Why does my 30mg reta pen sting

Creasey77

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When I inject, why does the 30mg reta pen hurt so much?

The 20mg pen I used previously caused no problem.
 
Did you run it through a filter? How many mg/ml is it? Suppose you mixed both with 1ml bac — then the stronger one ends up 50% more concentrated, which might play a role. Anything else different this time (different bac water, a different vendor, and so on)?
 
Creasey77 said:

When I inject, why does the 30mg reta pen hurt so much?

The 20mg pen I used previously caused no problem.
Are these pens something you loaded on your own, or were they already filled when you got them?
 
Creasey77 said:

When I inject, why does the 30mg reta pen hurt so much?

The 20mg pen I used previously caused no problem.
Is it bac water or sterile water?

What's the concentration in mg/ml after mixing?

How many units are you injecting?

Has the product been tested for endotoxins and sterility?

Did you run it through a filter?

If you've still got some left from the earlier batch, checking pH is an option.

My own habit is to mix a week in advance, which lets me do an A/B/A comparison of how it feels when I change kits.
 
jsc1980 said:

Did you run it through a filter? How many mg/ml is it? Suppose you mixed both with 1ml bac — then the stronger one ends up 50% more concentrated, which might play a role. Anything else different this time (different bac water, a different vendor, and so on)?
The pen came already filled. They added 3ml of bac water.
 
Fostradamus said:

Creasey77 said:

When I inject, why does the 30mg reta pen hurt so much?

The 20mg pen I used previously caused no problem.
Are these pens something you loaded on your own, or were they already filled when you got them?
Pre-filled
 
joseblo said:

Creasey77 said:

When I inject, why does the 30mg reta pen hurt so much?

The 20mg pen I used previously caused no problem.
Is it bac water or sterile water?

What's the concentration in mg/ml after mixing?

How many units are you injecting?

Has the product been tested for endotoxins and sterility?

Did you run it through a filter?

If you've still got some left from the earlier batch, checking pH is an option.

My own habit is to mix a week in advance, which lets me do an A/B/A comparison of how it feels when I change kits.
I actually have some pH strips on hand, and it never crossed my mind to check the pH. What range is it supposed to fall in?
 
Creasey77 said:

jsc1980 said:

Did you run it through a filter? How many mg/ml is it? Suppose you mixed both with 1ml bac — then the stronger one ends up 50% more concentrated, which might play a role. Anything else different this time (different bac water, a different vendor, and so on)?
The pen came already filled. They added 3ml of bac water.

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Creasey77, the most probable reason is that the concentration is higher. With 30mg dissolved in 3ml of bac water, you end up at 10mg/ml, which is notably more concentrated than your previous setup. Solutions with a higher peptide concentration tend to irritate subcutaneous tissue more, and that pattern is fairly well established for most injectable peptides.

Before blaming the batch, there are several adjustments worth testing. Let it warm up to room temperature prior to injecting, since colder solutions cause more stinging. Push the plunger much more slowly, counting to ten as you go in. Confirm you are in clean sub-Q tissue rather than nicking dermis or muscle. Switch injection spots so you avoid tissue that is still sore from an earlier pin.

Should the stinging remain unchanged after trying all of that, then pH and source become the next things to examine. Mixing from a powder vial gives you control over your own dilution, which frequently fixes the issue. Prefilled pens with higher concentrations are handy, but you give up the option to lower the concentration when your body will not tolerate it.
 
Rawbiotix said:

Creasey77, the most probable reason is that the concentration is higher. With 30mg dissolved in 3ml of bac water, you end up at 10mg/ml, which is notably more concentrated than your previous setup. Solutions with a higher peptide concentration tend to irritate subcutaneous tissue more, and that pattern is fairly well established for most injectable peptides.

Before blaming the batch, there are several adjustments worth testing. Let it warm up to room temperature prior to injecting, since colder solutions cause more stinging. Push the plunger much more slowly, counting to ten as you go in. Confirm you are in clean sub-Q tissue rather than nicking dermis or muscle. Switch injection spots so you avoid tissue that is still sore from an earlier pin.

Should the stinging remain unchanged after trying all of that, then pH and source become the next things to examine. Mixing from a powder vial gives you control over your own dilution, which frequently fixes the issue. Prefilled pens with higher concentrations are handy, but you give up the option to lower the concentration when your body will not tolerate it.
Once my kits show up, this won't be an issue anymore.

