Peplo · Reconstitution calculator
Cagrilintide
Long-acting acylated analogue of the pancreatic hormone amylin, studied for once-weekly subcutaneous weight management.
metabolicReconstitution calculator
The total peptide in the vial — the mg number on the label (e.g. 5 mg). This is your whole supply, not one dose.
The sterile water you add to dissolve the powder (this is called reconstituting). More water makes small doses easier to measure.
How much you take in one injection. 1 mg = 1000 mcg.
Draw to 270 units
2.70 mL on a U-100 insulin syringe
A starting reference, not medical advice — see how we source this.
- Half-life
- ~178 h
- Route
- SubQ
- Storage
- Refrigerate at 2–8 °C protected from light; use within 30 days; avoid freeze–thaw cycles. (~30 days)
- Citations
- 2 referenced
US regulatory status
Investigational; not FDA-approved and under clinical study rather than an established approved product.
What is Cagrilintide?
Cagrilintide is a long-acting, acylated analogue of the pancreatic hormone amylin, studied for once-weekly subcutaneous weight management. Research describes it activating central amylin receptors in the area postrema and hindbrain in the context of satiety, gastric emptying, and energy intake.
How Cagrilintide works
Acylated, long-acting amylin analogue that activates central amylin receptors in the area postrema and hindbrain to promote satiety, slow gastric emptying, and reduce energy intake. Lipid modification extends its half-life to enable once-weekly subcutaneous dosing. Studied alone and combined with semaglutide (CagriSema).
What the research says
The lipid modification is described as extending the compound's half-life to support once-weekly subcutaneous dosing, and it has been studied both alone and combined with semaglutide (CagriSema). A cited phase 2, randomised, double-blind, placebo- and active-controlled dose-finding trial examined once-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity. A separate phase 1b trial examined the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of administering it together with semaglutide.
- 2021Once-weekly cagrilintide for weight management in people with overweight and obesity: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled and active-controlled, dose-finding phase 2 trial
- 2021Safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacodynamics of concomitant administration of multiple doses of cagrilintide with semaglutide 2·4 mg for weight management: a randomised, controlled, phase 1b trial
Evidence limitations
This reflects an emerging but still investigational body of clinical research.
Safety & use boundary
Cagrilintide is an investigational research compound under clinical study rather than an established approved product. This page is educational information and is not medical advice; anyone considering it should consult a qualified clinician.
Published protocols
Dosing figures reported in the cited research. Educational reference, not a recommendation.
- 2021 study
glp1-weight-loss
titrated over 4 steps
How to reconstitute Cagrilintide
New to this? Here's the whole process, start to finish. Educational only — not medical advice.
What you'll need
- The Cagrilintide vial — a small glass vial of white, freeze-dried powder
- Bacteriostatic water — the liquid you mix in (not plain sterile or tap water)
- U-100 insulin syringes — the small syringes marked in units
- Alcohol swabs to wipe the vial tops before you touch them with a needle
- A spot in the fridge to keep it once it's mixed
Step by step
Wipe everything down
Swab the rubber top of both the peptide vial and the bacteriostatic water with an alcohol wipe. Clean tops are what keep the mixed solution good for weeks instead of days.
Draw the water
Use the calculator above to see how much bacteriostatic water to add for your vial size. Pull exactly that amount out of the water vial with a syringe.
Add it slowly
Push the needle into the peptide vial and let the water run gently down the inside glass wall — don't blast it straight onto the powder.
Let it dissolve
Swirl the vial gently or just let it sit. The powder goes into solution on its own in a minute or two. Never shake it hard.
Read your draw
Enter your vial size, the water you added, and your dose in the calculator. It shows the exact units to pull into your syringe — you never do the math yourself.
Store it cold
Cap it and keep it in the fridge. Cagrilintide stays good for about 30 days once it's mixed.
