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HCG reconstitution math is confusing me, can someone double check?

Posted by grinder_busy116 in Beginner Questions - 8 points, 4 comments.

So I'm looking at HCG for the first time and the reconstitution math is kinda making my head spin. The vial is 5000 IU. If I add 2ml of bacteriostatic water, that gives me 2500 IU per ml, right? And if I want 500 IU per dose, I'd pull 0.2ml on the syringe?

That just seems like a tiny amount to pin. Am I doing this wrong or is that actually normal for HCG? Most of my experience is with other peptides where the volumes are bigger and the math feels more straightforward.

Also, does it matter if I use insulin syringes vs regular subq syringes for this? The insulin ones go to 0.5ml or 1ml and have finer unit markings, which seems like it'd be easier for small doses like this. But I've seen people use the 3ml syringes too and I don't get why you'd do that for 0.2ml.

Imo the dosing ranges I see thrown around are all over the place. Some people say 500 IU twice a week, others go 1000 IU three times. That's a pretty big spread for a beginner to sort through.

Any input from people who've actually done this? Just trying to not mess up the basics here.

Comments

  • curious_scientist: 2ml for a 500 IU dose. 2ml easy and accurate. 3ml doses plenty of times without issue. Just make sure you’re using a fresh needle each time and that the water is bacteriostatic. Dosing varies a lot; I’ve seen 500‑1000 IU two to three times weekly work for different goals, so start low and see how you feel. Always check with a clinician if you’re unsure.
  • kenji_runs: Honestly the math for 2ml seems a bit much if you are trying to be precise. If i am pulling 2ml just to get 500 iu that feels like a lot of liquid to push under the skin. Is there any reason not to just use 1ml of water to keep the volume smaller? I reckon it might be easier to track.
  • grinder_busy116: I think you've got the math flipped? The 2ml is what goes in the vial, not what I'm pinning. I'd still only pull 0.2ml for a 500 IU dose. If I used 1ml instead, I'd be pulling 0.1ml, which is even smaller and harder to measure accurately imo.
  • grinder_busy116: So you've actually used 3ml syringes for 0.2ml draws and felt it was accurate enough? I guess if you're careful with the plunger it works, but the markings on those are so spread out for small volumes. Seems like a lot of room for error imo. Did you stick with 500 IU twice a week or did you end up adjusting up over time?

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