Peptide Reconstitution Calculator & Visual Guide

To reconstitute any peptide, GLP-1 (tirzepatide, retatrutide), or supporting compound such as NAD+, divide the total peptide amount in the vial (mg) by the amount of bacteriostatic (BAC) water added (mL) to find the concentration (mg/mL), then divide the desired dose (mg) by this concentration (mg/mL) to determine the injection volume in syringe units.

Peptide Reconstitution Steps

1. Start with Vial Size: Identify total milligrams (mg) on the vial (e.g., 2 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg).
2. Add BAC Water: Add a precise amount of BAC water, typically 1 mL or 2 mL, to the vial to dissolve the peptide.
3. Determine Concentration (example: 10 mg vial ÷ 1 mL water = 10 mg/mL):

$$\text{Concentration (mg/mL)}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{Total BAC Water (mL)}}$$

1. Calculate Dosage Volume (example: 1 mg dose ÷ 10 mg/mL = 0.1 mL):

$$\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose (mg)}}{\text{Concentration (mg/mL)}}$$

1. Convert to Syringe Units: Using a standard U-100 (1 mL/100 unit) insulin syringe, 0.1 mL equals 10 units.

Standard Reconstitution Examples (Targeting 10–50 Units)

• 250 mcg (0.25 mg) dose in a 10 mg vial: Add 1 mL BAC water = 25 units (0.25 mL draw).
• 500 mcg (0.5 mg) dose in a 10 mg vial: Add 2 mL BAC water = 25 units (0.25 mL draw).
• 1 mg dose in a 10 mg vial: Add 2 mL BAC water = 20 units (0.2 mL draw).
• 2.5 mg dose in a 20 mg vial: Add 2 mL BAC water = 25 units (0.25 mL draw).
• 4 mg dose in a 20 mg vial: Add 2 mL BAC water = 40 units (0.4 mL draw).

Key Considerations

• Units vs. ML: 100 units on a syringe equals 1 mL.
• Precision: Use smaller syringes (e.g., 30-unit or 50-unit) for more accurate, smaller doses.
• Reconstitution: Add water slowly down the side of the vial, then gently swirl to dissolve; do not shake.
• Accuracy: Use the FoxAI peptide calculator to automatically double-check calculations and conversions.

Multiply milligrams (mg) by 1,000 to get micrograms (mcg). For example, 2 mg is equal to 2,000 mcg.

Most healing peptides (BPC-157, TB-500) and neuro peptides (Semax, Selank) are dosed in mcg (250–500 mcg).

Insulin syringes (0.5 mL or 1 mL, 29–31 gauge) are standard for subcutaneous peptide injections. They're marked in units where 100 units = 1 mL. PeptideFox's calculator shows both unit and mL measurements.

For the reconstitution step itself — drawing the BAC water and adding it to the vial — use a larger 3–5 mL syringe with a 23–27 gauge needle. The bigger barrel pulls your full water volume in one draw, so you pierce the vial once and keep contamination risk low. Switch to the 28–31 gauge insulin syringe for the actual injection.

Nothing is ruined — you've just created a lower concentration, which means a larger injection volume to hit your target dose.

Update the BAC water field in the calculator and it will recalculate automatically. The peptide is unaffected — dilution changes the volume per dose, not the compound.

Step 1 — calculate your peptide vial's concentration in mg/mL. Use this formula:

$$\text{Concentration (mg/mL)}=\frac{\text{Vial Size (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}$$

Example: a 10 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL of BAC water yields 5 mg/mL.

Step 2 — convert your dose into syringe units. On a U-100 syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose (mg)}}{\text{Concentration (mg/mL)}}\times 100$$

Example: a 0.5 mg dose at 5 mg/mL = (0.5 ÷ 5) × 100 = 10 units.

Standard Insulin Syringe Capacities

• 0.3 mL Syringe: 30 units max — ideal for small, precise doses under 30 units.
• 0.5 mL Syringe: 50 units max — ideal for standard 25–50 unit doses.
• 1.0 mL Syringe: 100 units max — ideal for large reconstitution volumes or doses over 50 units.
• 3.0 mL Syringe: 300 units max — ideal for larger intramuscular injections for NAD+, Glutathione, and other support compounds.

