Reconstitution, done right.
Lyophilized peptides arrive as powder and must be reconstituted with the correct diluent and volume. Get the concentration right and dosing becomes simple arithmetic.
Get it wrong and the errors are not small. A clinician who reads “5 mg” and draws to the 5 mark on a U-100 insulin syringe has made a ten-fold error — and units on that syringe are a volume marking, not a dose. Work through the calculator and the five steps below until the conversion is automatic, then choose your dilution so a typical draw lands mid-scale where measurement is actually accurate.
Dose Calculator
Enter your vial and target dose — we'll compute the concentration and the exact draw.
Educational calculator. Always verify against product labeling and your own clinical judgment. Units shown are insulin-syringe "units" (hundredths of a mL on a U-100 syringe).
The five steps
- Bring to room temperature. Let the lyophilized vial and diluent equilibrate. Sanitize both stoppers with alcohol.
- Add diluent slowly. Aim the bacteriostatic water down the inner wall of the vial — never jet it directly onto the powder.
- Swirl, don't shake. Gently rotate until fully dissolved. Shaking can shear and denature delicate peptides.
- Inspect. The solution should be clear and particle-free. Discard if cloudy, discolored, or containing visible matter.
- Label & store. Note the concentration and date. Refrigerate (2-8°C) and protect from light; observe product-specific beyond-use dating.
Choosing your water volume
More diluent = a more dilute solution = a larger, easier-to-measure draw but more volume injected. Less diluent = concentrated = tiny draws. A common target is a concentration that places typical doses in the 5-30 unit range on a U-100 syringe for accuracy.
Quick concentration reference
| Peptide in vial | BAC water | Concentration | 250 mcg dose | 500 mcg dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | 10 units | 20 units |
| 10 mg | 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 5 units | 10 units |
| 10 mg | 3 mL | 3.33 mg/mL | 7.5 units | 15 units |
| 15 mg | 3 mL | 5 mg/mL | 5 units | 10 units |
"Units" = insulin-syringe units on a U-100 (1 unit = 0.01 mL).