Phobia of Needles

Have you got agitated or nervous at the sight of an injection or mere mentioning of syringes? If yes, then you are not the only one going crazy about such a simple matter. There are over 10% people around the world who suffer from phobia of needles as well. Who would want a piece of metal getting pierced through their skin? It is just like being jabbed with a sharp blade. Well, this is what many people around the world think and suffer from, phobia of needles.

What is Phobia of Needles Called

The phobia of needles is called entetophobia and the phobia of needles and pins is called belonephobia. The medical term Trypanophobia, is rarely used. Tryanophobia refers to an extreme and irrational fear of all the medical procedures that involve use of syringes, injections and even hypodermic needles. The phobia of needles is similar to aichmophobia, that is, a morbid fear of all sharp things. These sharp objects include needles, knives, sharp end of an umbrella and even a pointing finger! However, the term tryanophobia is not used and is generally referred to as phobia of needles or needle phobia. You can read more on most common phobias in the article top 10 most common phobias.

Phobia of Needles Causes

There are many causes as to why one may suffer from phobia of needles. The phobia of needles generally develops in childhood and gets aggravated in adulthood. An unpleasant experience in childhood involving pushing of the needle syringe in the skin may lead to phobia of needles. Some people fear they may feel immense pain and may therefore have a needle fear. Many people or children do not learn to bear pain and therefore will try to avoid medical environment due to a phobia of needles. Some people have no fear of the needle, but fear the reaction or pain that may happen after the piercing. This leads to needle phobia in many individuals.

Phobia of Needles Symptoms

There are certain signs and symptoms of phobia of needles that one should watch out for to understand if the child or adult suffers from this fear. These symptoms include anxiety attacks when one just hears or thinks about injections and needles. One may even suffer from increased heartbeat, trembling, feeling of sickness, dry mouth, sweating, fainting spell or rapid breathing.

How to Get Over Phobia of Needles

There are several phobia of needles cures that help overcome the fear of injections and needles. You need to let the doctor or nurse know beforehand regarding your phobia of needles. The doctor may use Electric Mixture of Local Anesthetics (EMLA), a topical antiseptic cream. This cream contains lidocaine and prilocaine and should be applied one hour before taking an injection. This is a prescription cream not found freely in US pharmacies. You can order it from Canadian pharmacies with prescription only. This cream helps in reducing the sensation of needle going through the skin and works for people whose fear is triggered by this sensation. This is not an effective phobia of needle cure for people with an acute sensitivity to pain.

Another treatment for phobia of needle is by giving the individual an antianxiety tablet like diazepam before giving an injection. Use of nitrate oxide to treat the needle phobia in combination with other oral anxiety agents are also helpful. The easiest treatment for needle phobia is application of ice to the skin where needle is to be inserted.

The phobia of needle cure lies in mentally overcoming your fears as it is a mental illness. You need to make yourself believe that nothing is wrong or going to be wrong. Injections and needles are not to be feared and they won't harm you. Self belief and removing the mental block is necessary for phobia of needles cure. Phobia of needles cure for many people also includes self-hypnosis sessions to overcome their fear of needles.

This was some information related to phobia of needles. One needs to keep in mind that the fear is just in your mind and needles will not harm you. People with this phobia fall into grave situations as they refuse to take vaccinations or lifesaving injections due to their phobia of needles. I hope this article has helped you understand what is phobia of needle and would help you overcome the fear that lies in your mind.