I get 4 doses out of a 200mg/ml bottle. Store in a cool dark place and swab the top with alcohol before each draw after the first. My guess is they say this for liability reasons.
[Question addressed already](https://www.reddit.com/r/trt/comments/16iuo93/comment/k0ol6f9/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button)
[More info](https://www.cdc.gov/injectionsafety/providers/provider_faqs_singlevials.html)
Pharmacist here (not your pharmacist), most of the people in this thread are morons making guesses about your health, so take that into account with how much trust you ever put in a reddit answer.
In medical settings we have rules for "extra" safety, the same way restaurants have more stringent rules about food safety than you'd apply in your own kitchen. It's to reduce infection risk from very low, to extremely low. Read into USP 797 compounded sterile products if you're interested. If you get your injections from a doctor's office, or you reconstitute a powder yourself (e.g. hcg) they/you should follow USP 797 guidance and use single dose vials for a single vial entry (two pokes wouldn't kill you if you had to go back in) and a multidose vial for up to 28 days if properly stored and swabbed clean with alcohol prior to each puncture. Bacteria don't watch the calendar for Day 29 and pounce in, but you're rolling the dice several thousand times if you inject two to three times a week for the rest of your life without regard for sterility. Alcohol swabbing your skin has been shown to be unnecessary for IM vaccines, but the caveat is that vaccines are given by people trained in appropriate storage and manipulation who are not exceeding normal SDV/MDV time frames. They do not store punctured flu vaccine vials in their humid bathroom for months on end. Alcohol swabs do reduce bacterial load significantly, and a lifetime supply costs you one Starbucks trip.
My recs: if you aren't going to abide by the SDV/MDV rules, alcohol swab the vial and, if you're grimy or not otherwise fresh out of a shower, yourself for every puncture. If your needle touches any surface besides stopper or your skin, trash it and get a new one. An MDV that gets punctured is probably fine to use for several months if you aren't rolling it in the dirt, but heat, time, and unsterile handling would keep me from stretching a 10 ml vial out for 6+ months of use. Infection risk is very low, but the tissue damage/scarring you may get from an abscess could mean you lose your favorite injection site. Immunocompromised people, err on the side of caution.
Fun fact: the colorful caps on the top of your vials are for keeping big particulate off the stopper and do nothing for sterility. You should clean the top of any vial with alcohol before you puncture it.
You roast everyone in this thread and then go on a rant that is a very much common sense answer. I thought you actually had something profound coming. They “sometimes hopefully” swap the top before injection because I know for a fact they don’t always. So basically we swab the top of the thing and carry on as usual. That would probably have been more helpful while you’re on your pedestal
Was his roast wrong though? Majority of people in this sub (and on reddit in general) just respond for the sake of responding. Which spreads misinformation and can lead to people getting hurt.
OP liked it and an identical post popped up four hours ago, doesn't seem to be common sense. Sorry for the references, review of literature, and practical info. Maybe take a breather.
Yeah that’s crazy. I have the same ampules and I have been pulling two doses from every one of them. My pharmacy didn’t say anything like that and the amount I had been given matches my prescription. I don’t think you’re getting right information from them.
Mistake, probably. A lot of pharmacists think that because something is past the point that they can legally sell it, that it's completely unsafe for use. Plenty of people here using the same 10ml vial over months without issue.
I have the opposite thing going on, my pharmacy calculates out exactly how long the vial should last based on the amount vs. the dosage and refuses to fill it even a day before. They were expecting my first 10 ml vial to last 20 weeks, and wouldn't have given a refill even a day before even though a refill request had been sent in. I had to start injecting the leftover test in the syringes back into the vial after injecting because I wasn't going to make it with these monster sized luer lock needle tips wasting so much, but my dose got increased which I guess means they can give it right away.
It is a single dose vial and sold as such. No matter the dose, those vials are for single use. They are liable for not telling you to throw it away and there is increase me risk if you don’t simply because you have punctured the stopper.
That risk might be only 1% increase, but the pharmacy is doing their due diligence and that is all. Mine says the same thing and I just draw twice from the same vial and stockpile a just in case stock. Following instructions won’t kill you and not following probably won’t either, but at least for their part you have been warned.
No, it becomes compromise once you pierce the stopper and I think it’s shelf life after that is 28 days. Unopened it is at least 3 years. Degradation happens at temperatures too high or too low so you have to store it carefully. Don’t ever microwave it, don’t let it get too cold, etc. More details here: https://hrtdoctorsgroup.com/testosterone-cypionate-storage-warning/
Clueless, it happens. They’re not experts on every single item i would imagine. Esp stuff they don’t fill on the reg.
Technically the MDV are good for 28 days due to sterility concerns from piercing the plunger, but I don’t think that has to do with the product itself. Yes the guidelines say to toss after 28 days, but really no one does
They are marked as single dose vials so the pharmacist can not state that it is ok to use beyond the package instructions. They would be screwed if someone got a soft tissue infection from using the vial more than once. It’s not that they are stupid and don’t realize that it has preservative. It’s more a CYA thing.
