How peptide dosing works
Most injectable peptides arrive as a dry powder in a vial. You add bacteriostatic water, then measure each dose with an insulin syringe.
New to mixing? Read what bacteriostatic water is and how to use it before your first vial.
Work out a dosing plan
Pick a peptide and answer three questions, and this lays out the protocol published on its page — where to start, how to step up, and how often — matched to whether you have used it before.
Reconstitution calculator
Works with standard U-100 insulin syringes, where 100 units equals 1 mL.
The math, step by step
- Find the concentration. Divide the peptide amount by the water volume. A 5 mg vial with 2 mL water holds 2.5 mg per mL, which is 2,500 mcg per mL.
- Find the volume for your dose. Divide your dose by the concentration. A 250 mcg dose is 250 ÷ 2,500 = 0.1 mL.
- Convert to syringe units. Multiply mL by 100. So 0.1 mL is 10 units on a U-100 syringe.
1 mg equals 1,000 mcg. Adding more water makes each dose bigger in volume and easier to measure, but does not change the total peptide.
Good practice
- Use bacteriostatic water for multi-use vials. Let it run slowly down the side of the vial and swirl gently. Do not shake.
- Store correctly. Keep dry powder cool and dark. Once mixed, refrigerate and use within the period your source recommends, often about 4 weeks.
- Start low. Begin at the low end of the range to check tolerance before increasing.
- Keep it sterile. Wipe vial tops and skin with alcohol, and use a new needle every time.
- Rotate sites. Move around the abdomen, thighs and upper arms to avoid irritation and lumps.
- Log everything. Recording doses and how you feel is the only way to tell what is working. Use your tracker.
- Get bloodwork. Baseline and follow-up labs help you and your clinician spot problems early, especially with growth hormone and metabolic peptides.