Please help! i have to get a shot tomorrow and i have a really intense fear of needles! i pass out, vomit, etc. how can i just keep calm?!?!?

Tell MD: By all means get your injection. Tell nurse or md of your feelings, and be in a reclined position during, so if you do faint, you will be fine. Good luck!

Knowledge helps: Knowing about the nerve supply to the skin helps. The nerve sensors are spread out on the skin of the the arms, buttock and thighs, where shots are usually given. Therefore, sometimes one feels the sting of the needle and sometimes one feels nothing. If you feel the sting, usually it's just for a few seconds. Lying down for the injection prevents vomiting and fainting. Drink water prior to it.

Stay calm: really it is a mind game.pretend it is not your arm--i tell kids that all the time.read about the terrible diseases you could get without the shot.take deep breaths.good luck

CBT: Seek a cognitive-behavioral therapist who specializes in phobias. One method they use is systematic desensitization which slowly and incrementally brings the person closer and closer to the thing they are afraid of in slow, graduated steps that help make the anxiety more tolerable.