Is pinning AAS/PHs more painful than pinning insulin (which I'm used to)? Does the actual "pain" (or discomfort- whatever you want to call it) come from the physical needle going in or is there an immediate sensation that occurs when the substance enters your blood stream?
Here is my take as a newbie (just started 2 weeks ago).
Yes, its more painful, but only very slightly. The needle is thicker (25g vs 29-30g), and you are going deep into the muscle vs just below skin into fat.
Also, you are injecting a much larger volume of a thicker substance, and you need to inject slowly, say 15-30 seconds per ml. And it requires considerable pressure on the plunger compared to insulin.
All in all, its not really a big deal. I consider it "painless". The jab into the muscle is painless (unless you hit nerve which you shouldn't if you are picking the right spot). The discomfort I experience is from having to keep the needle in the muscle for 1-1.5 min, pressing hard to depress plunger while trying not to "wiggle" the needle, which of course will cause problems.
Its mostly overcoming the mental fear and practice keeping a steady hand.
Greenguy