Peptide Reconstitution Guide with Calculator

Bacteriostatic Water Vs. Sterile Water

Bacteriostatic water and sterile water are essentially used for the same function which is to dissolve the drugs/medications for injecting purposes.

However, they do differ in their composition as the bacteriostatic water contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol as a preservative. With the presence of 0.9% benzyl alcohol, the shelf-life of a bacteriostatic water vial is considerably increased up to 28 days as it will prevent the growth of any bacteria.

On the other hand, a sterile water vial doesn’t contain any preservatives/additives which can keep it free of pathogens for a longer time, thus one will have to use it immediately after opening the seal.

So, if you are someone who has seen the vials of both types of water, I am sure you can now understand why a bacteriostatic water vial contains considerable volume while a sterile water vial contains just a few milliliters.

Note that you can’t administer bacteriostatic water into your body without diluting it with any medication as the benzyl alcohol could trigger adverse cellular reactions into your body.

Peptide Dosage

While there is no fixed dosage of peptides and each peptide accounts for a different dose.

Recommended dosage guidelines are usually based on either the clinical trials or the efficacy of the peptide.

For example, the recommended dosage of BPC-157 is 1mcg to 10mcg per kg of body weight which accounts for 200mcg to 1000mcg per injection.

On the other hand, TB-500, another potential peptide for quick healing is usually dosed at 7.66mg per week.

So it all differs and the exact dosage can only be prescribed by your health practitioner.

Peptide Dosage Chart

We spent 20 hours of research finding optimal recommended dosages for every popular peptide. Check a preview below or click on the image to see the full document.

Peptide Storage

Storing peptides is a very crucial step because a slight fluctuation in the physical conditions can really degrade the peptide vial.

Before digging deeper into precise conditions required to store peptides, you should know that keeping a peptide vial away from intense light, high temperature and moisture is a MUST.

Lyophilized peptides are considerably stable at room temperature, so if you don’t want to reconstitute the lyophilized peptide for some time, don’t worry and just keep it a room temperature. But, for long-term storage of the powder form, the required temperature is less than -20 degrees celsius.

On the other hand, if the peptide vial has been reconstituted, make sure that you store it between 2 and 8 degrees celsius because the reconstituted peptides are susceptible to minor temperature changes.

Storing the peptide in solution form is also a bit risky because they are more prone to degradation. But, if there is an absolute need to stock solution form, what I would recommend is to store the required dosage into individual vials. This would kill 2 birds with one stone as not only this will solve the storage problem but repeated refrigerating and thawing is also a possible risk factor so you avoid that too!

Besides, to avoid the degradation of peptides from moisture, allow the reconstituted peptide vial to come at room temperature after pulling it out from the refrigerator.

Air oxidation is yet another threat to the efficacy of the peptide, especially some peptides having amino acids such as free cysteine and tryptophan. To prevent this, keeping the seal tight is really necessary and minimizing air exposure is key!

Last but not least, use plastic storage containers made up of polypropylene as it is chemically resistant and there is usually no fear of breaking/spilling as well compared to glass containers.

How Do I Mix Peptides?

Now here comes the crux of the article after talking about some of the major prerequisites of the peptide reconstitution process.

Before really going straight into the topic, let’s first understand the need for the phrase “reconstituting peptides”. Most peptides that you will see are often sold as lyophilized peptides which means that (freeze-dried) powder form.

Before really using the peptide, you will have to add liquid to the powder and MIX it well to make it a solution but it isn’t as simple as it sounds!

So, you will need alcohol swabs, a syringe (27-29 gauge insulin needles), the lyophilized peptide that you have ordered, and the bacteriostatic water or sterile water, depending on your preference. (I would personally recommend bacteriostatic water because of its longer shelf-life).

The first step is to use the alcohol swab and wipe the vials containing lyophilized peptides and the bacteriostatic/sterile water. Give half a minute for the alcohol to dry so that there is absolutely no risk of bacterial growth.

The second step is to use your syringe and draw out 1ml of bacteriostatic water from the vial without really touching the needle as it could cause contamination. For those of you thinking about the volume of water, 1ml is usually enough for all the peptides available in the market.

 

The next and immediate step is to add the water you have drawn out into the peptide vial slowly yet smoothly. Don’t just shoot the water like a spray or something. What you should be doing is drip the water onto the inner surface of the vial so that there is enough time for the lyophilized peptide and water to mix.

Note that you should absolutely not stir or shake the vial as it is going to damage the peptide and it will no longer be effective.

You will soon see that your peptide powder will be dissolved and the vial will be transparent.

Done, your reconstitution is done!

I am sure that most of the things would be clear by now. Because visual guidance is far better to approach, I searched for some of the Youtube videos that could help you in the process. The video I would recommend is embedded below.

Now that you know the general peptide reconstitution guidelines, let’s talk about some of the exceptions.

