Tesamorelin arrives as a lyophilized (freeze-dried) powder that must be mixed with bacteriostatic water before injection. The process is standard for peptide reconstitution, but tesamorelin has one simplifying feature: at the most common dilution (2 mL into a 2 mg vial), the full vial equals the full daily dose. No syringe math required.
This guide covers reconstitution for research-grade tesamorelin vials. Prescription tesamorelin comes with its own diluent and mixing instructions from the manufacturer.
For dosing protocols, see our Tesamorelin Dosing Guide.
What You Need
Gather everything before starting:
- Tesamorelin lyophilized vial (typically 2 mg, 5 mg, or 10 mg)
- Bacteriostatic water (BAC water) — not sterile water, not saline
- Insulin syringes — 1 mL (100 unit), 29-31 gauge
- A separate drawing syringe — for pulling BAC water (optional but cleaner)
- Alcohol swabs — for cleaning vial tops before each puncture
- A clean, flat workspace with good lighting
Why bacteriostatic water specifically? It contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol that inhibits bacterial growth in the solution. This gives you up to 28 days of refrigerated use per vial. Regular sterile water has no preservative — if you use it, the entire vial must be consumed within 24 hours. For single-use 2 mg vials (one vial = one dose), sterile water works fine. For larger multi-dose vials, always use BAC water.
Step-by-Step Reconstitution
Step 1: Clean Both Vial Tops
Wipe the rubber stopper of both vials (tesamorelin and BAC water) with an alcohol swab. Let them air dry for 10 seconds. This prevents contamination from manufacturing residue or handling.
Step 2: Draw Your Bacteriostatic Water
Using a fresh insulin syringe, insert the needle into the BAC water vial and draw your desired volume. For a 2 mg vial, draw 2 mL (200 units on an insulin syringe, or use a 3 mL syringe).
Pull back the plunger slowly and steadily. Tap out any air bubbles before proceeding.
Step 3: Add Water to the Tesamorelin Vial
Insert the needle into the tesamorelin vial at a slight angle, aiming at the glass wall — not directly at the powder cake.
Let the water trickle down the side of the vial gently. Release the plunger slowly.
Do not spray water directly onto the powder. Tesamorelin is a 44-amino-acid peptide with a trans-3-hexenoic acid modification. Aggressive force at the injection point can shear peptide bonds and reduce potency. The side-wall technique is standard practice for all lyophilized peptides.
Step 4: Let It Dissolve
Gently swirl the vial with a slow rotating motion between your fingers. Do not shake. The powder should dissolve within 1-2 minutes into a perfectly clear, colorless solution.
If the solution is cloudy, has visible particles, or shows any discoloration after 5 minutes of gentle swirling, the peptide may be degraded. Do not inject it — discard the vial.
Step 5: Draw Your Dose
For a 2 mg vial reconstituted with 2 mL: the full vial is your dose. Draw all 100 units (1 mL) with an insulin syringe, plus any remaining solution. No math needed.
For larger vials, refer to the dilution charts and syringe math sections below.
Dilution Chart (2 mg Vial)
The 2 mg vial is the most common size and the simplest to work with.
| BAC Water Added | Concentration | 1 mg Dose | 2 mg Dose (Standard) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 2 mg/mL | 50 units | 100 units (full syringe) |
| 2 mL | 1 mg/mL | 100 units | Full vial (200 units) |
Recommended dilution: 2 mL into a 2 mg vial. At this concentration, the standard 2 mg daily dose equals the entire vial. You draw it all, inject it all. Zero calculation, zero waste.
If you are using a 1 mg dose (some off-label protocols start here), 1 mL of BAC water gives you 100 units = 1 mg for clean single-syringe dosing.
Dilution Charts (Larger Vials)
5 mg Vial
| BAC Water | Concentration | 1 mg Dose | 2 mg Dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | 40 units | 80 units |
| 2.5 mL | 2 mg/mL | 50 units | 100 units |
| 5 mL | 1 mg/mL | 100 units | 200 units (impractical) |
Recommended: 2.5 mL for a clean 2 mg/mL concentration. A 2 mg dose = 100 units = one full insulin syringe.
10 mg Vial
| BAC Water | Concentration | 1 mg Dose | 2 mg Dose |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mL | 5 mg/mL | 20 units | 40 units |
| 5 mL | 2 mg/mL | 50 units | 100 units |
Recommended: 5 mL for 2 mg/mL. This gives you 5 doses per vial at 100 units each.
15 mg and 20 mg Vials
| Vial Size | BAC Water | Concentration | 1 mg Dose | 2 mg Dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 mg | 5 mL | 3 mg/mL | 33 units | 67 units |
| 20 mg | 5 mL | 4 mg/mL | 25 units | 50 units |
Larger vials are more cost-effective per milligram but require more precise measurement. For the 20 mg vial at 4 mg/mL, consider using a 0.5 mL (50 unit) insulin syringe for improved dose accuracy at the 50-unit mark.
Syringe Math
The formula works for any vial size and any dilution:
Concentration (mg/mL) = Peptide amount (mg) / BAC water volume (mL)
Units to inject = Desired dose (mg) / Concentration (mg/mL) x 100
Worked examples:
- 2 mg vial + 2 mL water = 1 mg/mL. For 2 mg dose: 2 / 1 x 100 = 200 units (full vial)
- 5 mg vial + 2.5 mL water = 2 mg/mL. For 2 mg dose: 2 / 2 x 100 = 100 units
- 10 mg vial + 5 mL water = 2 mg/mL. For 2 mg dose: 2 / 2 x 100 = 100 units
- 20 mg vial + 5 mL water = 4 mg/mL. For 2 mg dose: 2 / 4 x 100 = 50 units
Doses per vial at 2 mg daily:
| Vial Size | Doses per Vial | Days of Supply |
|---|---|---|
| 2 mg | 1 | 1 day |
| 5 mg | 2.5 | 2 days (1 mg waste or use as reduced dose) |
| 10 mg | 5 | 5 days |
| 15 mg | 7.5 | 7 days |
| 20 mg | 10 | 10 days |
All multi-dose vials are well within the 28-day reconstituted shelf life when used at the standard 2 mg daily dose.