How to Reconstitute VIP
VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide) ships as a lyophilized — freeze-dried — white powder in a sealed vial, and it has to be reconstituted with bacteriostatic water before either route of administration. What makes VIP different from most research peptides is that it is used two ways: subcutaneous (SubQ) injection in the common community protocol, and intranasal spray in the Shoemaker CIRS protocol. The powder and the water are the same; how the finished solution is measured and delivered is not.
This guide covers both. The mixing step is identical for either route — the dilution math, the syringe units, and the storage rules below apply to the powder-in-vial stage regardless of how VIP ends up being used. The difference shows up afterward: for injection the solution is drawn into an insulin syringe by units; for the intranasal route it is transferred into a nasal-spray bottle or dropper, where metering becomes the harder problem.
Research-context information only. VIP is a research peptide. Protocols, doses, and reactions reported below come from published research and self-reported community sources. This article reports what has been documented, not what should be done. Consult a licensed physician for personal medical decisions.
VIP is a prescription compound for CIRS protocols, and compounded nasal spray in particular is a pharmacy product. For the dosing schedule that follows reconstitution, see the VIP Dosing Guide. This is not medical advice.
New to bacteriostatic water? Start with what it is, how much to use per vial, and how long it lasts — or see the full Bacteriostatic Water Guide.
What You Need
Documented protocols call for the following:
- VIP lyophilized vial — typically 5mg or 10mg
- Bacteriostatic water (BAC water) — not sterile water, not saline
- Insulin syringes — 1mL (100 unit), 29-31 gauge
- Alcohol swabs — for cleaning vial tops
- A clean, flat workspace
- Empty sterile nasal-spray bottle or dropper — only if the intranasal route is being prepared
Why bacteriostatic water? It contains 0.9% benzyl alcohol that suppresses bacterial growth in the solution. Plain sterile water has no preservative, so documented guidance is to use the vial within 24 hours. A VIP protocol typically draws from one vial twice daily over many days, so community resources describe bacteriostatic water for that multi-dose window — up to 28 days refrigerated.
Step-by-Step Reconstitution
The mixing steps below are the same whether the finished solution will be injected or sprayed. The route-specific handling comes after Step 5.
Step 1: Clean Everything
Protocols describe wiping the tops of both vials — VIP and bacteriostatic water — with alcohol swabs, then letting them air-dry for about 10 seconds. Community resources flag this as the step where contamination is most often introduced.
Step 2: Draw the Bacteriostatic Water
Protocols describe using a fresh insulin syringe to draw the chosen amount of BAC water. The amount added sets the concentration — see the dilution charts below.
For a 5mg vial, community resources most often document 5mL of BAC water, which produces a clean 1mg/mL (1,000mcg/mL) solution. For a 10mg vial, 10mL gives the same 1mg/mL ratio. The round concentration is what makes the 50mcg standard dose land on an easy syringe number.
Step 3: Add the Water to the VIP Vial
Protocols describe inserting the needle into the VIP vial at an angle, aiming at the glass wall rather than the powder, and letting the water trickle slowly down the inside of the vial.
Protocols describe directing the water at the glass wall rather than onto the powder — the gentle-stream technique is documented to protect the peptide's molecular structure. Larger BAC water volumes (5mL or 10mL) are usually added in two or three insulin-syringe draws.
Step 4: Let It Dissolve
Protocols describe swirling the vial gently with a slow rotating motion rather than shaking it. VIP typically dissolves within a minute or two into a clear, colorless solution.
If particles or cloudiness remain after several minutes of gentle swirling, community resources describe the material as suspect and discard it rather than use it.
Step 5: Prepare the Route
For subcutaneous injection: the vial is ready. Community protocols describe drawing the dose from the vial into a 100-unit insulin syringe by units — the Syringe Math section below covers the conversion.
For the intranasal route: community resources describe drawing the reconstituted solution out of the vial with a syringe and transferring it into an empty sterile nasal-spray bottle or dropper. The unsolved part is metering. A pharmacy-compounded VIP nasal spray delivers a calibrated 50mcg per actuation; a self-filled bottle's per-spray volume varies by bottle and is not calibrated, which is why the Shoemaker CIRS protocol relies on pharmacy-compounded sprays rather than home-filled ones. For context on where the intranasal route fits, the VIP Dosing Guide covers the Shoemaker phases.
Step 6: Store Correctly
Reconstituted vials are refrigerated immediately at 36-46°F (2-8°C), protected from light. With bacteriostatic water the solution is generally documented as stable for up to 28 days.
Dilution Chart
The two vial sizes VIP commonly ships in, both worked out to the standard 50mcg dose plus a 100mcg column for the occasional larger draw.
Why these water amounts? The recommended rows both land on 1mg/mL (1,000mcg/mL), which keeps the math simple: at that concentration a 50mcg dose is exactly 5 units on an insulin syringe. Adding less water concentrates the solution and shrinks the draw — at 2mL into a 5mg vial, 50mcg falls to just 2 units, which is harder to read accurately on the barrel.
Syringe Math
On a standard 100-unit insulin syringe, each "unit" mark equals 0.01mL, so the full barrel is 1mL. Once VIP is reconstituted, converting a target dose to syringe units depends on the dilution chosen.
Community reconstitution resources document the following conversion:
Concentration (mcg/mL) = Vial Size (mcg) ÷ Water Added (mL)
Then:
Units to draw = Desired Dose (mcg) ÷ Concentration (mcg/mL) × 100
Worked example: at the standard community-documented dilution — a 5mg (5,000mcg) vial plus 5mL bacteriostatic water — concentration is 1,000mcg/mL. Community protocols describe a 50mcg dose as 5 units (0.05mL) at that dilution, drawn twice daily.
Prefer not to calculate by hand? The Reconstitution Calculator takes the vial size, water amount, and target dose and returns the units.
