Dextrose vs Sodium Chloride what's the difference

[Curious271]

Ok claiming ignorance and I don't know ..What's the difference between Dextrose vs say Sodium Chloride?

I injected my scrotum in 2019 and I'm going to give it another try . I've just forgotten the benefits or downside of the others ? According to my notes years ago I was able to take 1000ml so I'm looking to match and exceed that! Thanks for the help

[rokie221]

Saline(sodium chloride) does sting a bit (some more than others). It does not cause addition swelling like dextrose though. Destrose 5% does not sting at all, and causes SOME swelling(sack swells up even larger) generally, but can swell more depending on how hydrated you are. It also takes generally about twice as long as saline for your body to reabsorb dextrose. Now if you mix saline and 5% dextrose you will get a TON of swelling. I'm talking like double the size as a general rule of thumb. You have to be careful with that because if you swell too far past your limits you can get liquid seeping through the pores of your sack and possibly even blisters.

[Curious271]

Saline(sodium chloride) does sting a bit (some more than others). It does not cause addition swelling like dextrose though. Destrose 5% does not sting at all, and causes SOME swelling(sack swells up even larger) generally, but can swell more depending on how hydrated you are. It also takes generally about twice as long as saline for your body to reabsorb dextrose. Now if you mix saline and 5% dextrose you will get a TON of swelling. I'm talking like double the size as a general rule of thumb. You have to be careful with that because if you swell too far past your limits you can get liquid seeping through the pores of your sack and possibly even blisters.

Thank you..

[Curious271]

Ok.. so is lactated ringer an option as well? Seems to be from the description ? Thanks Trying to figure out what concotion I should use or try out? The Dextrose seems to be the best bang for the buck!

[rokie221]

I believe lactated ringers is an option as well(I think it also absorbs quicker than saline). I think you're right about dextrose, but you do need to be careful with it because if you do it in high amounts repeatedly it can eventually cause diabetes. You're putting a high amount of sugar into your system when you do it. If you're planning on doing it every now and again you're good(unless you are already at risk for diabetes), but daily would not be a good thing.

I hope you'll post your results when you start up again

[kiwibop]

The sugar / diabetes thing is (mostly) a red herring. One litre of D5 has 50g of dextrose in it. One 330 ml can of coke has 35 g of sugar in it. So roughly 1-1/2 cans of coke. However with a sugary soda you absorb the sugar from your gut very quickly, which is what spikes your blood sugar and impacts your insulin when you repeat it regularly over time. The sugar from D5 is absorbed basically over the same time as you have noticeable swelling from the infusion - 12 hours plus maybe.

[mRuss]

if you mix saline and 5% dextrose you will get a TON of swelling

For clarity, if the solution you're infusing comes PRE-MIXED as Glucose IN Normal Saline (what we call D5NS) then yes you will get a lot of swelling. If someone infuses 500ml of Saline and then 500 ml of Dextrose 5% they're not going to see the same kind of swelling as if they infused a Liter of D5NS. That might seem counterintuitive but that's how it works.