Glutathione Dosage & Reconstitution Guide

Reconstitution

Glutathione ships as a freeze-dried (lyophilized) powder that has to be mixed with bacteriostatic water before use. Draw 3 mL of bacteriostatic water into a syringe and add it to a 1500 mg vial, letting the stream run down the inside wall of the glass rather than blasting the powder directly. Swirl gently — never shake — until the solution is clear, then keep it refrigerated.

Worked example. 3 mL into a 1500 mg vial gives a concentration of 500 mg/mL (500000 mcg/mL). A 200 mg dose then works out to 0.4 mL = 40 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. Scale the water volume up or down to make your target dose land on an easy-to-read mark (1 unit = 0.01 mL).

1. Wipe both vial stoppers (peptide and bacteriostatic water) with an alcohol swab and let them dry.
2. Draw 3 mL of bacteriostatic water into a syringe.
3. Inject it slowly against the inside wall of the peptide vial.
4. Swirl gently until fully dissolved; do not shake.
5. Label the vial with the contents, concentration, and date, and store it in the refrigerator.

Dosing schedule

Timing & cycling

Inject slowly, IM into a large muscle or subQ into abdominal fat; no strict time of day, though many dose after training for recovery.

Cycle length. Often run in 4-8 week blocks with a maintenance dose of 200 mg once or twice weekly thereafter; cosmetic courses may run longer.

Storage & handling

Keep the lyophilized (unmixed) vial refrigerated at 2–8 °C (36–46 °F) in a dry, dark place — it tolerates short periods at room temperature during shipping. Once reconstituted, store it at 2–8 °C, never frozen, and use it within about 2–4 weeks (sooner if the solution turns cloudy or discolored). Swab the stopper before every draw and use a fresh needle each time.

Supplies you'll need

• Glutathione vials — about 10 for an 8-week run at the upper dose
• Bacteriostatic water — 3 mL per vial (a 10–30 mL multi-dose bottle covers several vials)
• U-100 insulin syringes (0.3–0.5 mL / 30–50 unit barrels are easiest to read) — roughly 24 for 8 weeks, plus spares
• Alcohol swabs — one per injection and one per vial draw
• Sharps container for safe needle disposal

Key points

• Glutathione is an antioxidant tripeptide and cofactor the body makes itself, not a therapeutic signaling peptide; injectable use is off-label and unregulated.
• There is no standardized injectable dose; community ranges are extrapolated from clinical and cosmetic practice.
• A 600 mg dose is 120 units and should be split into two injections or given IM.
• Powder must be reconstituted with bacteriostatic water, refrigerated after mixing, and protected from light.
• IV-level dosing and use in people with asthma or allergy histories should be medically supervised.

What to monitor

Watch for injection-site reactions and any rash or breathing changes; people with asthma should be especially alert with higher or IV doses.

Legal & prescription status

Sold as a compounded preparation or research chemical rather than an FDA-approved injectable drug; legitimate injectable glutathione is usually obtained from a compounding pharmacy with a prescription. Presented here as a supplement/cofactor for research and educational context only.

References

1. Glutathione supplementation for skin lightening: review (2025)
2. Randomized pilot of IV glutathione in Parkinson's disease (2009)
3. IV glutathione as an antioxidant therapy (2025)