Peplo · Reconstitution calculator
Oxytocin
Peptide hormone (nonapeptide) made in the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary; studied for social bonding, stress and anxiety, metabolism, and pain modulation.
cognitiveReconstitution 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 18 units
0.18 mL on a U-100 insulin syringe
A starting reference, not medical advice — see how we source this.
- Half-life
- Not established
- Route
- SubQ
- Storage
- Refrigerate at 2–8 °C; use within ~28–30 days. Avoid repeated freeze–thaw cycles. (~30 days)
- Citations
- 3 referenced
US regulatory status
In the contexts described here, oxytocin is treated as a research compound; where used medically, it should only be used under the supervision of a qualified clinician.
What is Oxytocin?
Oxytocin is a peptide hormone (a nonapeptide) made in the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary. It has been studied in the context of social bonding, stress and anxiety, metabolism, and pain modulation.
How Oxytocin works
Binds oxytocin receptors (OXTR), G-protein-coupled receptors expressed centrally and peripherally. Produced in the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary; central OXTR activation modulates prosocial dopaminergic signalling and dampens HPA-axis stress responses, while peripheral receptors mediate smooth-muscle contraction, analgesia, and metabolic effects.
What the research says
The cited literature includes a randomized controlled trial of subcutaneous oxytocin and heat pain, research on the effects of oxytocin on eating behaviour and metabolism in humans, and a review of safety, side-effects, and subjective reactions to intranasal oxytocin in human research. Its mechanism is described as binding oxytocin receptors expressed both centrally and peripherally, with central activity modulating prosocial signalling and stress responses and peripheral activity mediating smooth-muscle contraction, analgesia, and metabolic effects.
Evidence limitations
Much of this work examines specific, narrowly scoped questions. These reports describe what was studied rather than establishing broad outcomes.
Safety & use boundary
Oxytocin is a research compound in these contexts and, where used medically, should only be used under the supervision of a qualified clinician. This information is educational and is not medical advice.
Published protocols
Dosing figures reported in the cited research. Educational reference, not a recommendation.
- 2024 study
cognitive
100–500 mcg, once daily
How to reconstitute Oxytocin
New to this? Here's the whole process, start to finish. Educational only — not medical advice.
What you'll need
- The Oxytocin 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. Oxytocin 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: freeze at −20 °C for long-term storage or refrigerate at 2–8 °C for shorter periods; protect from light and moisture. Once reconstituted: Refrigerate at 2–8 °C; use within ~28–30 days. Avoid repeated 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 Oxytocin?
Peptide hormone (nonapeptide) made in the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary; studied for social bonding, stress and anxiety, metabolism, and pain modulation. Binds oxytocin receptors (OXTR), G-protein-coupled receptors expressed centrally and peripherally. Produced in the hypothalamus and released from the posterior pituitary; central OXTR activation modulates prosocial dopaminergic signalling and dampens HPA-axis stress responses, while peripheral receptors mediate smooth-muscle contraction, analgesia, and metabolic effects.
How is Oxytocin reconstituted?
Oxytocin 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.
How should Oxytocin be stored?
Lyophilized: freeze at −20 °C for long-term storage or refrigerate at 2–8 °C for shorter periods; protect from light and moisture. Once reconstituted: Refrigerate at 2–8 °C; use within ~28–30 days. Avoid repeated 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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