BPC-157 Dosage in Units — mcg to IU Conversion

Determining the "dosage in units" of BPC-157 is more like doing a conversion than solving a pharmacological problem. Syringe units are calibrated in units of volume rather than peptide mass. So the number of micrograms of BPC-157 contained in a given number of units depends entirely on the concentration of the reconstituted solution. This, in turn, depends on how much peptide was in the vial and how much water we added. We will go over the formula and provide a reference table with numbers and common mistakes.

BPC-157 Dosage in Units - What the Numbers Mean

mcg, mg, IU, and Syringe Ticks Explained

Four terms get tangled in online discussions. Here is what each one actually means:

• mg (milligram) - One thousandth of a gram. Vial labels list total peptide content in milligrams (e.g., 5 mg or 10 mg).
• mcg (microgram) - One thousandth of a milligram, or one millionth of a gram. Published study doses for BPC-157 are reported in mcg/kg. 1 mg = 1,000 mcg.
• IU or "units" on an insulin syringe - These are volume markings. On a standard 100-unit insulin syringe, 100 units equals 1 ml. Each unit equals 0.01 ml. The term IU here does not refer to International Units of biological potency.
• Tick marks - The individual lines printed on the syringe barrel. On a 100-unit syringe, the smallest tick usually represents 1 or 2 units depending on the manufacturer.

The main point to be noted: that syringes are made to measure volume not weight. Hence, the amount of peptide in a given volume is dependent upon its concentration.

Why Units Depend on Your Concentration

The process of adding bacteriostatic water to a vial containing a given amount of powder will yield different concentrations of the substance in question. For the example of adding 2 ml of water to a vial containing 10 mg of powder, each 0.01 ml of the vial's liquid would contain 50 mcg of the substance. However, if we use 5 ml of water instead of 2 to dilute the original vial, we will get that each 0.01 ml of liquid would contain only 20 mcg of the original substance. So we have the same total amount of drug in the vat after the dilution process, but the more liquid we use to dilute the substance, the bigger volume it occupies. So the meaning of the instruction "take 10 units" becomes ambiguous, as 10 units of diluted substance can equal either 500 mcg at some concentration or 100 mcg at another.

Conversion Formula

Step 1 - Know Your Vial Size in mg

Check the vial labeling. They generally produce BPC-157 in 5 mg and 10 mg sizes. Real Peptides sells a 10 mg vial of BPC-157 at $43.20 (SKU RP-BPC10V). The PeptideGod website indicates a price of $34.95 but it does not specify the vial size. You can find the total content of a vial in mcg if you multiply the number of mg by 1,000. So 5 mg will equal to 5,000 mcg while 10 mg will amount to 10,000 mcg.

Step 2 - Know Your Water Volume in ml

This indicates the amount of sterilized water that you used while reconstituting. The common volumes of bacteriostatic water are 1, 2 and 5 ml. The bacteriostatic water is available from Real Peptides, which has a 10 ml bottle at the price of $4.80.

Step 3 - Calculate mcg Per Unit Mark

The formula uses three values you already have:

Concentration (mcg/ml) = Total peptide (mcg) / Water volume (ml)

mcg per syringe unit = Concentration (mcg/ml) x 0.01 ml

A vial containing 10 mg along with 2 ml water will have the concentration of 5,000 mcg/ml since the calculation becomes 10,000 mg/2 ml = 5,000 mcg/ml. For each syringe, the mcg value is simply the multiplied number of mcg per ml and the amount of volume taken. The reverse procedure is simple to find out how many units there will be for the specific mcg value – just divide the desired mcg amount with mcg per unit. Hence, for instance, 250 mcg/50 mcg per unit = 5 units or equal things.

Reference Conversion Table

For an interactive version where you plug in any vial size and water volume, see our reconstitution calculator.

Common Conversion Mistakes

Confusing IU With mcg

This is the mistake that happens the most frequently among all the posts on the forums. A person reads an article stating that the required amount is 250 mcg. He or she then fills the syringe with 250 units of the drug believing that 1 unit equals 1 mcg, which is not true unless the concentration is somehow equal to 100 mcg/ml. It can happen only in the case of mixing a 5 mg vial in the 50 ml solvent. In most cases, it does not happen, so it means that 1 unit may contain 10, 20, 25, or 50 mcg or even more depending on the concentration of the drug. If you take 250 units (2.5 ml), thinking you are taking 250 mcg, you will actually receive far more than you are supposed to. You should always make the calculations of the proper concentration in order to make the transition.

Further confusion arises from the terminology. In the case of insulin, IU stands for International Unit, a determinant of biological efficiency. In contrast, for peptide like BPC-157, there is no unit of international measure. Whenever someone mentions "10 IU of BPC-157,” they mean 10 markings on the syringe. In this case, "IU" is used with respect to the volume of the liquid, not the biological context.

Using the Wrong Syringe Scale

Insulin syringes come in several configurations:

• 100-unit / 1 ml syringe: Each unit mark equals 0.01 ml. Full syringe holds 1 ml.
• 50-unit / 0.5 ml syringe: Each unit mark still equals 0.01 ml, but the syringe only holds 0.5 ml total. The markings go from 0 to 50.
• 30-unit / 0.3 ml syringe: Each unit mark equals 0.01 ml, full capacity 0.3 ml. Markings go from 0 to 30.

In all three cases, the unit is the same amount of 0.01 ml. The way that mcg are calculated per unit does not depend on the size of the syringe. What really matters is the maximum volume that one can draw at once. When the volume required is above the capacity of the syringe, it becomes necessary to use a bigger syringe or to make two fills. It is best to use a syringe that is appropriate for normal filling without exceeding a filling rate of 80%.