mg and mcg: how much peptide
A dose is a weight. 1 milligram (mg) is 1,000 micrograms (mcg). So 250 mcg is 0.25 mg, and 2.5 mg is 2,500 mcg.
Mixing these two up is a thousand-fold error, which is why the charts on this site always print the unit beside the number.
mL and syringe units: how much liquid
A millilitre (mL) is a volume. Insulin syringes are marked in units instead of mL, and on a U-100 syringe 100 units is 1 mL. To change one into the other, multiply mL by 100 or divide units by 100.
mg/mL: the link between them
Concentration is the weight of peptide in each millilitre of liquid. It is set when the vial is mixed: milligrams in the vial divided by millilitres of water.
Once you have it, a dose in mg divided by the concentration is the volume to draw.
- 10 mg vial with 2 mL of water: 5 mg/mL.
- A 500 mcg dose is 0.5 mg. 0.5 divided by 5 is 0.1 mL.
- 0.1 mL times 100 is 10 units.
IU is something else
IU stands for international unit. It measures how active a substance is, not its weight and not its volume. How many milligrams are in 1 IU is different for every substance, and is set separately for each one.
The units on an insulin syringe are not IU of anything except U-100 insulin. For every other liquid they are just a ruler for volume. A chart that says "10 units" means 0.1 mL.
Questions
How many mcg in 1 mg?
1,000 mcg.
How many units in 1 mL?
100 units on a U-100 insulin syringe.
How do I turn mcg into units?
Change mcg to mg by dividing by 1,000. Divide that by the concentration in mg/mL to get mL. Multiply by 100 to get units.
Related
How to read an insulin syringeHow to mix a peptide vialPeptide calculatorPeptide dosage chartDosages A to ZAll guides
DosageFacts is an information site. It is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed professional before using any medication.