PepKeep › How to reconstitute a peptide vial and draw a dose

Example used throughout: a 10 mg vial mixed with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water, drawing a 1 mg dose on a 100-unit (1 mL) U-100 insulin syringe. These are example numbers to show the technique, not a recommended dose. Use your own vial, water and the dose from your protocol.

What you need

• Your peptide vial (powder) and a vial of bacteriostatic (BAC) water
• U-100 insulin syringes
• Alcohol pads
• A pen to date the vial label, and room in the fridge

Part 1: Mix the vial

1. 

   Wipe both rubber tops

   Clean the top of the bacteriostatic water vial and your peptide vial with an alcohol swab. Let them air-dry.

2. 

   Pull air into your 100-unit syringe

   Hold your 100-unit insulin syringe with the needle pointing up and pull the plunger back to 100 units, filling it with air. It holds 100 units (1 mL), so adding all 2 mL takes 2 fills: 100 units each.

3. 

   Push all the air into the water vial

   With the water vial upright, push the needle straight through the center of the rubber top and push all the air in.

4. 

   Turn it upside down and load 100 units

   With the syringe still in, turn the vial upside down. The air you added pushes the water into the syringe; ease the plunger to 100 units with the needle tip under the water, then pull the needle out.

5. 

   Add the water down the side

   Insert the needle into your peptide vial at an angle and push slowly so the water runs down the glass. Don't spray it straight onto the powder. Repeat steps 2–5 until you've added 2 mL: 100 units each (2 in all), using the same syringe. Keep count as you go.

6. 

   Swirl gently until clear

   Roll the vial between your fingers or swirl it slowly. Don't shake it. Wait until no powder is left, then write today's date on the label and refrigerate.

Part 2: Work out your units

Once it's mixed, every mL holds the same amount of peptide. Units on a U-100 syringe are hundredths of a mL, so:

Different vial or water amount? The free reconstitution calculator does this for any numbers and shows the mark on a syringe. The most common mistake is mixing up mg and mcg: 1 mg = 1,000 mcg.

Part 3: Draw your dose

1. 

   Wipe the top

   Clean the rubber top of your mixed peptide vial with an alcohol swab and let it dry.

2. 

   Pull the plunger all the way back

   Hold your 100-unit syringe with the needle pointing up and pull the plunger all the way back, filling it with air.

3. 

   Push all the air into the vial

   With the vial upright, put the needle through the center of the top and push all the air in.

4. 

   Turn it upside down and load to 20

   With the syringe still in, turn the vial upside down. The air you added pushes the liquid in; ease the plunger to 20 units (0.2 mL = 1 mg) with the needle tip in the liquid.

5. 

   Check the line

   Pull the needle out and check that the top edge of the plunger sits exactly on 20. That's your dose.

6. 

   Clean the injection site

   Wipe the injection site with a fresh alcohol pad and let it air-dry before you inject.

Reading a U-100 syringe

On every U-100 insulin syringe, 1 unit = 0.01 mL and 100 units = 1 mL. A 0.5 mL syringe holds 50 units and a 0.3 mL syringe holds 30, but each unit is the same size. So the units for a dose never depend on which syringe size you use, only on how your vial was mixed.

Never do the math again

In the PepKeep app, these guides play step by step with your own vial and water amounts, and every dose reminder shows the exact units to draw. Your vials count down as you log, so you know when to reorder.

Questions

More tools

Sources

• FDA alert: dosing errors with compounded injectable products
• FDA: compounding risk alerts