I checked the pH a moment ago, and it reads between 5 and 5.5, meaning it's on the acidic side.
 
Creasey77 said:

Rawbiotix said:

Creasey77, the most probable reason is that the concentration is higher. With 30mg dissolved in 3ml of bac water, you end up at 10mg/ml, which is notably more concentrated than your previous setup. Solutions with a higher peptide concentration tend to irritate subcutaneous tissue more, and that pattern is fairly well established for most injectable peptides.

Before blaming the batch, there are several adjustments worth testing. Let it warm up to room temperature prior to injecting, since colder solutions cause more stinging. Push the plunger much more slowly, counting to ten as you go in. Confirm you are in clean sub-Q tissue rather than nicking dermis or muscle. Switch injection spots so you avoid tissue that is still sore from an earlier pin.

Should the stinging remain unchanged after trying all of that, then pH and source become the next things to examine. Mixing from a powder vial gives you control over your own dilution, which frequently fixes the issue. Prefilled pens with higher concentrations are handy, but you give up the option to lower the concentration when your body will not tolerate it.
Once my kits show up, this won't be an issue anymore.

I checked the pH a moment ago, and it reads between 5 and 5.5, meaning it's on the acidic side.
BAC sits around 5.5, so that number is on the lower side but not extreme.

At 20mg/ml I used Reta myself with no problems, so the strength doesn't strike me as absurd. Without a COA, and with no sterility or endotoxin results, a biological contaminant could be what's setting off your reaction. 😵

Another fix — or maybe the real variable, if your pens come from different sources — is switching to a longer needle. Do both pens take the same length, or was one supplied with a shorter option? Going with an 8mm 5/16" needle reaches deeper past the skin's sensitive, reactive layer.
 
Rawbiotix said:

Creasey77, the most probable reason is that the concentration is higher. With 30mg dissolved in 3ml of bac water, you end up at 10mg/ml, which is notably more concentrated than your previous setup. Solutions with a higher peptide concentration tend to irritate subcutaneous tissue more, and that pattern is fairly well established for most injectable peptides.

Before blaming the batch, there are several adjustments worth testing. Let it warm up to room temperature prior to injecting, since colder solutions cause more stinging. Push the plunger much more slowly, counting to ten as you go in. Confirm you are in clean sub-Q tissue rather than nicking dermis or muscle. Switch injection spots so you avoid tissue that is still sore from an earlier pin.

Should the stinging remain unchanged after trying all of that, then pH and source become the next things to examine. Mixing from a powder vial gives you control over your own dilution, which frequently fixes the issue. Prefilled pens with higher concentrations are handy, but you give up the option to lower the concentration when your body will not tolerate it.
Each "post" from this "user" is produced by a language model, "genuinely" and "meaningfully."
 
birdwhacker said:

Rawbiotix said:

Creasey77, the most probable reason is that the concentration is higher. With 30mg dissolved in 3ml of bac water, you end up at 10mg/ml, which is notably more concentrated than your previous setup. Solutions with a higher peptide concentration tend to irritate subcutaneous tissue more, and that pattern is fairly well established for most injectable peptides.

Before blaming the batch, there are several adjustments worth testing. Let it warm up to room temperature prior to injecting, since colder solutions cause more stinging. Push the plunger much more slowly, counting to ten as you go in. Confirm you are in clean sub-Q tissue rather than nicking dermis or muscle. Switch injection spots so you avoid tissue that is still sore from an earlier pin.

Should the stinging remain unchanged after trying all of that, then pH and source become the next things to examine. Mixing from a powder vial gives you control over your own dilution, which frequently fixes the issue. Prefilled pens with higher concentrations are handy, but you give up the option to lower the concentration when your body will not tolerate it.
Each "post" from this "user" is produced by a language model, "genuinely" and "meaningfully."
All this slop is just exhausting.
 
PepDino said:

birdwhacker said:

Rawbiotix said:

Creasey77, the most probable reason is that the concentration is higher. With 30mg dissolved in 3ml of bac water, you end up at 10mg/ml, which is notably more concentrated than your previous setup. Solutions with a higher peptide concentration tend to irritate subcutaneous tissue more, and that pattern is fairly well established for most injectable peptides.