3 mL syringes are also used for reconstitution to avoid multiple transfers between BAC water and peptide vials.

When a dose doesn't divide cleanly into the total milligrams in the vial, adjust the water volume to force the math. Adding a precise, uneven amount of water (like 2.4 mL) ensures your daily injection always lands on a clean 10- or 50-unit mark, minimizing dosing errors. PeptideFox's FoxAI calculator dynamically solves this for you, eliminating any guesswork and reducing human error risk.

Steps to Force Clean Syringe Math

Set target syringe units. Lock your desired draw to a round number, such as 10 units (0.1 mL), 25 units (0.25 mL) or 50 units (0.5 mL).

Apply the reconstitution formula. Multiply the vial size by the target volume, then divide by the desired dose.

$$\text{Ideal BAC Water (mL)}=\frac{\text{Vial Size (mg)}\times \text{Target Volume (mL)}}{\text{Desired Dose (mg)}}$$

Examples for Tricky Reconstitutions

• 400 mcg (0.4 mg) dose in a 10 mg vial: Target 10 units (0.1 mL). Add 2.5 mL BAC water.
• 2.2 mg dose from a 20 mg vial: Target 25 units (0.25 mL). Add 2.27 mL BAC water.
• 750 mcg (0.75 mg) dose in a 10 mg vial: Target 20 units (0.2 mL). Add 2.66 mL BAC water.
• 2.5 mg dose in a 12 mg vial: Target 50 units (0.5 mL). Add 2.4 mL BAC water.
• 5 mg dose in a 24 mg vial: Target 50 units (0.5 mL). Add 2.4 mL BAC water.

A 10 mg tirzepatide vial with 1 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 10 mg/mL, where 5 mg draws 50 units and 10 mg draws 100 units. The table gives the water for each dose.

A 15 mg tirzepatide vial with 1 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 15 mg/mL, where 7.5 mg draws 50 units and 15 mg draws 100 units. The table gives the water for each dose.

A 30 mg tirzepatide vial with 3 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 10 mg/mL, where 5 mg draws 50 units and 10 mg draws 100 units. The table gives the water for each dose.

A 5 mg retatrutide vial with 2.5 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 2 mg/mL, where 1 mg draws 50 units and 2 mg draws 100 units. The table gives the water for each dose.

A 10 mg retatrutide vial with 1 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 10 mg/mL, where 6 mg draws 60 units and 8 mg draws 80 units. Lower doses use more water to enlarge the draw, as the table lists.

A 20 mg retatrutide vial with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 10 mg/mL, where 9 mg draws 90 units and 10 mg draws 100 units. The table gives the water for each dose.

A 2.5 mg semaglutide vial with 2.5 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 1 mg/mL, where 0.5 mg draws 50 units and 1 mg draws 100 units. The table gives the water for each dose.

A 5 mg semaglutide vial with 2.5 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 2 mg/mL, where 1 mg draws 50 units; the 2.4 mg dose uses 2.1 mL for a 100-unit draw. The table gives the water for each dose.

A 10 mg semaglutide vial with 3 mL of bacteriostatic water makes 3.33 mg/mL, where 0.5 mg draws 15 units and 1 mg draws 30 units. The table gives the water for each dose.

Confirm your vial size. KLOW is typically 80 mg total: 10 mg BPC-157, 10 mg TB-4, 10 mg KPV, 50 mg GHK-Cu.

Pick an anchor compound. Anchor your dose to whichever compound matches your goal — GHK-Cu for skincare, BPC-157 for injury repair — and the other three peptides come along at fixed proportions.

Pick a BAC water volume that lands on a clean insulin-syringe mark. Two defaults that both land on 10 units (0.1 mL) per dose on a U-100 insulin syringe:

• Skincare — 2 mg GHK-Cu anchor, reconstitute the 80 mg vial with 2.5 mL BAC water.
• Injury — 0.5 mg BPC-157 anchor, reconstitute the 80 mg vial with 2 mL BAC water.

