Split Dose with Zep Vials

[StephKruze]

I've seen some discussion about taking a half dose twice a week instead of the full dose once a week. (or other variations) The pros and cons aren't really clear, other than potentially staying within a more consistent level and not having such a difference in the high and lows.

I'm going from 5mg to 7.5 mg of Zepbound (single dose vials) in about a week, and I've been thinking about splitting the dose in half and taking it every 4 days. Just wonder who else has done this and how it worked? Is it really a significant concern doing this as long as you use the open vial within a few days and keep it sanitary?

 

[GLP1Pharmacist]

If done with decent technique most suggest vials are good for 30 days in refrigerator.

 

[Calm Logic]

If done with decent technique most suggest vials are good for 30 days in refrigerator.

...at least. Some members feel safe using a vial for up to 90 days, or depending on the number of jabs.

 

[mlke6]

If done with decent technique most suggest vials are good for 30 days in refrigerator.

I use mine until they are finished. I do log when I reconstitute but thats about it.

 

[ididntdoit]

These are Zep vials, correct? Supposedly they have no preservatives. I think this falls into the category of "what level of risk-taker are you". Personally, I would be perfectly fine using them as you stated. Other people, not so much.

 

[TooBigtoFail]

To split dosage effectively, try this site https://glp1plotter.com/.
Figure out the peak residual for a 7 days cycle, then find the matching peak for 3/4/5 days.
Search the forum and scientific studies on Bac for pro/cons on longevity, and pep degradation over long time periods. Keep the vial stopper clean using isopropyl alcohol.

You can search for "zepbound excipient composition" or search the NIH's DailyMed site for vial exact composition. Lilly single use pen/vials do not use preservatives and have a short life. Multi use use two different preservatives. Their literature has expiry dates, use date, etc.

I get grey vials with high dosage and commonly reuse for 6-8 weeks by adding Bac with benzyl alcohol and keeping everything very clean.

 

[Calm Logic]

I missed the single-vial part. Marijuana gummy striked again.

Since it is preservative-free, I have no idea what I would do if wanting to split. I would be too lazy to want to bother with buying and adding benzyl alcohol, for a short-term situation. At the very minimum, you would aim for perfect sterile technique, including wiping the vial with 70 percent rubbing alcohol before and after.

But I do believe more is better at least until 10 mg of tirz, so I would just take the whole 7.5 mg at once:

 

[Calm Logic]

According to Google Gemini:

If you take 3.75 mg every 4 days, your weekly dose would be 6.5625 mg.

 

[nonyabizznez]

Lilly single use pen/vials do not use preservatives and have a short life.

My Mounjaro (US) single use pens arrived from the pharmacy in June with an expiration date of 3/2027. Somewhere I thought a Mounjaro pen was tested a year after expiration and tested well.

 

[Nikki nik]

I missed the single-vial part. Marijuana gummy striked again.

Since it is preservative-free, I have no idea what I would do if wanting to split. I would be too lazy to want to bother with buying and adding benzyl alcohol, for a short-term situation. At the very minimum, you would aim for perfect sterile technique, including wiping the vial with 70 percent rubbing alcohol before and after.

But I do believe more is better at least until 10 mg of tirz, so I would just take the whole 7.5 mg at once:

View attachment 7726

Lol I be over here drooling 🤣

 

[keangkong]

I've seen some discussion about taking a half dose twice a week instead of the full dose once a week. (or other variations) The pros and cons aren't really clear, other than potentially staying within a more consistent level and not having such a difference in the high and lows.

I'm going from 5mg to 7.5 mg of Zepbound (single dose vials) in about a week, and I've been thinking about splitting the dose in half and taking it every 4 days. Just wonder who else has done this and how it worked? Is it really a significant concern doing this as long as you use the open vial within a few days and keep it sanitary?

In general, with medications it's best to maintain fairly consistent blood levels. That's why there are not many pills for which it is recommended to take less frequently than once per day. However, there are some exceptions. I have heard some folks talk about the receptors getting overloaded, however, I'm skeptical about people who state that without citing any sources. The pros of split dosing are avoiding the lows (which may be less effective) and avoiding the highs (which may have greater side effects). The pro of weekly dosing is that tirzepatide was mainly tested once per week. I currently take reta and tirz once per day. I do not believe that there is currently a strong argument one way or the other that split dosing is better or worse than taking the drug as recommended by the manufacturer. In other words, when you wrote that the "pros and cons aren't really clear," you correctly described the situation.

 

[beingthere]

I think that splitting dose is the best way to go. Tirzepatide has a 3-4 days half life, shorter than semaglutide so it makes more sense to pin twice/week. Levels are more consistent and you don’t get the yo-yo effect. When they marketed these drugs, part of the sales speech was that you have to inject only once/week. Biochemistry of these compounds showed significant differences already.

 

[GimmeABreak]

I tried split Tirz dosing to reduce fatigue that seemed to be the worst on day three. Not only did my weight loss slow but I found I had bad fatigue days twice a week instead of once a week. I then went back to weekly or sometimes six day dosing.

If you are concerned about branded single use vials being ok to use over a few weeks you can always add BAC. It will help preserve it, but you have to adjust your dosing according to the amount of BAC added. I am assuming single use vials are 50u, so if you do your first shot with 1/2 or 25 units, you can add 25u of BAC and then the second shot is 50u.