Reading your dose
The calculator gives you a number like “Draw to 20 units.” Units are just the numbered marks on a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units fill 1 mL). “20 units” means pull the plunger back to the 20 mark. You don't convert milligrams to micrograms in your head — that's the whole point of the calculator. If you're brand new to injecting, learn proper technique and site rotation from a qualified clinician or nurse before your first dose; this page covers the mixing and measuring, not the injection itself.
Storing it
Before mixing: Lyophilized powder — store frozen at −20 °C (−4 °F) in dry, dark conditions. Once reconstituted: Refrigerate at 2–8 °C protected from light; use within 30 days; avoid freeze–thaw cycles. (about 30 days). Don't freeze a reconstituted vial.
What “cycling” means
Many peptides are used in “cycles” — a stretch of daily or weekly use (“on”), then a break (“off”), rather than continuously. Cycling gives the body a rest and is a common pattern in the research. Any specific on/off lengths for a compound live in its published protocols above, drawn from the cited studies — this site shows you what the research used, it doesn't recommend a schedule for you.
Common first-timer mistakes
Shaking the vial to mix it
Swirl it gently or just let it sit. Shaking can damage delicate peptides — you want the powder to dissolve, not foam.
Using tap water or plain sterile water
Use bacteriostatic water. Plain sterile water has no preservative, so a mixed vial spoils in a day or two instead of lasting weeks.
Leaving a mixed vial on the counter
Keep reconstituted vials in the fridge. Heat and light break the peptide down faster.
Eyeballing the dose instead of measuring
Use the calculator and draw to the exact unit mark on the syringe. Guessing a tiny volume is where most measuring errors happen.
Reusing needles
Use a fresh syringe each time. A used needle is duller, hurts more, and is no longer sterile.
Mixing up mg and mcg
1 mg = 1000 mcg. The calculator keeps them straight so you don't have to — just enter your dose in the unit it asks for.
Words you'll see
- Reconstitution
- Mixing a freeze-dried peptide powder with liquid (bacteriostatic water) so it can be drawn into a syringe.
- Bacteriostatic water
- Sterile water with a tiny amount of benzyl alcohol that stops bacteria growing, so a mixed vial keeps for weeks. Not the same as plain sterile water.
- U-100 insulin syringe
- A small syringe marked in “units,” where 100 units = 1 mL. Peptide draws are measured in these units.
- Subcutaneous (SubQ)
- An injection into the fatty layer just under the skin, rather than into muscle or a vein.
- mcg vs mg
- 1 mg = 1000 mcg. Doses are often written in micrograms (mcg); the calculator handles the conversion for you.
- Lyophilized
- Freeze-dried. The powder in the vial is the peptide with its water removed so it stays stable on the shelf.
- Half-life
- Roughly how long it takes your body to clear half of a dose — a rough sense of how long it stays active.
Common questions
What is Cagrilintide?
Long-acting acylated analogue of the pancreatic hormone amylin, studied for once-weekly subcutaneous weight management. Acylated, long-acting amylin analogue that activates central amylin receptors in the area postrema and hindbrain to promote satiety, slow gastric emptying, and reduce energy intake. Lipid modification extends its half-life to enable once-weekly subcutaneous dosing. Studied alone and combined with semaglutide (CagriSema).
How is Cagrilintide reconstituted?
Cagrilintide ships as a lyophilised powder and is reconstituted with bacteriostatic water before use, then drawn on an insulin syringe. Use the calculator above to see the exact units to draw for your vial size and dose. This is a reference tool, not medical advice.
What is the half-life of Cagrilintide?
Research reports an approximate half-life of 178 hours for Cagrilintide. Half-life informs how frequently a compound is studied; it is not a dosing instruction.
How should Cagrilintide be stored?
Lyophilized powder — store frozen at −20 °C (−4 °F) in dry, dark conditions. Once reconstituted: Refrigerate at 2–8 °C protected from light; use within 30 days; avoid freeze–thaw cycles. (about 30 days). This is general storage information, not medical advice.
Keep your protocol, doses, and vials in one place.
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