Research peptides almost never come with these instructions. Prescription peptides that ship as powder do, and their labels describe the same steps in nearly the same words. What follows is taken from those labels and from CDC injection-safety guidance.
What is needed
- The peptide vial, sealed, with the amount in mg on its label
- Bacteriostatic water, in date
- A new sterile syringe for drawing the water, large enough for the full volume
- 70% isopropyl alcohol swabs
- A pen or label for the vial
The steps
1. Check both vials
Expiry dates on both, seals intact, the bac water clear. The peptide is normally a white powder or a small dry cake. A research peptide’s label rarely says what it should look like, so there is often nothing to compare it with.
2. Settle the volume first
The water volume sets the concentration for the life of the vial, so it is decided before anything is opened. The calculator shows what 1, 2 or 3 mL gives for a given vial.
3. Clean the stoppers
The plastic flip-off caps come off both vials. Under the cap the rubber stopper is clean but not sterile, so each one is wiped with an alcohol swab and left to dry. CDC guidance calls for 70% alcohol on the stopper before every entry into a vial, not just the first.
4. Draw the bac water
A new syringe, used for this and nothing else, draws the chosen volume from the bac water vial. Drawing back a little air first and pushing it into the bac water vial makes the liquid easier to pull out.
5. Add it down the side of the vial
The needle goes through the peptide vial’s stopper and the liquid is run slowly down the inside of the glass, not fired straight at the powder. The Serostim label gives the reason: aiming at the wall prevents foaming.
6. Swirl, do not shake
The vial is moved in a slow circle until everything has dissolved. “Do not shake” appears on both the Serostim and Egrifta WR labels. Some peptides dissolve in seconds and some take a few minutes.
7. Look at it
The solution should be clear. The Serostim label accepts “clear or slightly opalescent” and rejects anything cloudy or with particles. A solution that stays cloudy after it has had time to dissolve is a sign of a problem, and the label for that peptide, if there is one, says what to do. For most research peptides there is no such label.
8. Label and store it
The date of mixing and the concentration go on the vial. From here the peptide decides storage, not the water. Among prescription peptides made up with bac water, Egrifta WR is kept at room temperature for 7 days, Serostim refrigerated for 14 days, and Novarel refrigerated for 30. More on storage.
Common mistakes
- Choosing the volume halfway through. Once water is in the vial, the concentration can only go down, by adding more.
- Shaking to speed things up. Both prescription labels above say not to.
- Reusing the syringe that drew the water. CDC guidance is never to enter a vial with a used needle or syringe. The preservative slows contamination; it does not cancel it.
- Using sterile water for a vial that will be drawn from for weeks. Without a preservative it is a single-use vial. See bac water vs sterile water.
Which liquid to use
For most peptide vials, bacteriostatic water. A few peptides are sold with dilute acetic acid named instead, because they dissolve poorly in water. Whether a given research peptide is one of them is usually something only its supplier can answer.
This page describes how a freeze-dried peptide is dissolved. It does not cover amounts, administration or whether any peptide should be used.
Sources: DailyMed labels for Serostim, Egrifta WR, Novarel and Bacteriostatic Water for Injection, USP; CDC, Preventing Unsafe Injection Practices.