I've developed needle phobia

[LivingTheDreamish]

I have been happily and successfully doing weight loss jabs all year. The first one was a challenge but once I discovered it doesn't hurt the slightest bit it was a non-issue...until recently.

I have developed a completely unreasonable aversion to sticking in the needle. I know I won't feel a thing, but it's the idea of it that has me frozen. Sometimes it takes days for me to work up the nerve. I've got 8 more injections left (changed job and no longer have coverage on my health plan so down to my final pen which I am micro-dosing). As I have about 20 lb to go to my goal weight I really want to finish out the year before I go cold turkey in January, but giving up and throwing the pen away has crossed my mind.

Has this happened to anyone else? Any tips for me?

The same thing happened to me in July/August. I’d been using it successfully since February and I’m not squeamish at all, never have been. I suddenly started to feel a bit nauseous and was putting it off. I was only a few pounds off my goal so I stopped and have maintained since. I can’t give you any tips I’m afraid, and I don’t understand it, but I wanted to send solidarity.

Can you ask someone else to do it for you?

I happened to me when I was having IVF, it was very unexpected. I found getting up and doing the injection first thing helped so I wasn't thinking about it during the day. I have to take insulin daily now and it doesn't bother me at all even though it stings a bit more than the IVF jabs did, so it can pass.

Sorry I don't have any more helpful advice than 'just do it and then it's done', but it's not forever and you don't have much more to loose. In fact, it might be the whole coming to an end thing that has triggered the phobia, I have a feeling that mine kicked in around the time that I decided to have two more tries and then give up. Although it's decades ago so I'm not sure I remember exactly.

Thanks for the solidarity! I think it could well be a mental shift because I know it's coming to an end. There is noone I can ask to do the jabs for me unfortunately but not sure I would trust anyone who wasn't a medical professional to do that to me! In the US you can get single shot pens that have a retracted needle, so you never see it - a much better idea.

Hopefully this doesn't put anyone off who hasn't started yet because it truly was a complete non-issue for ages and I'm delighted with the weight loss.

I had similar when I was on a different biological injection, after about two years I suddenly started flinching away. I stopped taking it.

That was the pens with the single dose btw Op where you don’t see the needle. They’re much much more painful.