Dr. Plance and Me | The C Was The Key | Prescribing & Injecting Ascorbic Acid | Intramuscular C vs. Intravenous C

Prescribing & Injecting Ascorbic Acid

October 18, 2017

McGuff Pharmaceuticals Inc., announces the United States Food and Drug Administration’s New Drug Approval (NDA) of

Ascor® (Ascorbic Acid Injection, USP)

There was concern the FDA would take away the right to compound ascobic acid, so McGuff when through the trouble (and expense!) of obtaining FDA approval. Thank you, McGuff! This is a commercially available product approved to treat scurvy, which I have symptoms of, although my diagnosis is the mysterious genetic disorder Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.  More on Ascor® in my post here.

My prescriptions are written as follows:

Ascor 500 mg/ml 50 ml PFV
Inject 1 - 2 grams (2ml - 4ml) intramuscularly daily.

To discuss Ascor with your insurance or pharmacist, it might help them to give them this number:

NDC 67157-101-50 ASCOR

Injecting Ascorbic Acid

Here I am, cruising from Ireland to Wales.

I no longer use a public restroom to do my shot, if I can find a discrete area like this. In a public restroom I have no place to put my things down. People walk in and out and are startled by what I am doing.

Getting my things ready.

Hand sanitizer was just out of shot. Be sure to wash or sanitize your hands before proceeding.

I used a small travel vitamin bag to store the used needles during the voyage, since my luggage with my sharps disposal was checked. Note: I do recap the needle after use, very carefully so I do not prick my finger. I will toss that in my sharps container later.

My pants are barely rolled down. In this day and age, many people inadvertently show more backside, with their pants that come down as they bend, or because their pants that never fit to begin with. No one should mind me doing this.

Don't feel a thing. 

All done. No one saw that, right?

This is a BD 3ml syringe with 25G x 1 1/2 needle. The needle is the perfect size for a shot of C in the backside. Get a prescription for 100, so the pharmacy can just give you the whole box. 

These are the syringes I use. Fully loaded, it will deliver 1.5 grams of ascorbic acid. My current dose is 750 mgs everyday. I fill half the syringe.

This needle is for drawing the shot. That means pulling the C syrup out of the bottle. It’s a thick liquid, so a wide needle is required. Strong hands help. This needle is not suitable for injecting. This is a BD 18G x 1 needle. Get a prescription for 100, so the pharmacy can just give you the whole box. 

This is the only part of this treatment that my insurance pays for.

This is a BD 25G 1 1/2 needle. Get a prescription for 100, so the pharmacy can just give you the whole box. These are in in case I contaminate the needle on the syringe. Then it must be replaced. Every now and then I do, but not too often.

Stand in the bathtub, in case the C or blood drips. I suggest you do this in your loungewear so you do not accidentally stain nice clothes. The C will stain marble. Rubbing alcohol may take it off.

Warm up the shot in your hand.

Inject slowly. It will hurt way less. Stop as it burns, let the C dissipate. Then plunge some more.

You can get a bottle of bacteriostatic water and dilute the C with it. It will help you adjust to the shots. I used to do that. Or you can order a more diluted concentration of ascorbic acid from McGuff. I used to do that. 

The shots rarely hurt anymore. It took a while, but my body got used to them. It seems a shot hurts more when injected into a sore muscle. I think hydration helps. Keep your fluid levels up by taking in lots of salt, so you can hang onto your water, which you should be doing anyway.

Adding Lidocaine

I have never done this, but a friend adds lidocaine to her shots and tells me it helps. This was supplied by McGuff.

Dr. Plance and Me | The C Was The Key | Prescribing & Injecting Ascorbic Acid | Intramuscular C vs. Intravenous C