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2 Question about hrt
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Is the 28 days expiration date for vials true? Do any gray market sites have the testosteone pellets?most vials last 3-4 years
so no, the expiration date is not accurate
The 28 day expiration thing is veeery cautious. Depending on the contents of the vial it can last a great deal longer.
You are unlikely to find hormonal implants through unofficial channels. For T in particular, it's mostly going to be injectable vials.
What vial is stating a 28 day expiration date? If it contains an adequate amount of benzyl alcohol, doesn't show signs of contamination or coring, and the oil isn't too yellowish, the vial should still be good. They generally last on the order of years.
all my vials say 28 days and the planned parenthood people told me that i could throw them out at 28 days but i didn't have to. When i told them i changed my injection schedule to every 5 days from every 7 I was cautioned that the draw needles could sometimes leave tiny plastic bits from the seal and that with enough punctures the seal could be compromised so I think they know i'm using them past 28 days they just can't explicitly encourage it if that makes sense.
All my research agrees with you that the color and clarity is what matters so i have been using mine for 3.5 months each and i expect my new vial i just opened to last even longer now that i learned how to inject without losing a drop to either needle!
That's called coring. If that happens, say your farewells to the vial. It can however easily be avoided if you use thin needles (23+ gauge (higher number is thinner), I use 30 gauge and have no problem drawing MCT oil with it even when the vial contains no benzyl benzoate, more viscous oils however will have a harder time) and always draw from a different spot (or random spot if your needle is so thin like mine, where you can't even see where you poked the rubber in the past). (some people advise doing a 45ΒΊ-switch-to-90ΒΊ pucture technique, but I find it totally unnecessary if you are using thin needles and is just another thing that can go wrong, and I advise just doing 90ΒΊ punctures). People from countries that offer injections for HRT (such as the US), I've often seen them being recommended 18gauge needles. Do NOT use 18 gauge needles for drawing, they are way too thick and unnecessarily raise the risk of coring.
oh what great advice! I use 21g to draw and 23g to inject but i'll try switching to the 23g to draw with next week! I really want to extend my supply as long as possible.
what gauge do you recommend to inject with?
Depending on what kind of oil was used to make your vial, you might be ok with 25 gauge. It'll just take slightly longer than something larger like a 23 gauge needle.
thank you very much
You're welcome! If you have any more HRT related questions definitely make another post about it (in the megathread or otherwise), someone will probably be able to help you out.
basically all prescription vials will state 28 days