While most of the peptides will be soluble in bacteriostatic water and sterile water, some really won’t, and this will be depending on the polarity of the peptides.

To really know the best solvent in which a peptide will be soluble, you must have to consider some biochemistry knowledge and do some trial and error.

Acidic peptides will be best soluble in basic solution and vice versa. Researchers also use organic solvent such as Acetic acid and DMSO to dissolve hydrophobic peptides and polar uncharged amino acids.

Note that sodium chloride water shouldn’t be used as it may result in precipitates.

Once the peptide is really made soluble in any of the relevant solutions, diluting it with bacteriostatic water or sterile water is recommended.

What is Peptide Mixing Water used for?

As discussed earlier, peptide mixing water is used to dissolve/dilute the lyophilized peptides.

Because most peptides are sold in powder form, one needs to dissolve/dilute them before really using them.

Can you reconstitute peptides with distilled water?

Yes, distilled water can also be used to reconstitute peptides alongside the bacteriostatic and sterile water.

But not all peptides dissolve in water easily, so it usually is recommended that you try to dissolve the peptide in any of these waters using Sonication. This process is often helpful in breaking down the big solid lumps of peptides in the water and aids in the dissolution process.

If the peptide still doesn’t get dissolved, perform trial and error and use various other solvents.

How much bacteriostatic water do you mix with peptides?

The universal rule is to use 1 milliliter of bacteriostatic water for every peptide that you reconstitute.

You can go as high as 2 milliliters per peptide reconstitution as it does no harm other than more dilution.

How to Store Reconstituted Peptides

Reconstituted peptides can be stored in several ways, depending on the duration of storage and the desired shelf life. Here are some general guidelines for storing reconstituted peptides:

1. Short-term storage: If you plan to use the reconstituted peptide within a few days, you can store it at 4°C in the dark. It is essential to avoid exposure to light and high temperatures, which can lead to peptide degradation.

2. Long-term storage: For long-term storage, it is recommended to aliquot the reconstituted peptide into small volumes and freeze them at -20°C or -80°C. This method can preserve the peptide’s stability and activity for several months to years, depending on the peptide’s properties and storage conditions.

3. Freeze-drying: Freeze-drying, also known as lyophilization, is a method that removes water from the peptide solution and allows the peptide to be stored in a stable, dry form at room temperature for an extended period. However, this method requires special equipment and expertise.

4. Avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles: It is essential to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles, as they can cause damage to the peptide and decrease its stability and activity.

In summary, the best way to store reconstituted peptides depends on the duration of storage and the desired shelf life. Short-term storage can be done at 4°C, while long-term storage can be done by freezing at -20°C or -80°C, or by lyophilization. It is essential to avoid repeated freeze-thaw cycles and exposure to light and high temperatures.

How do you reconstitute BPC 157 5mg?

Okay, so this is some maths stuff that I need to explain to you before it really gets on your nerves.

If you don’t know what BPC 157 is, it is a peptide that is used by athletes and bodybuilders to recover from injuries and aid in the healing process. Read the full review on BPC 157 only at Muscle and Brawn.

The recommended dosage of BPC 157 is somewhere between 200mcg to 1000mcg, depending on your body weight. Let’s just assume that you have been prescribed 500mcg of BPC 157.

For the 5mg vial of BPC 157, you will have to use 1ml of bacteriostatic water.

One vial of BPC 157 contains 5mg, which also means 5000mcg.

Because there is 1ml of bacteriostatic water, this means that we need to mix 5000mcg with 1ml of bacteriostatic water.

As the recommended dosage is 500mcg, dividing the total of 5000mcg by 500mcg will yield 10 injections per BPC 157 vial.

In order to reconstitute 10 equal dosages, we need to mix 1ml of bacteriostatic water in all the 10 injections, which means 0.1ml of water per dosage.

Using the 28-29 gauge insulin syringe, you will have to draw 0.1 ml of water per injection. On the insulin syringe, 100 units correspond to 1ml, so 10 units will correspond to 0.1ml of the bacteriostatic water.

In a nutshell, in order to make the 1 proper dosage of BPC-157, you would need to draw 10 units of water and then mix it by following the reconstitution guidelines.

How to mix peptides in the same syringe?

Well, people have been mixing peptides in the same syringe and then administering them.

Only if the peptides are of the same nature such as growth hormone (GH) influencers or if you see any vendors selling a stack of particular peptides, only those you should mix.

The process is simple. All you have to do is add the desirable reconstituted peptides in 1 vial and then use the syringe to pull out the mixture so that you can administer it.

How do you store sterile water for injections?

As I mentioned at the start, the sterile water vial doesn’t contain benzyl alcohol which makes it unfavorable for storage.

Once you open the seal of the sterile water vial, you will either have to use it preferably within the next 4 hours or discard it. There is literally no other option.