Solve for your per-dose draw volume. Use the formula:

$$V_{\text{draw}}=\frac{D_{\text{anchor}}\times V_{\text{water}}}{M_{\text{anchor}}}$$

$D_{\text{anchor}}$ is your target dose in mg, $V_{\text{water}}$ is the BAC water volume you reconstitute with in mL, and $M_{\text{anchor}}$ is the anchor compound mass in the vial in mg.

Plug in the defaults to see what each dose delivers:

• Skincare (2.5 mL water with GHK-Cu anchor) — Payload: GHK-Cu 2 mg · BPC-157 0.4 mg · TB-4 0.4 mg · KPV 0.4 mg.

$$V_{\text{draw}}=\frac{2\text{mg}\times 2.5\text{mL}}{50\text{mg}}=0.1\text{mL}=10\text{units}$$

• Injury (2 mL water with BPC-157 anchor) — Payload: GHK-Cu 2.5 mg · BPC-157 0.5 mg · TB-4 0.5 mg · KPV 0.5 mg.

$$V_{\text{draw}}=\frac{0.5\text{mg}\times 2\text{mL}}{10\text{mg}}=0.1\text{mL}=10\text{units}$$

Larger vials or injection irritation: double the water volume and double your draw — delivered dose is identical.

Confirm your vial size. GLOW is typically 70 mg total: 10 mg BPC-157, 10 mg TB-4, 50 mg GHK-Cu.

Pick an anchor compound. Anchor your dose to whichever compound matches your goal — GHK-Cu for skincare, BPC-157 for injury repair — and the other two peptides come along at fixed proportions.

Pick a BAC water volume that lands on a clean insulin-syringe mark. Two defaults that both land on 10 units (0.1 mL) per dose on a U-100 insulin syringe:

• Skincare — 2 mg GHK-Cu anchor, reconstitute the 70 mg vial with 2.5 mL BAC water.
• Injury — 0.5 mg BPC-157 anchor, reconstitute the 70 mg vial with 2 mL BAC water.

Solve for your per-dose draw volume. Use the formula:

$$V_{\text{draw}}=\frac{D_{\text{anchor}}\times V_{\text{water}}}{M_{\text{anchor}}}$$

$D_{\text{anchor}}$ is your target dose in mg, $V_{\text{water}}$ is the BAC water volume you reconstitute with in mL, and $M_{\text{anchor}}$ is the anchor compound mass in the vial in mg.

Plug in the defaults to see what each dose delivers:

• Skincare (2.5 mL water with GHK-Cu anchor) — Payload: GHK-Cu 2 mg · BPC-157 0.4 mg · TB-4 0.4 mg.

$$V_{\text{draw}}=\frac{2\text{mg}\times 2.5\text{mL}}{50\text{mg}}=0.1\text{mL}=10\text{units}$$

• Injury (2 mL water with BPC-157 anchor) — Payload: GHK-Cu 2.5 mg · BPC-157 0.5 mg · TB-4 0.5 mg.

$$V_{\text{draw}}=\frac{0.5\text{mg}\times 2\text{mL}}{10\text{mg}}=0.1\text{mL}=10\text{units}$$

Larger vials or injection irritation: double the water volume and double your draw — delivered dose is identical.

Confirm your vial composition. Standard blend is BPC-157 10 mg + TB-500 10 mg = 20 mg total, 1:1 ratio. Equal mass means one calculation covers both peptides simultaneously.

Pick a BAC water volume that lands on a clean insulin-syringe mark. Reconstitute the 20 mg blend vial with 2 mL BAC water. At a standard 500 mcg per-compound dose, this lands on 10 units (0.1 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe.

Solve for your per-dose draw volume. Use the formula:

$$V_{\text{draw}}=\frac{D\times V_{\text{water}}}{M}$$

$D$ is your target dose per compound in mg, $V_{\text{water}}$ is the BAC water volume you reconstitute with in mL, and $M$ is the single-compound mass in the vial in mg.

