it more likely an intolerance or if she did not aspirate, how and when would it manifest if the fluid entered the bloodstream, for example? The whole internet is full of horror stories and everyone is saying something different.
Thank you for your help!
Dear inquirer,
Your medication is likely a depot injection containing testosterone. In order to prevent the active ingredient from being released too quickly, the solution also contains excipients along with the hormone. Depot injections are generally not meant to be injected directly into a blood vessel, but rather into a muscle or connective tissue.
Now to your questions: To detect accidental placement of the needle in a blood vessel, it is important to always pull back (a process known as aspiration) the syringe before injection and observe if any blood is drawn back into the syringe. However, this method is not 100% reliable, as a blood vessel may only be grazed or nicked. It is also possible that when piercing through outer layers of tissue, a blood vessel may be punctured, but no blood can be aspirated because the needle is still sealing it off. Therefore, it is possible that even 2 hours later, parts of the solution may enter the bloodstream and cause symptoms as you described. This usually results in an allergic reaction on the skin (red patches) or in the bronchi (irritating cough, shortness of breath). In most cases, it is not the active ingredient responsible for the body's allergic reaction but rather the excipients.
IN ANY CASE, you should immediately consult your doctor again and describe your symptoms. Immediate measures should be taken to limit the allergic reaction. Depending on the severity of the allergic reaction, this may involve oral or intravenous administration of antihistamines (such as H1 and/or H2 blockers like Tavegil, Fenistil, etc.), or even various strengths of corticosteroids. In cases of shortness of breath and coughing, inhalation medications used for asthma (such as beta-agonists or theophylline) are also available.
Given that an allergic reaction is highly likely with the symptoms described, and the unpredictable nature of its progression, along with the availability of effective medications for such complications that can occur with depot injections, I strongly advise you to seek IMMEDIATE medical help.
Best regards, R. Berg
