First-time peptide tutorial: from the vial to the injection

1Check what you have

Before anything is opened, know what is in front of you.

• Read the vial. The number on it, such as 5 mg or 10 mg, is the total amount in the vial. It is not a dose.
• Look up the peptide on this site and read the tag on its chart: label schedule, trial doses, or reported range. That tells you how much is known about the dose.
• Check its legal status for your country on the same page. Many peptides are not approved medicines, which means no regulator has checked what is in the vial.
• Check the date on the vial and do not use anything out of date. [2]

This tutorial shows how the handling and the math work. It does not tell you what to take. Talk to a licensed professional before using any medication.

2Lay out your supplies

Work on a clean, clear surface and have everything within reach before you start. [2]

• The peptide vial
• Bacteriostatic water
• A syringe for adding the water (3 mL is easiest)
• U-100 insulin syringes for the doses, new and still sealed
• Alcohol pads
• Clean gauze
• A sharps container

A syringe and needle are used once. If the wrapper or the cap is broken or missing, it goes in the sharps container and you take a new one. [1]

3Work out your numbers

Pick your peptide to fill these in from its chart, or type your own. Everything after this step uses them.

A 10 mg vial with 2 mL of water is 5 mg/mL. A 250 mcg dose is 0.05 mL, which is 5 units on a U-100 syringe.

The sum has three parts. Milligrams in the vial divided by millilitres of water is the concentration. The dose divided by the concentration is the volume. The volume times 100 is the mark on a U-100 syringe.

4Mix the vial

This is reconstitution: turning the dry powder into a liquid of known strength.

1. Wash your hands with soap and water and dry them on a clean paper towel. [1]
2. Take the caps off both vials. Wipe each rubber top with an alcohol pad and let it dry. [2]
3. Draw 2 mL of bacteriostatic water into the larger syringe.
4. Push the needle through the rubber top of the peptide vial. Tilt the vial and let the water run slowly down the glass, not straight onto the powder.
5. Swirl gently until the liquid is clear. Do not shake it.
6. Look at it. If it is cloudy, has changed colour or has bits floating in it, do not use it. [2]

Your vial is now 5 mg/mL.

5Label it and store it

• Write today's date and 5 mg/mL on the vial. A vial used more than once should carry the date it was opened. [2]
• If the product has a label, follow its storage rule. It is the only one that was tested on that product.
• Where there is no label, a mixed vial is usually kept upright in the fridge, away from the freezer plate and out of the light.

More on this in how to store peptides.

6Draw your dose

Use a new insulin syringe. Your mark is 5 units, which is 0.05 mL and holds 250 mcg.

1. Wipe the rubber top of the vial with an alcohol pad. [2]
2. With the cap still on, pull the plunger back to 5 units to fill the syringe with that much air. [2]
3. Take the cap off, push the needle through the rubber top and push the air into the vial. This stops a vacuum forming. [2]
4. Turn the vial upside down, keeping the needle tip in the liquid, and pull the plunger back to 5 units. [2]
5. Tap the syringe to move any bubbles to the top and push them gently back into the vial. Check the mark again. [2]
6. Read the dose at the edge of the rubber stopper nearest the needle, with the syringe level with your eyes.

Not sure about the lines? See how to read an insulin syringe.

7Inject under the skin

A subcutaneous injection goes into the fatty tissue just under the skin. [1]

Pick the site

• Belly: below the ribs and above the hip bones, at least 2 inches from the belly button. [1]
• Outer side of the upper thigh. [1]
• Side or back of the upper arm, at least 3 inches below the shoulder and 3 inches above the elbow. [1]

The skin there should be healthy, with no redness, swelling, scarring or bruising. Move to a new spot each time, at least 1 inch from the last one. [1]

Give the injection

1. Clean the skin with an alcohol pad, wiping in a circle outward from the spot. Let it air dry. [1]
2. With your other hand, pinch about an inch of skin and fatty tissue. [1]
3. Put the needle all the way in at a 90 degree angle, or 45 degrees if there is not much fatty tissue. [1]
4. Let go of the pinch and push the plunger in until the syringe is empty. [1]
5. Pull the needle straight out and put it in the sharps container. [1]
6. Press clean gauze on the spot for a few seconds. [1]

8Clean up

• Put the used syringe in the sharps container straight away. Do not put the cap back on first. [3]
• Never reuse a syringe or needle, and never share one. [1]
• Keep the sharps container out of reach of children and pets. When it is about three-quarters full, follow your local rules for getting rid of it. [3]
• Put the vial back where it is stored and wash your hands. [1]

9Keep a record, and know when to get help

Write down the date, the peptide, the dose, the mark you drew to and the site you used. It makes the next one easier, and it is what a clinician will ask for.

Some soreness where the needle went in is expected. [1] Get medical help for redness or swelling that spreads, a fever, or anything that drains from the site. Trouble breathing, or swelling of the face, lips or throat, is an emergency: call your local emergency number.