Dumb hCG Reconstitution Question

Hi all,

I've got what I'm sure is a dumb question. My first round of hCG had me with a 10,000 IU vial and I mixed it following the pharmacy's instructions so that I could pull 250 IUs on a 1CC insulin syringe to 0.25 to get a 250 IU dose.

I just received a shipment of hCG from a US pharmacy that has a 11,000 IU bottle with a 30 mL bottle of bac water. The syringes are 1 CC syringes that are instead marked 10, 20, 30, etc.

How can I make apples to apples here - i.e. how do I mix the 11,000 IU bottle to get 250 IUs per dose? I'm assuming 25 on these new syringes is a 250 IU measurement, but I'd like to confirm and I'm not sure on the hCG/water combo. I think I would put in 11 mLs of the water but would like to confirm.

add 11ml of the water

Thanks... assuming then 25 on the syringe is 250 IUs? Looks about the same.

Ok, figured that part out.

Final dumb questions:

1. I've got 19 mLs left of bac water. Any reason to keep it? It cost me $0.16, so I'm not worried about pitching it. If I keep it, does it need to be refrigerated?

2. Needle size - these new needles are 5/16" whereas my last set were 1/2". To me there should be no difference between the two, but, just to check, is the 5/16" okay?

wait don't add 11 ml water, that's sounds way too much but let me do the math and get back to you.

although Kronic420 is absolutely correct in his math based on your doc/pharmacy suggestion, but injecting 1/4 ml of hCG is unnecessary, you can inject half of that and still get 250 iu each shot by mixing 5.5 ml (exactly have of what was suggested by your doc/pharmacy), then you only draw 1/8 ml which is 12.5 or 1.25 on the slin.

thanks bass... I did the same last time to a 10000 IU bottle. It is more fluid in the injection and less concentrated. I'm going to try to make it more concentrated next time with less fluid for smaller doses in terms of mLs of water.

I wouldn't recommend using a 10,000 or 11,000 IU vial. That sounds like enough for several months, but it's not normally considered safe to keep a solution for that long even if you use bacteriostatic water. FWIW I use 1000 IU vials and I assume that's more normal.

Thanks for the reply. The first 10,000 IU bottle I had still had about 20% left after 50 days (when I switched to the new one). Apparently it is safe to use up to 60 days according to the two pharmacists I've worked with.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZenFitness

Thanks for the reply. The first 10,000 IU bottle I had still had about 20% left after 50 days (when I switched to the new one). Apparently it is safe to use up to 60 days according to the two pharmacists I've worked with.

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You must be using Pregnyl? Wow that stuff is hard to get. Got a trip to India coming up soon. Time to go shopping. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZenFitness

Thanks for the reply. The first 10,000 IU bottle I had still had about 20% left after 50 days (when I switched to the new one). Apparently it is safe to use up to 60 days according to the two pharmacists I've worked with.

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From everything I've read so far, sterile water is considered adequate for only a few days, bacteriostatic water for a few weeks.

From UK Government website about sterile water:

"From a microbiological point of view, the product should be used immediately. If not used immediately, in-use storage times and conditions prior to use are the responsibility of the user and would normally not be longer than 24 hours at 2 to 8ºC, unless reconstitution / dilution has taken place in controlled and validated aseptic conditions. "

See page 19: http://www.mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/l...con2024783.pdf

They are probably erring on the side of caution but 60 days sounds like a stretch.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ZenFitness

Thanks for the reply. The first 10,000 IU bottle I had still had about 20% left after 50 days (when I switched to the new one). Apparently it is safe to use up to 60 days according to the two pharmacists I've worked with.

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I believe that's the only way he can get it, unfortunately 5000 iu is hard to find unless you are under a clinic care where they get all their meds from a compounding pharmacy. there is nothing unsafe about keeping hCG in the fridge for a long time, the only thing can happen is lose its potency.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bass

I believe that's the only way he can get it, unfortunately 5000 iu is hard to find unless you are under a clinic care where they get all their meds from a compounding pharmacy. there is nothing unsafe about keeping hCG in the fridge for a long time, the only thing can happen is lose its potency.

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I believe he was referring to the shelf life of the solution not the powder.

yes the solution, it will only lose its potency, it won't turn into poison, basically after 60 days it'll become water.

The issue is sterility, not potency.

Here the US CDC guide indicates a shelf life of 28 days for multi-use vials using bacteriostatic water: https://www.premierinc.com/safety/to...ion_safety.pdf

So I'll let you draw your own conclusions about the shelf life for the sterile water equivalent.

I'm confused. Zen mixed his with bac water. If refrigerated and handled properly, it will last 50+ days. Mine always does. No loss of potency. My nuts would notify me if there was a potency issue.

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Originally Posted by Rusty11

I'm confused. Zen mixed his with bac water. If refrigerated and handled properly, it will last 50+ days. Mine always does. No loss of potency. My nuts would notify me if there was a potency issue.

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Once again, I am raising the safety issue of sterility (or contamination), not potency.

If a multi-dose has been opened or accessed (e.g., needle-punctured) the vial should be dated and
discarded within 28 days unless the manufacturer specifies a different (shorter or longer) date for
that opened vial.

Got it. I read the article you posted. Why the magical number of 28 days? What happens at day 29? Of course, you have to do your part by using sterile technique when handling/injecting. I have only used 5000iu vials. I can see where sterility may well become an issue with 10000iu vials.

Zen, do you understand the mixing formula, so you know exactly how much to mix and how much to inject regardless of amount sent to you, i.e., 5000, 10000, 11000?

unless the manufacturer specifies a different. Mine is good for 2 two years if you don't have a exp date default is 28 days

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Rusty11

Zen, do you understand the mixing formula, so you know exactly how much to mix and how much to inject regardless of amount sent to you, i.e., 5000, 10000, 11000?

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Yep, thanks for asking.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 100%

unless the manufacturer specifies a different. Mine is good for 2 two years if you don't have a exp date default is 28 days

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Please don't confuse the unopened shelf life of the unopened product (in this case 2 years) with the shelf life of a reconstituted multi-use vial.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by imom

Please don't confuse the unopened shelf life of the unopened product (in this case 2 years) with the shelf life of a reconstituted multi-use vial.

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If a multi-dose has been opened or accessed (e.g., needle-punctured) the vial should be dated and
discarded within 28 days unless the manufacturer specifies a different (shorter or longer) date for
that opened vial.

Pregnyl actually states it is good for 60 days on the box/vial.