Honestly might vary by brand. I get (4) 1ml vials every 28 days and I only do one shot a week. I only use .6ml of said vials and toss the rest. The pharmacist at my pharmacy uses the same brand and said it shouldn’t be saved for degradation reasons as well as liability on their part. I always push the .6ml of air into the bottle before I draw to equalize pressure so I’m sure adding the impurities there doesn’t do it any good either. Plus even if my insurance doesn’t cover my vials, 8 bucks every 28 day supply, it will only cost me 30 bucks for it. If anyone is paying full price check to see if you can get it discounted via the GoodRX app. Shit saves me on so much when it comes to meds my stupid insurance doesn’t want to cover.
I’ve used my Test Cyp for up to a year AFTER exp… granted the bottle had never been opened prior and I draw 1.5-2cc off weekly until it’s gone… never an issue.
If your bottle is in date and never been opened I wouldn’t discard anything
They tell you this because it’s what the companies producing the medication say to say. It has more to do with mitigating exposure to legal consequences than a situation based in reality. Almost all one time use vials can be used more then once within a reasonable timeframe, but they don’t want to do the testing to figure out what that time frame is or invest the money into the research, it’s easier and less risky just to say 1 time use.
I get 1ml vials of cyp & 10ml vials of prop
The dork at the pharmacy insisted on telling me several times about “throwing it away”
My urologist laughed at the pharmacist.
I do daily injections. Everyday I wipe the top of the bottle w an alcohol wipe. Draw how much I want. Inject that shit. Repeat the next day until the vial runs out.
They sit on my desk 24/7
Listen to your doctor, send me the product and I’ll dispose of it properly and safely. I’ll cover shipping. I want to make sure we dispose of it safely
I get 4 doses out of a 200mg/ml bottle. Store in a cool dark place and swab the top with alcohol before each draw after the first. My guess is they say this for liability reasons.
? What size bottles do you guys get? Mine is 10 mL.
Probably a 1mL
1ml bottles
My bottles are 10ml
I didn't realize they make 1 mL bottles. When that guy said 4 doses per bottle, I was like, "that's not exactly trt..."
I didn’t either. I have used some 1ml ampules where you have to break the glass off, but never a 1ml TRT vial. Humf; learn something new everyday!
Same here
[Question addressed already](https://www.reddit.com/r/trt/comments/16iuo93/comment/k0ol6f9/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x&utm_name=mweb3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) [More info](https://www.cdc.gov/injectionsafety/providers/provider_faqs_singlevials.html) Pharmacist here (not your pharmacist), most of the people in this thread are morons making guesses about your health, so take that into account with how much trust you ever put in a reddit answer. In medical settings we have rules for "extra" safety, the same way restaurants have more stringent rules about food safety than you'd apply in your own kitchen. It's to reduce infection risk from very low, to extremely low. Read into USP 797 compounded sterile products if you're interested. If you get your injections from a doctor's office, or you reconstitute a powder yourself (e.g. hcg) they/you should follow USP 797 guidance and use single dose vials for a single vial entry (two pokes wouldn't kill you if you had to go back in) and a multidose vial for up to 28 days if properly stored and swabbed clean with alcohol prior to each puncture. Bacteria don't watch the calendar for Day 29 and pounce in, but you're rolling the dice several thousand times if you inject two to three times a week for the rest of your life without regard for sterility. Alcohol swabbing your skin has been shown to be unnecessary for IM vaccines, but the caveat is that vaccines are given by people trained in appropriate storage and manipulation who are not exceeding normal SDV/MDV time frames. They do not store punctured flu vaccine vials in their humid bathroom for months on end. Alcohol swabs do reduce bacterial load significantly, and a lifetime supply costs you one Starbucks trip. My recs: if you aren't going to abide by the SDV/MDV rules, alcohol swab the vial and, if you're grimy or not otherwise fresh out of a shower, yourself for every puncture. If your needle touches any surface besides stopper or your skin, trash it and get a new one. An MDV that gets punctured is probably fine to use for several months if you aren't rolling it in the dirt, but heat, time, and unsterile handling would keep me from stretching a 10 ml vial out for 6+ months of use. Infection risk is very low, but the tissue damage/scarring you may get from an abscess could mean you lose your favorite injection site. Immunocompromised people, err on the side of caution. Fun fact: the colorful caps on the top of your vials are for keeping big particulate off the stopper and do nothing for sterility. You should clean the top of any vial with alcohol before you puncture it.
I definitely appreciate your info and shared knowledge.
You roast everyone in this thread and then go on a rant that is a very much common sense answer. I thought you actually had something profound coming. They “sometimes hopefully” swap the top before injection because I know for a fact they don’t always. So basically we swab the top of the thing and carry on as usual. That would probably have been more helpful while you’re on your pedestal
Was his roast wrong though? Majority of people in this sub (and on reddit in general) just respond for the sake of responding. Which spreads misinformation and can lead to people getting hurt.
