Needle fear

Children, who have to have treatments such as growth hormone, may find it difficult to get used to the idea of having an injection every day.  

This can be because they are: 

• Afraid of the pain.
• Afraid of how it might feel when the medicine goes into their body.
• Afraid of the marks it might leave behind.
• Scared because they had, or they saw someone have, a bad experience with a needle.

These types of fears can be grouped together to form what is known as needle fear. 

This is a medical condition where the person having the injection can become really frightened and will want to resist it. 

Needle fear can result in:

• Missed doses of medication
• Traumatic experience of having an injection (if they are forced) 
• Stress for both the child and parent / caregiver

However there are things you can do at home to help your child become more comfortable with their daily treatment regime. Read our helping your child with needle fear section to find out more. 

If your child finds it really hard to deal with the needles, then it might also be worth talking to your doctor about the different types of delivery systems available. For growth hormone there are also needle free methods of delivering the medication through the skin. Find out more in ways to inject.