To filter or not to filter a 10mg vial

[Peevee]

All I have are 13mm filters. My understanding is I’ll lose 20 something units. I’ll air purge and get that down some, hopefully?

I have an overpriced, odd vial of 10mg I bought off skye for some dumb reason. If I lost 20 units I’d lose half the vial. If I over dilute it with more BAC it’ll be too many units to inject. So I’m considering just skipping the filter on this one.

Bad idea? Yeah probably

 

[Bacchus]

Bacchus approves, best practice is for chickens!

On a more serious note - Most peptides you get from decent suppliers, will be completely safe unless you have a weakened immune system or other conditions that put you at higher risk.

If you knew the level of bad decisions people make and still stay healthy, you would be less worried

Stick to best practice as much as you can, but it is in many cases erring on the extreme side of cautions and isn't necessarily the most practical practice

 

[Chizikitide-1977]

I think losses for 13mm filters are being overblown.

With that said, I don't filter the stuff I get from Skye. Not recommending it, but they were the first to test for sterility, so my thinking is they probably take it pretty seriously.

 

[penewbie]

How many bacteria can really survive being lyophilized, then be fine in the BAC solution, then multiply in the SC tissue enough to cause trouble to a healthy, yet fat individual?

I'd have to imagine, not many. That's why I'm not bothering with filters.

 

[scarywood75]

In my experience, loss is very minimal, especially if you purge it with air after

 

[Bacchus]

How many bacteria can really survive being lyophilized, then be fine in the BAC solution, then multiply in the SC tissue enough to cause trouble?

I'd have to imagine, not many. That's why I'm not bothering with filters.

Lyophilization is surprisingly ineffective at killing bacteria.

If the manufacturer doesn't re-sterilize the raws properly or have it's own raw production, use sterile vials and have a close to GMP standards - there is a high chance your peps won't be sterile.

Now, whether your peps need to be sterile in order to be generally considered safe is another matter

From most decent labs with proper standards, you can probably make a ballpark estimate and say that 98-99.5% of their vials are sterile.

If you want a 100% guarantee, you will not get that at the price points you expect from China.

Not claiming to be the ultimate authority here and there can definitely be outliers. But I'm rather confident in the above text

 

[penewbie]

Lyophilization is surprisingly ineffective at killing bacteria.

TIL

 

[Peevee]

I think losses for 13mm filters are being overblown.

With that said, I don't filter the stuff I get from Skye. Not recommending it, but they were the first to test for sterility, so my thinking is they probably take it pretty seriously.

I’d like to think at their prices, the product is safe. I’ll probably pass on the filtering on this one. Plus a 10mg vial is only going to be around for a week after reconstituting

 

[Peevee]

In my experience, loss is very minimal, especially if you purge it with air after

Thanks

 

[brentm]

Lyophilization is surprisingly ineffective at killing bacteria.

If you want a 100% guarantee, you will not get that at the price points you expect from China.

Life finds a way.

There's also a risk that the we (end users) are the source of contamination. I really try not to touch the needle when I'm going for that last little bit of juice in the vial.... slowly withdrawing the needle. Then, boop! Needle just touched my finger.

Great... I'll pretend that didn't happen. It's probably fine.

 

[nurseratchit]

All I have are 13mm filters. My understanding is I’ll lose 20 something units. I’ll air purge and get that down some, hopefully?

I have an overpriced, odd vial of 10mg I bought off skye for some dumb reason. If I lost 20 units I’d lose half the vial. If I over dilute it with more BAC it’ll be too many units to inject. So I’m considering just skipping the filter on this one.

Bad idea? Yeah probably

I also have some 10 mg vials from Skye and have not been filtering….I’m not dead yet. SQ injections carry a pretty low risk for developing into serious infections especially if you use good aseptic technique.

Now my Amo batch with sterility failure is another story. Even though I know logically that infection risk is minimal, it’s hard for me to knowingly inject contaminated peptide. So I will filter and minimize losses by pre-wetting filter and flushing after with bac water.

 

[m100568]

Stupid question: if a 4mm filter loses 4-7 units of BAC, but not peptide, can't you just filter an extra 5-6 units? The issue is the concentration of the solution, right? While not perfect, wouldn't that be close to maintaining the concentration?

Also, the fill rates on the vials are never perfect. They are always slightly over or under. So, we are seeking close enough, not perfect. Where am I going wrong?

 

[Peevee]

I also have some 10 mg vials from Skye and have not been filtering….I’m not dead yet. SQ injections carry a pretty low risk for developing into serious infections especially if you use good aseptic technique.

Now my Amo batch with sterility failure is another story. Even though I know logically that infection risk is minimal, it’s hard for me to knowingly inject contaminated peptide. So I will filter and minimize losses by pre-wetting filter and flushing after with bac water.

I’ll try pre wetting one of these times. At some point I worry so many steps are just introducing more risk

 

[nurseratchit]

I’ll try pre wetting one of these times. At some point I worry so many steps are just introducing more risk

That’s a valid concern. You can always practice with bac water first to get the hang of it. Wasting a filter and a vial is better than wasting precious peps!

 

[ZippityDooDah]

Personally, I would be unlikely to filter vials from a known, reputable domestic vendor.

That being said, anyone buying from China - especially if it's a "new to the scene" seller or one with a history of less-than-perfect products (QSC comes to mind recently) - should seriously consider filtering. Yeah, it's time-consuming and can be a pain in the ass and there is potential for small losses, but ultimately it's the best way to guarantee maximum safety when dealing with mystery powder you're going to inject in your body.

While the chance of a major issue with unsterile peptides injected subcutaneously (SC/SQ) is quite low compared to intramuscularly (IM) or intravenously (IV), it's not zero so everyone needs to weigh their own risk exposure appropriately. The important thing to remember as part of that determination is not to get blinded by the benefits of better health that GLP-1's can help bring you by taking other unnecessary risks (especially if there are other health concerns such as immune problems).

 

[FrankTdog]

Life finds a way.

There's also a risk that the we (end users) are the source of contamination. I really try not to touch the needle when I'm going for that last little bit of juice in the vial.... slowly withdrawing the needle. Then, boop! Needle just touched my finger.

Great... I'll pretend that didn't happen. It's probably fine.

Or you could wipe the needle with iso before injecting yourself

 

[rkl123]

How many bacteria can really survive being lyophilized, then be fine in the BAC solution, then multiply in the SC tissue enough to cause trouble to a healthy, yet fat individual?

I'd have to imagine, not many. That's why I'm not bothering with filters.

I unironically think the sudden trend of filtering is a fairly benign conspiracy to benefit big filter (or any number of middlemen companies selling the filters).

 

[brentm]

Or you could wipe the needle with iso before injecting yourself

I thought about that... and that's a good suggestion.

Denial was easier

 

[Peevee]

I thought about that... and that's a good suggestion.

Denial was easier

Or wear gloves.

 

[Peevee]

That’s a valid concern. You can always practice with bac water first to get the hang of it. Wasting a filter and a vial is better than wasting precious peps!

I’m trying to decide how I’d do it I guess. Draw bac, remove and waste needle. Apply filter. Push bac out, remove filter, draw pep with fresh needle. Waste second needle. Apply filter and fresh needle I guess.