Plug in the default to see what each dose delivers. At 2 mL BAC water and 500 mcg per compound:

$$V_{\text{draw}}=\frac{0.5\text{mg}\times 2\text{mL}}{10\text{mg}}=0.1\text{mL}=10\text{units}$$

Payload at 10 units: BPC-157 500 mcg · TB-500 500 mcg.

Wolverine Stack Dosing Profile (20 mg Blend / 2 mL BAC Water)

• 250 mcg each: Draw 5 units (0.05 mL).
• 500 mcg each: Draw 10 units (0.1 mL) — standard BPC-157 dose.
• 1 mg each: Draw 20 units (0.2 mL).
• 2 mg each: Draw 40 units (0.4 mL) — weekly TB-500 loading range.

MOTS-c triggers the same cellular response as an endurance session — shifting metabolism toward fat oxidation. A 5 mg to 10 mg dose injected prior to exercise is standard for maximizing this metabolic adaptation.

Reconstitution note: Use 0.9% NaCl Bacteriostatic Water, not plain BAC water. MOTS-c frequently causes injection-site welts; sodium chloride dampens this localized skin reaction. Use the reconstituted vial within 2 weeks.

Reconstitute for clean math. Add 1 mL of 0.9% NaCl bacteriostatic water to the 10 mg vial.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{10\text{mg}}{1\text{mL}}=10\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 5 mg target dose:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{5\text{mg}}{10\text{mg/mL}}=0.5\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=0.5\text{mL}\times 100=50\text{units}$$

MOTS-c Reconstitution & Dosing Profile (10 mg Vial / 1 mL BAC Water)

• 5 mg Dose: Draw 50 units (0.5 mL).
• 10 mg Dose: Draw 100 units (1.0 mL).

MOTS-c Reconstitution & Dosing Profile (20 mg Vial / 2 mL BAC Water)

• 5 mg Dose: Draw 50 units (0.5 mL).
• 10 mg Dose: Draw 100 units (1.0 mL).

NAD+ drives cellular energy and mitochondrial function. At 50 mg to 200 mg per dose, the high injection volume requires intramuscular (IM) administration or splitting the dose across multiple subcutaneous sites.

Reconstitution note: NAD+ is acidic, and that acidity is the main driver of injection-site sting. The fix is to buy a buffered version of NAD+, so source it pre-buffered when you can. Reconstitute it with BAC water containing sodium chloride (NaCl) to reduce welting; NaCl eases the osmotic discomfort but does not correct the acidity.

Reconstitute for clean math. Choose your vial size — each lands at the same working concentration:

• 250 mg NAD+ vial: Add 2.5 mL → 100 mg/mL.
• 500 mg NAD+ vial: Add 5 mL → 100 mg/mL.
• 1,000 mg NAD+ vial: Add 5 mL → 200 mg/mL.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{250\text{mg}}{2.5\text{mL}}=100\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 100 mg target dose at 100 mg/mL:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{100\text{mg}}{100\text{mg/mL}}=1.0\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=1.0\text{mL}\times 100=100\text{units}$$

NAD+ Dosing Profile (100 mg/mL Concentration)

• 50 mg Dose: Draw 50 units (0.5 mL).
• 100 mg Dose: Draw 100 units (1.0 mL).
• 150 mg Dose: Draw 150 units (1.5 mL) — requires two syringes or a larger 3 mL IM syringe.

BPC-157 accelerates healing by directing blood vessel cells to sprout new capillaries into damaged tissue. Patients typically target 250 mcg to 500 mcg injected subcutaneously to support tendon recovery and gut inflammation.

Reconstitute for clean math. Add 2 mL of bacteriostatic water to the 10 mg vial.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{10\text{mg}}{2\text{mL}}=5\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 500 mcg (0.5 mg) target dose:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{0.5\text{mg}}{5\text{mg/mL}}=0.1\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=0.1\text{mL}\times 100=10\text{units}$$

BPC-157 Dosing Profile (10 mg Vial / 2 mL BAC Water)

• 250 mcg Dose: Draw 5 units (0.05 mL).
• 500 mcg Dose: Draw 10 units (0.1 mL).

