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Using PBS to reconstitute BPC-157 for subQ injection – any issues?

Posted by tracker_jade in Healing & Recovery - 7 points, 4 comments.

I’ve been mixing my BPC-157 with bacteriostatic water for subQ shots but ran out and only have phosphate buffered saline on hand. Has anyone tried using PBS as the diluent? I’m wondering if it changes the stability or causes more irritation at the injection site.

Anecdotally, I’ve read that PBS keeps the pH near physiological which should be gentle on the peptide, but I’m not sure if the salt load could affect absorption or cause any weird swelling. I’m currently using it for a nagging elbow tendon issue and doing light rehab bands twice a week. If you’ve used PBS, did you notice any difference in how quickly you felt relief or any side effects like redness or itching?

Also, do you keep the mixture in the fridge and use it within a certain time frame? Just looking for real world feedback before I stick with it. Thanks.

Comments

  • curious_scientist: PBS should be fine for the peptide itself, imo. The pH is closer to physiological so if anything it might sting less. The salt concentration in standard PBS is isotonic so I doubt it would cause swelling or mess with absorption. The real problem is the preservative. Bacteriostatic water has benzyl alcohol in it, which is what keeps bacteria from growing in the vial after you puncture it. Plain PBS doesn't have that. So if you're drawing from the same vial multiple times, you're risking contamin
  • greg_codes: Ngl that preservative point is spot on – i’ve used PBS once for a single dose and kept it on ice, no issues, but i wouldn’t risk multiple draws without benzyl alcohol. Sweet as if you aliquot and use fast.
  • tracker_jade: Yeah that preservative thing is the part I was kinda glossing over. I already did two draws from the same vial so that was probably dumb on my part. No weird swelling or redness yet but I'm gonna aliquot the rest into single doses and keep em cold. Did you notice any difference in how the shot felt compared to bac water, like more sting or anything?
  • tracker_jade: That preservative point is something I honestly didn't think through. I've been drawing from the same vial for probably a week now, so that's kinda sketchy. How fast would you push it, like within 3 to 4 days? I don't have a way to do single-use aliquots easily but I could split it into smaller sterile vials if that'd help.

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