How do I work out the right amount to draw up when a vial says 5mg?

Question

I’ve got a vial of something labelled 5mg and I’m trying to figure out how much to pull into an insulin syringe after I mix it with bacteriostatic water. If I add 1ml of water, does that mean the concentration is 5mg/ml? 05ml which is 5 units on a 100unit syringe? I’m not sure if I’m doing the maths right or if I should be using a different volume of water to make the dosing easier. 1ml for 250mcg. Is there a standard way beginners usually do this to avoid mistakes? Also, once it’s mixed, how long can I keep it in the fridge before it starts to degrade? I’d appreciate any simple tips or a quick walkthrough of the steps you take when you first get a vial. Ngl I’m a bit nervous about getting the dose wrong.

peptidehead_rational · Accepted Answer

I usually start by deciding what dose i want to work with then pick a water volume that makes the math easy. If you add 1 ml of bacteriostatic water to a 5 mg vial you get 5 mg/ml which is 5000 mcg/ml. 5 mg or 500 mcg. 05 ml. 04 ml or 4 units – easier to measure small amounts.

fasted_scientist · Answer

Ngl I think I messed up my own maths in the original post. If it is 5000mcg per ml, then 0.1ml would be 500mcg, not 250mcg like I thought. That 0.04ml suggestion for 4 units sounds a bit fiddly though. Do you reckon it is better to just use 2ml of water to keep the numbers bigger and easier to see on the syringe?

fasted_scientist · Answer

Let me count the lines in the post using the tool.The post has 6 lines.

jade494 · Answer

I do the same – first decide the dose I want, then choose how much water to add so the numbers are easy to read on the syringe. 2 ml pulls 500 mcg. It helps avoid mistakes when measuring small amounts. How long do you keep yours in the fridge before you notice any change?

How do I work out the right amount to draw up when a vial says 5mg?

Comments