If you (and they) feel comfortable doing so, ask your needle buddy to hold your hand or lightly press on your chest. That way you can focus on the warmth of their skin or the pressure of their touch rather than the needle; a weighted blanket could provide similar benefits as long as it doesn’t get in the way of any needles during your procedure. “Human touch releases all sorts of chemicals into our system that are like natural pain and anxiety killers,” Dr. Thomas says.
5. Explore pain-relief options.
Pain is one of the most common reasons why people develop a fear of needles, so if you dread the discomfort that your specific treatment or exam causes, experiment with different tactics to help it feel at least a little better. Acknowledging and tackling your fear of pain can actually help reduce how much it hurts, Dr. Baxter says.
Try rubbing a topical anesthetic or applying a numbing spray on the injection site at least half an hour before your poke to numb your skin a bit, Dr. Thomas says. These products are generally available online or in drugstores. (For example, you can buy lidocaine numbing cream for about $22 and cold spray for about $10 on Amazon.)
Research has also shown that cold packs and vibration can lower needle-related pain, according to the CDC. Dr. Baxter actually developed a device called the Buzzy that combines the two sensations and has been shown to reduce needle pain and fear in adults and children. Applying a cold, vibrating device close to your injection site works by blocking pain signals from reaching your brain; using this technique over and over can eventually “undo the pathways in your brain that are expecting pain,” Dr. Baxter says, therefore easing the anxiety you feel leading up to your appointment.
And here’s a fun one if all else fails: Try dropping some F-bombs. One study found that saying the F-word can reduce pain in those who submerged their hands in ice water, and could likely help needles hurt a little less too, Dr. Baxter says.
6. Adjust your body position if you get lightheaded.
If you tend to faint when exposed to needles, it can be triggered by fear and/or genetics. (If you have a parent who tends to pass out in medical situations, you might be at greater risk too). That fade-to-black feeling is caused by a sudden drop in blood pressure, and is a normal response the body uses to get you in a horizontal position and increase blood supply to the brain. But there are several things you can do to lower the chances that you’ll actually lose consciousness.
First, tell your needle team that this has been a problem for you in the past (no one wants their patient to faint) and that you’d like to lie down for the procedure, which supports circulation to your head. Next, prop your legs up by bending your knees or placing them on pillows so the blood in your lower half can make its way up to your heart and head, Dr. Baxter says. A third option: Tense major muscles like your abdomen, butt cheeks, or quads for 20 to 30 seconds, then release for 10 and repeat. Dr. McMurtry says this will increase the amount of blood your heart can pump to your brain. But don’t fully relax your muscles when doing this, she says, because you don’t want your blood pressure to drop too quickly (and definitely don’t tense the body part that’s being injected).
