What you need
The lyophilized vial, bacteriostatic water (sterile water containing a preservative that allows multiple withdrawals), alcohol swabs, and an appropriately sized syringe.
Follow the specific instructions from the provider who prescribed your product — the guidance below describes the general process, not a dosing recommendation.
The process
Let both vials reach room temperature. Cold glass and cold liquid make dissolution slower and messier.
Swab both stoppers with alcohol and let them dry.
Draw your chosen volume of bacteriostatic water and inject it slowly down the inside wall of the peptide vial. Do not spray it directly onto the powder — the force can damage the peptide.
Swirl gently until the solution is clear. Never shake. Shaking introduces shear force and foaming.
Store the reconstituted vial refrigerated and use it within the window your provider specifies.
The math, in one line
Concentration is simply the peptide amount divided by the water volume. A 10 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water yields 5 mg/mL — or 5,000 mcg per mL.
To find the volume for a given dose, divide the dose by the concentration. A 250 mcg dose from a 5,000 mcg/mL solution is 0.05 mL.
On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL equals 100 units — so 0.05 mL is the 5-unit mark. Working in units rather than milliliters is why insulin syringes are standard for this.
Common mistakes
Adding more water does not change the total amount of peptide in the vial — it only changes how concentrated each draw is. More water means larger, easier-to-measure volumes; less water means smaller draws.
Confusing mcg and mg is the most consequential error in this whole process. One milligram is 1,000 micrograms. Check units twice.
Shaking, freezing after reconstitution, or leaving a reconstituted vial at room temperature all degrade the product.