OUCH! Is this infected? Swollen, hard, red

Currently running 100mg test prop 3 x week (Sun, Tues, Thurs)

After last week's Thursday pin in my quads (2015-11-05, 0,5ml in each leg) I had a lot of localised swelling right under the skin and some bleeding, which I've had before in the same location. I believe this is due to going right through a blood vessel close to the skin, which causes blood to pool up right under the skin and form a little (size of a 10c coin) bump which subsided after 30 mins. A nice big bruise also appeared in the area over the next few days.

Fast forward to this past week's Thursday pin, again in quads. I moved the site slightly above the previous weeks bruise which was still there. Crazy PIP on Friday and yesterday, which is affecting my ability to do cardio

Today, lots of redness and swelling just off to the side of where the big bruise is. Slightly warmer in this area too. Lots of pain.

What are we looking at here, is the site infected? The swelling and redness is not directly around or under the either injection sites though, it is just off to the side which is what is confusing me.

Injection protocol is always as follows:

• Select syringe (Dischem 3ml with 23g blue needle included)
• Select another single 23g pin
• Select 21g pin for drawing
• Swab top of vial with alcohol swab
• Remove 3ml syringe from packaging, leaving the included 23g needle in the packaging
• Fit 21g pin to syringe, draw test from vial
• Refit 23g pin
• With a fresh swab, swab the injection site
• Inject pin, aspirate, inject test, withdraw, wipe up any blood or oil with swab
• Fresh swab for other leg, repeat process

In the second pic you can see the raised part due to the swelling.

Since the symptons of an allergic reaction to a test shot and an infection are initially almost the same. You don't want to wait too long to find out if it is an infection, because by the time it is very bad it can be hard to treat even with antibiotics.

I reckon it's best is to treat it as if it is both so you are covered eith way. Doxycycline 100mg twice a day, plus an antihistamine like loratadine, with diclofenac for the swelling (cataflam/panamor). There's no super quick fix but it will speed up the recovery.

Muscleaddict wrote: Since the symptons of an allergic reaction to a test shot and an infection are initially almost the same. You don't want to wait too long to find out if it is an infection, because by the time it is very bad it can be hard to treat even with antibiotics.

I reckon it's best is to treat it as if it is both so you are covered eith way. Doxycycline 100mg twice a day, plus an antihistamine like loratadine, with diclofenac for the swelling (cataflam/panamor). There's no super quick fix but it will speed up the recovery.

Is doxycycline available OTC or script only? I have both Cataflam and loratadine already.

It is schedule 4 but I have found 2 pharmacists who give it without a script as it is one of the more common malaria meds. Try the smaller, privately run pharmacies. Dischem, clicks etc will definitely got give it OTC.