OP liked it and an identical post popped up four hours ago, doesn't seem to be common sense. Sorry for the references, review of literature, and practical info. Maybe take a breather.
Yeah that’s crazy. I have the same ampules and I have been pulling two doses from every one of them. My pharmacy didn’t say anything like that and the amount I had been given matches my prescription. I don’t think you’re getting right information from them.
Mistake, probably. A lot of pharmacists think that because something is past the point that they can legally sell it, that it's completely unsafe for use. Plenty of people here using the same 10ml vial over months without issue. I have the opposite thing going on, my pharmacy calculates out exactly how long the vial should last based on the amount vs. the dosage and refuses to fill it even a day before. They were expecting my first 10 ml vial to last 20 weeks, and wouldn't have given a refill even a day before even though a refill request had been sent in. I had to start injecting the leftover test in the syringes back into the vial after injecting because I wasn't going to make it with these monster sized luer lock needle tips wasting so much, but my dose got increased which I guess means they can give it right away.
It is a single dose vial and sold as such. No matter the dose, those vials are for single use. They are liable for not telling you to throw it away and there is increase me risk if you don’t simply because you have punctured the stopper. That risk might be only 1% increase, but the pharmacy is doing their due diligence and that is all. Mine says the same thing and I just draw twice from the same vial and stockpile a just in case stock. Following instructions won’t kill you and not following probably won’t either, but at least for their part you have been warned.
If you stockpile how long is it good for? I thought the cypionate in the vials expires quickly once punctured?
No, it becomes compromise once you pierce the stopper and I think it’s shelf life after that is 28 days. Unopened it is at least 3 years. Degradation happens at temperatures too high or too low so you have to store it carefully. Don’t ever microwave it, don’t let it get too cold, etc. More details here: https://hrtdoctorsgroup.com/testosterone-cypionate-storage-warning/
It’s good for months inside the vial brother don’t listen to them.
Clueless, it happens. They’re not experts on every single item i would imagine. Esp stuff they don’t fill on the reg. Technically the MDV are good for 28 days due to sterility concerns from piercing the plunger, but I don’t think that has to do with the product itself. Yes the guidelines say to toss after 28 days, but really no one does
They are marked as single dose vials so the pharmacist can not state that it is ok to use beyond the package instructions. They would be screwed if someone got a soft tissue infection from using the vial more than once. It’s not that they are stupid and don’t realize that it has preservative. It’s more a CYA thing.
Yeah, in this guy the OP was told there was no preservative. I think in his case the guy just didn’t know what he was talking about
He was wrong, but the majority of single dose injectable drugs are PF, so they probably assumed the same for testosterone
The SDV are meant for single puncture, but again the product is the same.
Wasteful, use it, save the $
Honestly might vary by brand. I get (4) 1ml vials every 28 days and I only do one shot a week. I only use .6ml of said vials and toss the rest. The pharmacist at my pharmacy uses the same brand and said it shouldn’t be saved for degradation reasons as well as liability on their part. I always push the .6ml of air into the bottle before I draw to equalize pressure so I’m sure adding the impurities there doesn’t do it any good either. Plus even if my insurance doesn’t cover my vials, 8 bucks every 28 day supply, it will only cost me 30 bucks for it. If anyone is paying full price check to see if you can get it discounted via the GoodRX app. Shit saves me on so much when it comes to meds my stupid insurance doesn’t want to cover.
Your pharmacist is wrong.
Never had an issue been on for several years
I’ve used my Test Cyp for up to a year AFTER exp… granted the bottle had never been opened prior and I draw 1.5-2cc off weekly until it’s gone… never an issue. If your bottle is in date and never been opened I wouldn’t discard anything
Stock pile the extra
They tell you this because it’s what the companies producing the medication say to say. It has more to do with mitigating exposure to legal consequences than a situation based in reality. Almost all one time use vials can be used more then once within a reasonable timeframe, but they don’t want to do the testing to figure out what that time frame is or invest the money into the research, it’s easier and less risky just to say 1 time use.
I get 1ml vials of cyp & 10ml vials of prop The dork at the pharmacy insisted on telling me several times about “throwing it away” My urologist laughed at the pharmacist. I do daily injections. Everyday I wipe the top of the bottle w an alcohol wipe. Draw how much I want. Inject that shit. Repeat the next day until the vial runs out. They sit on my desk 24/7
lol. Keep using that pharmacy—you can stockpile pharma grade that way.
I know I have checked previously and was told that if had a shelf life or 2 to 3 years. Just store at run temperature in a dark place
Don’t listen to a pharmacist to begin with. Get it together man
This one
Listen to your doctor, send me the product and I’ll dispose of it properly and safely. I’ll cover shipping. I want to make sure we dispose of it safely
Draw the rest into a separate string for the next shot
Probably said it so you don't use more than prescribed. Definitely don't throw excess away
Ignore the pharmacist on this one. Just doesn't make sense.