TB-500 is a synthetic fraction of Thymosin Beta-4, explicitly favored for acute muscle and tissue repair. Rather than daily injections, the protocol requires a heavier 2.5 mg systemic dose injected twice per week.

Reconstitute for clean math. Add 1 mL of bacteriostatic water to the 10 mg vial.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{10\text{mg}}{1\text{mL}}=10\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 2.5 mg target dose:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{2.5\text{mg}}{10\text{mg/mL}}=0.25\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=0.25\text{mL}\times 100=25\text{units}$$

TB-500 Dosing Profile (10 mg Vial / 1 mL BAC Water)

• 2.5 mg Dose: Draw 25 units (0.25 mL).
• 5 mg Dose: Draw 50 units (0.5 mL).

Semax supports cognitive function and focus by enhancing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). It is dosed between 300 mcg and 1,000 mcg (1 mg) daily, either subcutaneously or via an intranasal applicator.

Reconstitute for clean math. Add 2 mL of bacteriostatic water to the 10 mg vial.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{10\text{mg}}{2\text{mL}}=5\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 1 mg (1,000 mcg) target dose:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{1\text{mg}}{5\text{mg/mL}}=0.2\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=0.2\text{mL}\times 100=20\text{units}$$

Semax Dosing Profile (10 mg Vial / 2 mL BAC Water)

• 300 mcg Dose: Draw 6 units (0.06 mL).
• 1 mg (1,000 mcg) Dose: Draw 20 units (0.2 mL).

Selank is a tuftsin-derived anxiolytic that modulates GABA signaling and dampens inflammation, used for stress resilience and focus. It is dosed at 250 mcg to 500 mcg daily, either subcutaneously or through an intranasal applicator.

Reconstitute for clean math. Add 2 mL of bacteriostatic water to the 10 mg vial.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{10\text{mg}}{2\text{mL}}=5\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 500 mcg (0.5 mg) target dose:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{0.5\text{mg}}{5\text{mg/mL}}=0.1\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=0.1\text{mL}\times 100=10\text{units}$$

Selank Dosing Profile (10 mg Vial / 2 mL BAC Water)

• 250 mcg Dose: Draw 5 units (0.05 mL).
• 500 mcg Dose: Draw 10 units (0.1 mL).

For the nasal route, reconstitute with BAC water containing NaCl rather than plain BAC water — benzyl alcohol alone irritates the nasal lining. N-Acetyl Selank Amidate carries end-chain modifications that raise stability and bioavailability; users often dose it lower or less often than the unmodified form. Reconstituted Selank holds 4–6 weeks refrigerated, away from light.

GHK-Cu is a copper-binding peptide that up-regulates collagen and elastin synthesis while down-modulating matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), driving skin remodeling and connective-tissue repair. Systemic tissue-repair dosing runs 1 mg to 2.5 mg subcutaneously, three times per week. The reconstituted solution reads blue — that color is the copper complex and is normal.

Reconstitute for clean math. Add 2.5 mL of bacteriostatic water to the 50 mg vial.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{50\text{mg}}{2.5\text{mL}}=20\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 2 mg target dose:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{2\text{mg}}{20\text{mg/mL}}=0.1\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=0.1\text{mL}\times 100=10\text{units}$$

GHK-Cu Dosing Profile (50 mg Vial / 2.5 mL BAC Water)

• 1 mg Dose: Draw 5 units (0.05 mL).
• 2 mg Dose: Draw 10 units (0.1 mL).

Tesamorelin is a stabilized GHRH analog that stimulates pituitary growth-hormone release, raising IGF-1 and driving visceral-fat lipolysis. It is dosed at 1 mg to 2 mg daily, subcutaneously.

