Reta Question: how old is too old?

No one can tell you how much active Reta remains after 10 weeks. Based on the results of some experiments, it is more likely between 40% and 60%. The problem is not so much the loss of activity, but rather that no one knows what the degradation products consist of, what their biological effects are, or whether they are capable of triggering an immune response.

It is unlikely that bacterial contamination significant enough to form a biofilm has occurred. This depends on whether you followed proper aseptic techniques during reconstitution.

Keep in mind that none of this will be visible to the naked eye.

A quick and simple test is to check the pH by placing one or two drops on a test strip. If the pH is below 5 or above 8, you can discard it. Around 5.5 - 6, it’s worth a try.

If I were to try it, I’d start with a small dose of a few units (less than 0.05 ml, or 5 u) to check for any reaction at the injection site within 24 hours. If that’s okay, gradually increase to a higher dose. Keep a phone nearby to call emergency services, or better yet, someone with an EpiPen.

But since I pay between $15 and $30 for my vials depending on the quantity, I wouldn’t risk my life for so little.
 
It probably looks fine, but like mentioned above you dont know the true degradation without testing. I'm more on the careful side of things and probably wouldn't without doing something similar to what eidos mentioned above.
 
eidos said:
No one can tell you how much active Reta remains after 10 weeks. Based on the results of some experiments, it is more likely between 40% and 60%. The problem is not so much the loss of activity, but rather that no one knows what the degradation products consist of, what their biological effects are, or whether they are capable of triggering an immune response.

It is unlikely that bacterial contamination significant enough to form a biofilm has occurred. This depends on whether you followed proper aseptic techniques during reconstitution.

Keep in mind that none of this will be visible to the naked eye.

A quick and simple test is to check the pH by placing one or two drops on a test strip. If the pH is below 5 or above 8, you can discard it. Around 5.5 - 6, it’s worth a try.

If I were to try it, I’d start with a small dose of a few units (less than 0.05 ml, or 5 u) to check for any reaction at the injection site within 24 hours. If that’s okay, gradually increase to a higher dose. Keep a phone nearby to call emergency services, or better yet, someone with an EpiPen.

But since I pay between $15 and $30 for my vials depending on the quantity, I wouldn’t risk my life for so little.
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I really appreciate the detailed reply. My instinct is to get rid of it and you just confirmed it.
 
I had some that was 11 weeks old in my possession. Not sure how long it was reconstituted before I received it. I started to doubt that it was working like it should. I reconstituted a new vial and could immediately tell that the new one was working as it should. I started questioning whether or not it was working around week nine.
 
HistLady said:
I have a vial of reta 30 that was reconstituted 10 weeks ago and has sat in the refrigerator undisturbed for all that time. It is crystal clear--no floaters, etc. Would you still use it?
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Yes though probably degraded about 10 to 15 percent. Just adjust dose for the degradation.
 
BNLFL said:
10 weeks is generally my limit. Had I reconstituted it, I likely use it. It also depends how big the vial is.
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It was given to me reconstituted so I doubt it was filtered or anything. I keep looking at it but will probably get rid of it.
 
If it was reconstituted with Bac, filtered and refrigerated it's worst case scenario is around 10% degradation.
I'm following some testing that shows 0 sterility issues out past 90 days under these conditions.
 
It is most likely fine because I think these peptides are more durable than they seem or appear to be. Again, this is all like experimental things that everyone is doing, but based on the anecdotal evidence I've read on Reddit and these forums and videos, peptides aren't as fragile as we think they are. As long as it looks good, it most likely is.
 
Blueeyedme said:
I know it's not Reta, but this reconstituted Tirz testing was done last month.
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I would probably not put too much stock into testing conducted by AFI. Thankfully other testing done by more reputable labs in the past actually shows much better results than this for tirz.

The problem is that reta is very much not tirz and degrades much more rapidly. The real concern is not a loss of potency. If that was all you could run a vial until it wasn’t hitting right, heck you could bump your dose up at that point. The issue is that the degraded peptide can piss off your immune system. It’s a bad idea to train your immune system to get aggro against a drug a lot of you are hoping to take for years. There are a lot of ways that could go sideways for you.

You might see hypersensitivity reactions like ISRs or even full blown drug allergies. That already happens with the normal peptide, the impurities just increase your risk of it an unknown amount. You might develop anti-drug antibodies that attack the drug (or even similar drugs). That would manifest as “the drug doesn’t work anymore”. Not fun.

