Hi, i recently just purchased hcg for an upcoming cycle. it came discretely packaged and with no instructions.
My question is how do you guys use it? Do you crack them both open and mix them in a stringe and then use the same syringe throughout the cycle?
That is how i’m presuming it’ll have to be used. I know it’ll have to be stored in the fridge.
For those of you who don’t know me i am planning my first cycle of test E only for 12 weeks, starting in janurary or febuary.
Hey GI,
This is how you use the amps of hCG:
Decide on the dose you will be taking and then reconstitute at the appropriate concentration to facilitate that dosage. I used 250IU EOD. That is the recommended dose. My amps were 5000iu each. I recommend reconstituting with 2.5ml of Bacteriostatic Water. You were likely provided with only 1ml of the water in one of each pair of amps (one contains the freeze dried hCG and the other contains 1 ml of Bacteriostatic Water otherwise known as 0.9% NaCL). If you reconstitute with 2.5ml of Bacteriostatic Water it will yield you 5000iu hCG in 2.5ml of Bacteriostatic Water. This breaks down to 2000iu/ml.
You want a dose of 250iu EOD so you want 1/8th of 1ml (1/8th of 2000iu = 250iu). 1ml / 8 = 0.125ml. That is your EOD dose giving you 250iu each injection. You inject subcutaneously (under the skin - not in muscle) usually around the abdomen. Normally you pinch some skin loosly between thumb and finger and use a 0.5cc insulin pin filled 13 lines (0.13ml is close enough to the 12.5 you want for 250iu).
Now how exactly do you reconstitute? You should buy a sterile vial that you will use to reconstitute. I recommend a small one = 5ml sterile vial. That way you have plenty of room for your 2.5ml and it is small enough so that you can get to every last drop. You will also need to buy extra Bacteriostatic Water. It is not expensive and don’t bother with the miniscule 1ml amp of Bacteriostatic Water provided. Buy Bacteriostatic Water in as small quantity as you can find as you need only 2.5ml for each 5000iu of hCG. Use a 3ml barrell with a 1.5" 25G needle to inject 1ml of Bacteriostatic Water into the amp containing the freeze dried hCG. Let it sit for a minute while you inject the other 1.5ml into the 5ml sterile vial you will be adding the hCG to (that means you should fill the 3ml barrel with 2.5ml of Bacteriostatic Water before injecting 1 ml of it into the hCG amp and then injecting the rest into the sterile 5ml vial. Now you have the sterile vial filled with 1.5ml of Bacteriostatic Water and the hCG amp with 1ml of Bacteriostatic Water combined with the freeze dried hCG.
Finally use the now empty 3ml syringe to extract the mixed hCG and Bacteriostatic Water in the amp (1ml) and inject that into the sterile vial. Now you have 2.5 ml of Bacteriostatic Water mixed with 5000iu freeze dried hCG which means you have completed the reconstitution process and are now ready to use the hCG or refrigerate it until you are ready. It only has to be refrigerated once it is reconstituted.
Hope this helps.
Thanks very much DH. i’ll give you a PM before i start ad let you know how i get on.
Thanks for link. I still must assume shelf life on NON-reconstituted HCG is probably like a few years though I guess.
I would not assume that.
When back home I’ll look at what came with my latest HUCOG brand and see what the package insert says.
Many months for sure… years unrefrigerated, that does not sound right to me.
Myself, I refrigerate it before reconstitution as well. Why not.
If frozen (this would be fine unreconstituted, and personally I think is okay at least one time when reconstituted), years probably is correct.
[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
I would not assume that.
When back home I’ll look at what came with my latest HUCOG brand and see what the package insert says.
Many months for sure… years unrefrigerated, that does not sound right to me.
Myself, I refrigerate it before reconstitution as well. Why not.
If frozen (this would be fine unreconstituted, and personally I think is okay at least one time when reconstituted), years probably is correct.[/quote]
Many thanks!
My HUCOG expires 23 months after the date of manufacture, per the package.
Well actually that fairly enough is called “years” (just shy of two.) My mistake.
[quote]Bill Roberts wrote:
Well actually that fairly enough is called “years” (just shy of two.) My mistake.[/quote]
Quite alright. I doubt we would’ve ever got to the bottom of this had you not chimed in. Thanks again
Btw, are you thinking what I’m thinking AFA a capacity to extend it a bit via refrigeration or freezing if one really needed to?
[quote]whotookmyname wrote:
My HUCOG expires 23 months after the date of manufacture, per the package. [/quote]
Btw thanks for posting that!
I should have checked the package insert material myself before this:
The HUCOG package insert gives the 23 month figure immediately after stating storage conditions of 2-8 degrees C.
So actually this does not suggest an unrefrigerated life of years.
To me it would suggest more like 6 months unrefrigerated as a maximum, but possibly shorter.
I’ve never seen a need to extend the life of the unreconstituted product past what it has simply from refrigeration.
I do divide reconstituted HCG into portions small enough to last no more than a month, and freeze the remainder till needed.
i have an amp of hcg sitting in a drawer the last 6 months, is that useless now?
It wont hurt to use it - although i would use a higher dose.
Exactly how high i do not know - it depends on the rate it degrades (if that is what happens - i always assumed as much)
I cant imagine internet sources storing hcg in a fridge, for whatever time they have it sitting around!
[quote]G.I. Joe Galway wrote:
I cant imagine internet sources storing hcg in a fridge, for whatever time they have it sitting around![/quote]
Yeah, some places are clearly better than others, so it really depends…
I suppose to get some degree of confidence in your hCG, once you reconstitute it you could make a few dilutions (1:5, 1:50, 1:100… I’m just guessing as to the sensitivity) and test them on pregnancy strips. If you know someone else with some new hCG it would be ideal as you could compare the two. Kind of a pain in the butt, and I’d definitely buy some new hCG as backup.
[quote]G.I. Joe Galway wrote:
I cant imagine internet sources storing hcg in a fridge, for whatever time they have it sitting around![/quote]
I really don’t see why not. Consider that a large proportion of internet pharmacies ARE actual pharmacies but in thailand etc.
Also consider that a fridge-freezer can be bought for $100-200 i really cannot see why anyone WOULDN’T store heat sensitive products (generally peptides) in a refrigerator.
I would be so bold at to assume that any supplier who cannot afford to run a fridge does not sell quality product either…!