Reconstitution note: Tesamorelin is strongly cationic and prone to injection-site welts, so reconstitute with 0.9% NaCl bacteriostatic water rather than plain BAC water — the sodium and chloride ions screen the peptide's charge and shrink the welt. Its FDA label specifies sterile water, but that is regulatory convention, not the gentler diluent.

Reconstitute for clean math. Add 2 mL of 0.9% NaCl bacteriostatic water to the 10 mg vial.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{10\text{mg}}{2\text{mL}}=5\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 2 mg target dose:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{2\text{mg}}{5\text{mg/mL}}=0.4\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=0.4\text{mL}\times 100=40\text{units}$$

Tesamorelin Dosing Profile (10 mg Vial / 2 mL BAC Water)

• 1 mg Dose: Draw 20 units (0.2 mL).
• 2 mg Dose: Draw 40 units (0.4 mL).

Sermorelin is a GHRH fragment that triggers pulsatile growth-hormone release from the pituitary with a modest IGF-1 rise. It is dosed at 200 mcg to 500 mcg daily, subcutaneously — typically at night to align with the body's natural GH pulse.

Reconstitution note: As a cationic GH secretagogue, sermorelin reconstitutes better in 0.9% NaCl bacteriostatic water, which dampens the charge-driven injection-site welt.

Reconstitute for clean math. Add 2 mL of 0.9% NaCl bacteriostatic water to the 10 mg vial.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{10\text{mg}}{2\text{mL}}=5\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 500 mcg (0.5 mg) target dose:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{0.5\text{mg}}{5\text{mg/mL}}=0.1\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=0.1\text{mL}\times 100=10\text{units}$$

Sermorelin Dosing Profile (10 mg Vial / 2 mL BAC Water)

• 300 mcg Dose: Draw 6 units (0.06 mL).
• 500 mcg Dose: Draw 10 units (0.1 mL).

Thymosin Alpha-1 (Tα1) is an immune-modulating peptide that enhances T-cell function, upregulates MHC expression, and rebalances the Th1/Th2 response — used for immune support and post-viral recovery. It is dosed around 1.6 mg daily, subcutaneously.

Reconstitute for clean math. Add 2.5 mL of bacteriostatic water to the 10 mg vial.

$$\text{Concentration}=\frac{\text{Total Peptide (mg)}}{\text{BAC Water (mL)}}=\frac{10\text{mg}}{2.5\text{mL}}=4\text{mg/mL}$$

Calculate your draw volume. For a 1.6 mg target dose:

$$\text{Volume to Draw}=\frac{\text{Desired Dose}}{\text{Concentration}}=\frac{1.6\text{mg}}{4\text{mg/mL}}=0.4\text{mL}$$

Convert to syringe units. On a U-100 insulin syringe, 1 mL = 100 units.

$$\text{Syringe Units}=\text{Volume to Draw (mL)}\times 100=0.4\text{mL}\times 100=40\text{units}$$

Thymosin Alpha-1 Dosing Profile (10 mg Vial / 2.5 mL BAC Water)

• 0.8 mg Dose: Draw 20 units (0.2 mL).
• 1.6 mg Dose: Draw 40 units (0.4 mL).
• 3.2 mg Dose: Draw 80 units (0.8 mL).

Shaking looks faster, but it forces the air above the powder into the liquid as foam, and you have to wait for that foam to settle before you can draw — so it doesn't save time. Foam is mostly a dosing problem: you can't pull an accurate volume through bubbles, and some peptide gets held up in it. The force of shaking is too low to tear these peptides apart, so the foam itself is what you're avoiding. Swirl gently or roll the vial instead and it dissolves cleanly.

Only if you use the whole vial in a single dose. Sterile water has no preservative, so bacteria multiply once the vial is pierced. For any multi-dose protocol — which is almost all of them — bacteriostatic water (0.9% benzyl alcohol) is what keeps the solution usable over weeks.

Wipe the rubber stoppers with alcohol and let them dry before each pierce, use a fresh needle every time, wear gloves, and work on a clean surface. Contamination is the leading cause of peptide degradation in home use, and the preservative in bacteriostatic water only slows it — it does not replace clean technique.

