HEALTHSPANMD

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The basics, done right

Short guides for the practical side of your prescription. Always follow the instructions from Dr. Calvo and your pharmacy first.

Guide 01

How to give a subcutaneous injection

Subcutaneous means into the fatty layer just under the skin. A short, fine needle is all it takes.

  1. 01

    Get ready

    Wash your hands. Have your vial, a new syringe, an alcohol prep pad and a sharps container within reach.

  2. 02

    Choose a site

    The abdomen at least two inches from the navel, the front of the outer thigh, or the back of the upper arm. Rotate sites each time.

  3. 03

    Clean

    Wipe the vial top and the skin with an alcohol pad, and let both dry.

  4. 04

    Draw your dose

    Draw up exactly the dose on your prescription. Tap out any air bubbles.

  5. 05

    Inject

    Pinch a fold of skin, insert the needle at 90 degrees, or 45 if you are lean, and press the plunger slowly.

  6. 06

    Finish

    Withdraw the needle, press lightly without rubbing, and put the syringe straight into the sharps container.

Guide 02

How to reconstitute a vial

Prescriptions from our 503A pharmacy usually arrive already reconstituted in amber glass vials. Some kits arrive as a powder with bacteriostatic water for you to mix. This is for those.

  1. 01

    Clean both vials

    Wipe the tops of the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic water with alcohol pads.

  2. 02

    Draw the water

    With a mixing syringe, draw the amount of bacteriostatic water your prescription specifies.

  3. 03

    Add it slowly

    Insert the needle into the peptide vial and let the water run down the inside wall, not onto the powder.

  4. 04

    Swirl, never shake

    Roll or swirl gently until clear.

  5. 05

    Label and store

    Write the date on the vial and refrigerate it as your pharmacy directs.

Guide 03

Reading an insulin syringe

On a standard U-100 insulin syringe, 100 units equals 1 mL. So 10 units is 0.1 mL, and 50 units is 0.5 mL.

Your dose in units comes from Dr. Calvo, calculated for your vial. If anything on the label does not match, ask before you inject.

General education only, not medical advice. If you have a question about your own prescription, contact us before your next dose.