A lot of people in this thread seem to think the issue is a loss of potency, and that’s not it at all. From a harm reduction perspective this “I did it and nothing bad has happened yet” bravado is terrible. I’d be surprised if reckless practices like these don’t end badly for some members of our community. In fairness you’ll probably get lucky and save $3/month without any consequences. Really worth the gamble?
 
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Before gray I bought from compounding pharmacies. I'd normally get a 90 day supply and each vial had an expiration date of 90 days from compounding. I don't understand why some people say 28 days. One time I got a six month supply (of either sema or tirz, I don't remember.) Yes, I know reta has been tested to degrade faster, but that's it, degrade.
So I used a vial reconstuted 6 months before (by a compounding pharmacy.) It was clear so I used it.
Compounding pharmacies are way more sterile than what us gray people do, so there is that.
If it's still sterile, I'd say no problem going as long as it takes, maybe just add a bit more.

I've seen the results of culture testing and I wonder what kind of sterile conditions the vial was in.

So, I'm on the side of "if it's still clear, it possibly may still be good" (but I'm cheap and don't want to waste it.)
 
nitetrak said:
Before gray I bought from compounding pharmacies. I'd normally get a 90 day supply and each vial had an expiration date of 90 days from compounding. I don't understand why some people say 28 days. One time I got a six month supply (of either sema or tirz, I don't remember.) Yes, I know reta has been tested to degrade faster, but that's it, degrade.
So I used a vial reconstuted 6 months before (by a compounding pharmacy.) It was clear so I used it.
Compounding pharmacies are way more sterile than what us gray people do, so there is that.
If it's still sterile, I'd say no problem going as long as it takes, maybe just add a bit more.

I've seen the results of culture testing and I wonder what kind of sterile conditions the vial was in.

So, I'm on the side of "if it's still clear, it possibly may still be good" (but I'm cheap and don't want to waste it.)
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The 503A/B compounders are a whole different thing with 503B having tested stability (I assume with some sort of preservative) out to one year - hence their long BUD date...but again, we're not talking Reta. Regarding the 28 day rule once those sealed vials have been pierced...that's all about sterility of introducing air and whatnot every time you draw from the vial. Many are comfortable going well beyond the 28 days with 503A/B as long as it's crystal clear. For self-reconstituted grey, 28 days is 5 draws...maybe stretch out a couple of weeks to 7 draws...but that's about as far as I personally want to take it.
 
Blueeyedme said:
Regarding the 28 day rule once those sealed vials have been pierced...that's all about sterility of introducing air and whatnot every time you draw from the vial.
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What are people's thoughts on filtering into a pen cartridge and priming to remove air in terms of longer stability? Curious if a study has been done (or a study using a reconned vial under vacuum). If the puncturing and introducing air is one of the issues that causes degradation and/or lowering of sterility, in theory, if you minimize those factors you minimize the loss as well. If I vacuum seal food, it says good longer; would the same apply to a peptide?
 
I’m using a 30mg bottle I started on at the end of January. I just moved up to 2mg (if it was full strength) and when I finish this one I have some 15’s to start in on. I’ll start off at 1mg with those and see how it goes for the day and pin more the following day if needed. I need to have a reason to throw something out and so far I haven’t been given one in my actual use
 
Blueeyedme said:
The 503A/B compounders are a whole different thing with 503B having tested stability (I assume with some sort of preservative) out to one year - hence their long BUD date...but again, we're not talking Reta. Regarding the 28 day rule once those sealed vials have been pierced...that's all about sterility of introducing air and whatnot every time you draw from the vial. Many are comfortable going well beyond the 28 days with 503A/B as long as it's crystal clear. For self-reconstituted grey, 28 days is 5 draws...maybe stretch out a couple of weeks to 7 draws...but that's about as far as I personally want to take it.
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The compounding pharmacies are also selling tirzepatide which holds up very well for months with negligible degradation in tests of both their products and gray market tirz.

Reta is different than tirz. Do you see any 503b pharmacies saying that their reta is good for months?
 
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5-6 weeks max using a insulin pen for delivery. Then toss it.
 
Using a pen cartridge that was reconstituted back in january, and stored in the refrigerator. By some miracle, I'm still losing weight. These peptides are sturdier than people think.
 
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