Yes. Reconstituting straight from the freezer stresses the peptide. Let a frozen vial reach refrigerator temperature (30–60 minutes) first; let a refrigerated vial sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes. Never add water to a still-frozen peptide.

No. Lyophilized powder freezes fine for long-term storage, but once a peptide is in solution, ice crystals physically damage the structure — you lose potency and get precipitation on thaw. Refrigerate reconstituted vials; do not freeze them.

Watch for cloudiness, visible particles or precipitate, a color shift (most peptides are colorless — GHK-Cu is the exception and reads blue, which is normal), or foam that will not settle. Diminishing results despite consistent dosing is another signal. When in doubt, discard and reconstitute fresh.

Most peptide users inject with U-100 insulin syringes, where 100 units = 1 mL. Read your draw against these conversions:

The key conversion: 10 units = 0.1 mL. For doses under 20 units, a 0.3 mL or 0.5 mL syringe with 1-unit markings gives better precision than a 1 mL syringe marked in 2-unit steps.

Most reconstituted peptides stay stable for 4–6 weeks refrigerated at 36–46°F and protected from light. Shorter-window compounds — GHK-Cu, MOTS-c, NAD+ — run closer to 2–4 weeks. If your protocol allows, prepare smaller volumes more often rather than large batches that sit.

Yes, always. Reconstituted peptides degrade quickly at room temperature. Refrigerate immediately after mixing, store in the main compartment rather than the door (where the temperature swings), and keep them out of direct light.

Most peptides reconstitute with standard BAC water. The exceptions come down to what irritates the injection site.

Cationic, amphiphilic peptides that tend to welt reconstitute better in BAC water with 0.9% NaCl: SS-31, MOTS-c, the GH secretagogues (sermorelin, ipamorelin, tesamorelin, CJC-1295), and VIP and kisspeptin-10. These peptides activate MRGPRX2, a mast-cell receptor that fires on positively charged, aromatic molecules and releases histamine into the tissue.⁴ ⁵ Sodium and chloride ions screen the peptide's positive charge, so the receptor sees less of it and the welt shrinks. Efficacy is unaffected — once the peptide reaches the bloodstream it sits in the body's own roughly 150 mM saline regardless of what you mixed it with.⁶

NAD+ is different: its pain is acidity, not mast cells — reconstituted NAD+ sits near pH 3.5. NaCl helps the osmotic component, but a buffered version of NAD+ addresses the actual cause.⁹ Tesamorelin is the one people get backwards: its FDA label specifies sterile water, but that is regulatory convenience, not the better diluent. By charge it is the most cationic peptide in this group, so the NaCl logic applies to it most of all.

One storage trade-off: NaCl can speed aggregation in the vial over weeks.⁷ ⁸ Mix smaller amounts and use within 1–2 weeks.

Skin mast cells carry MRGPRX2, a receptor that fires on cationic, aromatic ("cationic amphiphilic") molecules and releases histamine — redness, swelling, the classic wheal.⁴ ⁵ It is confirmed for SS-31, which activates the receptor well below its injection concentration; blocking the receptor sharply reduces the swelling.⁶ Switching to NaCl BAC water dampens these charge-driven welts. NAD+ is the exception — its sting is acidity-driven, so NaCl helps only the osmotic part and buffering the pH helps more.⁹

For the repair peptides, mostly not. Small peptides enter the bloodstream within minutes of a subcutaneous injection,¹⁰ ¹² and compounds like BPC-157 and GHK-Cu act through gene-signaling cascades that work body-wide rather than only where the needle went. No study has compared injecting near an injury against injecting elsewhere for these compounds — "inject near the injury" is a reasonable, low-cost default, but it is practitioner convention, not an evidence-backed advantage. The one honest exception: TB-500 works partly by mass-action, so a higher local concentration in the brief window before it disperses is at least plausible. The abdomen tends to absorb faster than the thigh because of blood flow, not because it targets anything locally.¹¹