Starter
cheat sheet.
Everything a first-timer asks in week one. Tick off your kit and keep your dose log right here: it saves on this device, nothing to download.
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Mixing, syringe units, injecting, storage, missed doses and the warning signs, with a starter-kit checklist and your own dose log. Enter your email and it opens right away.
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Starter kit checklist
Before your first dose, make sure you have:
Mixing a vial
Most peptides arrive as a dry powder. Before use it’s dissolved in bacteriostatic (BAC) water, which keeps the mixed vial clean in the fridge for weeks.
- Wash your hands; use a clean surface.
- Swab both stoppers and let them air-dry.
- Draw the water. 2ml is the common default; 2–3ml is fine.
- Add it slowly down the inside wall, never straight onto the powder.
- Swirl or roll gently until clear. Never shake.
- Label it with the date and the water added.
- Refrigerate at 2–8°C / 36–46°F.
More water ≠ more compound. It spreads the same amount over more liquid, which makes small doses easier to measure and stings less. Cloudy or has particles after mixing? Don’t use it.
The full guide →Reading a U-100 syringe
On a U-100 insulin syringe, 100 units = 1ml. Units are volume marks only; what a unit is “worth” depends on how you mixed the vial.
Units = dose ÷ strength × 100
10mg + 2ml = 5mg/ml → 0.25mg = 5 units
| Vial + water | 0.25mg | 0.5mg | 1mg | 2mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5mg + 2ml | 10 | 20 | 40 | 80 |
| 10mg + 2ml | 5 | 10 | 20 | 40 |
| 10mg + 3ml | 7.5 | 15 | 30 | 60 |
| 20mg + 2ml | 2.5 | 5 | 10 | 20 |
| 20mg + 3ml | 3.75 | 7.5 | 15 | 30 |
Arithmetic only, not a recommended dose. Read at the top edge of the plunger’s rubber, and tap out air bubbles first. If a dose is more than the syringe holds, mix with less water or use a bigger vial. Any other vial? Open the calculator →
The full guide →Injecting under the skin
Where: belly (at least 2 in / 5cm from the navel), front or outer thigh, or the back of the upper arm. Skip skin that’s scarred, bruised, tender, hard or red.
- Swab the stopper and your skin, and let both dry. Wet alcohol is what stings.
- Draw your dose and flick out big air bubbles.
- Gently pinch up a fold of skin.
- One quick, smooth movement, straight in (90°); 45° if you’re very lean.
- Push slowly, then count to five before pulling out.
- Press lightly with a clean swab if needed. Don’t rub.
Rotate: move each shot at least an inch from the last and take turns between areas; the dose log below suggests the next spot. Never reuse or share needles, syringes or pens. Used needles go straight into a sharps container.
The full guide →Storage & travel
Before mixing
The dry powder is the most stable form. Keep it cool, dry and out of light. The fridge is good; for months, many people use the freezer.
After mixing
Always refrigerate (2–8°C / 36–46°F) and never freeze. Keep it in its box. Most mixed vials are used within about four weeks. Pen cartridges are pre-mixed, so treat them like a mixed vial.
Heat is the enemy
A summer glovebox or a sunny windowsill can ruin a vial. Warm for hours, or cloudy? Don’t trust it.
Travelling
Insulated case with a cold pack, not touching ice. Carry-on, never checked luggage. Check your destination’s rules before you fly.
Missed a dose?
Never double up. Not sure you took it? Don’t take another.
- Semaglutide: take it if your next dose is more than 2 days away; otherwise skip it.
- Tirzepatide / Retatrutide: take it within 4 days of the missed day; otherwise skip. Keep at least 3 days between doses.
- Daily and 5-on / 2-off: skip it; take the next one at your usual time. Never two in one day.
- 2–3 times a week (NAD+, MOTS-C, Semax, Selank, Thymosin Alpha-1): same day, take it; otherwise skip to your next day.
- PT-141: no more than one dose in 24 hours.
Think you took two? Don’t take any more. Call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222 in the US) or your clinician.
The full guide →Normal, or get seen?
Most side effects are mild and settle within days to a couple of weeks: injection-site redness, nausea or feeling full fast after starting or stepping up, flushing, a mild headache. Don’t step up while they last.
Call your clinician
- Side effects not easing after 1–2 weeks
- Site redness that spreads, warms or has pus after 48h
- Dizzy when you stand up
- Shaky, sweaty or confused (low blood sugar), especially on diabetes medicine
Stop & get seen today
- Vomiting or diarrhoea that won’t stop; can’t keep fluids down
- Very little or very dark urine
- Severe stomach pain, especially through to the back or under the right ribs
- Racing heart at rest
- Yellow skin or eyes
Call 911
- Chest pain
- Trouble breathing
- Swelling of the face, lips, tongue or throat
- Fainting
Tell them what you take, your dose, when you last injected, and any other medicines.
The full guide →My vials
Add each vial when you mix it. You’ll see its strength and roughly when to use it by.
Dose log
Log each dose when you take it. This is the same log as the calculator’s, saved on this device.
Not sure whether you already took today’s dose? Don’t take another. Want a reminder on each dose day, with an “I took it” button? Set up dose-day emails →
Download the PDF to save or print. Educational information only — not medical advice. The Daily Stack does not sell or supply any products. Talk to a licensed healthcare professional about your own health decisions.