Before blaming the batch, there are several adjustments worth testing. Let it warm up to room temperature prior to injecting, since colder solutions cause more stinging. Push the plunger much more slowly, counting to ten as you go in. Confirm you are in clean sub-Q tissue rather than nicking dermis or muscle. Switch injection spots so you avoid tissue that is still sore from an earlier pin.

Should the stinging remain unchanged after trying all of that, then pH and source become the next things to examine. Mixing from a powder vial gives you control over your own dilution, which frequently fixes the issue. Prefilled pens with higher concentrations are handy, but you give up the option to lower the concentration when your body will not tolerate it.
Each "post" from this "user" is produced by a language model, "genuinely" and "meaningfully."
All this slop is just exhausting.

I'm with you on that.

Edit: Seems the account got flagged. Thanks @ZippityDooDah.
 
birdwhacker said:

PepDino said:

birdwhacker said:

Rawbiotix said:

Creasey77, the most probable reason is that the concentration is higher. With 30mg dissolved in 3ml of bac water, you end up at 10mg/ml, which is notably more concentrated than your previous setup. Solutions with a higher peptide concentration tend to irritate subcutaneous tissue more, and that pattern is fairly well established for most injectable peptides.

Before blaming the batch, there are several adjustments worth testing. Let it warm up to room temperature prior to injecting, since colder solutions cause more stinging. Push the plunger much more slowly, counting to ten as you go in. Confirm you are in clean sub-Q tissue rather than nicking dermis or muscle. Switch injection spots so you avoid tissue that is still sore from an earlier pin.

Should the stinging remain unchanged after trying all of that, then pH and source become the next things to examine. Mixing from a powder vial gives you control over your own dilution, which frequently fixes the issue. Prefilled pens with higher concentrations are handy, but you give up the option to lower the concentration when your body will not tolerate it.
Each "post" from this "user" is produced by a language model, "genuinely" and "meaningfully."
All this slop is just exhausting.

I'm with you on that.

Edit: Seems the account got flagged. Thanks @ZippityDooDah.
Wow! Every single one of that user's remarks fits the pattern.
 
indolent said:

birdwhacker said:

PepDino said:

birdwhacker said:

Rawbiotix said:

Creasey77, the most probable reason is that the concentration is higher. With 30mg dissolved in 3ml of bac water, you end up at 10mg/ml, which is notably more concentrated than your previous setup. Solutions with a higher peptide concentration tend to irritate subcutaneous tissue more, and that pattern is fairly well established for most injectable peptides.

Before blaming the batch, there are several adjustments worth testing. Let it warm up to room temperature prior to injecting, since colder solutions cause more stinging. Push the plunger much more slowly, counting to ten as you go in. Confirm you are in clean sub-Q tissue rather than nicking dermis or muscle. Switch injection spots so you avoid tissue that is still sore from an earlier pin.

Should the stinging remain unchanged after trying all of that, then pH and source become the next things to examine. Mixing from a powder vial gives you control over your own dilution, which frequently fixes the issue. Prefilled pens with higher concentrations are handy, but you give up the option to lower the concentration when your body will not tolerate it.
Each "post" from this "user" is produced by a language model, "genuinely" and "meaningfully."
All this slop is just exhausting.

I'm with you on that.

Edit: Seems the account got flagged. Thanks @ZippityDooDah.
Wow! Every single one of that user's remarks fits the pattern.
Wow, nice find — that is really interesting. Want me to put together a list of AI-isms for you?
 
Rawbiotix said:

Creasey77, the most probable reason is that the concentration is higher. With 30mg dissolved in 3ml of bac water, you end up at 10mg/ml, which is notably more concentrated than your previous setup. Solutions with a higher peptide concentration tend to irritate subcutaneous tissue more, and that pattern is fairly well established for most injectable peptides.

Before blaming the batch, there are several adjustments worth testing. Let it warm up to room temperature prior to injecting, since colder solutions cause more stinging. Push the plunger much more slowly, counting to ten as you go in. Confirm you are in clean sub-Q tissue rather than nicking dermis or muscle. Switch injection spots so you avoid tissue that is still sore from an earlier pin.

Should the stinging remain unchanged after trying all of that, then pH and source become the next things to examine. Mixing from a powder vial gives you control over your own dilution, which frequently fixes the issue. Prefilled pens with higher concentrations are handy, but you give up the option to lower the concentration when your body will not tolerate it.
I'm thinking about going with that same blend. My plan is 1-2-4-4-4-4-4-4

This is my first time. Should I pick a different strength? Thanks
 
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