People search for a peptide dosage chart, or simply “dosage peptides”, and find tables written by sellers. For an authorized medication, the dose comes from somewhere else: the product monograph, your prescriber and your pharmacist. This page explains how that works.
Who decides a peptide dosage?
- The manufacturer and Health Canada. Every authorized peptide medication has a product monograph that sets out the starting dose, how and when it may be increased, and the maximum. Those numbers come from clinical trials.
- Your prescriber. They choose your dose within the monograph, based on your health history, your other medications, your kidney and liver function and how you respond.
- Your pharmacist. They check the dose against the monograph and your profile, show you how to use the device, and are the person to call with questions.
That is why we do not publish dosing charts. The right peptides dose is individual, and it changes over time.
Why most peptide doses start low and go up
Many injectable peptide medications are started at a low dose and increased in steps over weeks. This is called titration. It gives your body time to adjust and reduces side effects such as nausea. Moving up faster than prescribed does not make a medication work better; it makes side effects more likely. If a step up does not agree with you, your prescriber can hold or lower the dose.
How peptide pens work
Most authorized injectable peptides in Canada come in a pre-filled peptide pen. There is nothing to mix and nothing to draw up.
- Single-dose pens deliver one fixed dose and are then discarded.
- Multi-dose pens hold several doses. You attach a new needle, turn a dial to your prescribed dose and press.
Each pen comes with illustrated instructions for use, and your pharmacist will go through them with you before your first dose, by phone or video if your medication is delivered.
How to inject peptides safely: the basics
A peptide injection from a pen goes under the skin (subcutaneous), not into a muscle, with a short, fine needle. Always follow the instructions that come with your own medication. These points apply to almost every pen:
- Wash your hands and check the name, strength and expiry date on the pen.
- Check the liquid. Do not use it if it is cloudy, coloured or has particles, unless the leaflet says that is normal.
- Inject under the skin of the abdomen, thigh or upper arm, as your leaflet shows, and rotate the site each time.
- Use a new needle for every injection and never share a pen, even with a new needle.
- Put used needles in a sharps container. Pharmacies take full containers back.
- Store pens as the label says. Most are kept in the refrigerator at 2 °C to 8 °C and must not be frozen.
- If you miss a dose, follow the leaflet or call your pharmacist. Do not double up.
Need pen needles, a sharps container or a travel case? See Ozempic needles, Mounjaro needles and sharps containers; we add them to your delivery.
Do I need a peptide fridge?
No. A special peptide fridge is not needed for an authorized pen; your ordinary kitchen refrigerator is the right place, as long as you follow the storage section of your product leaflet. The usual instructions are:
- Keep unopened pens in the refrigerator at 2 °C to 8 °C, in their original box to protect them from light.
- Never freeze a pen, and keep it away from the freezer compartment and the cold back wall, where items can freeze. A pen that has frozen must not be used, even after it thaws.
- Once in use, some pens may be kept at room temperature for a limited number of days. The leaflet gives the exact limit for your product; write the start date on the box.
- When travelling, carry pens in an insulated bag in your hand luggage, not in checked baggage, and ask your pharmacist for a travel letter if you need one.
Our pharmacy ships refrigerated medications in insulated packaging with cold packs. If a parcel arrives warm or late, call us before using the pen.
Bac water for peptides: do I need it?
Bacteriostatic water, often shortened to bac water, is sterile water with a small amount of preservative. Health professionals use it to dissolve or dilute certain injectable drugs.
Most searches for bacteriostatic water peptides come from people preparing powder vials bought online. You do not need it for a pre-filled pen. A few authorized medications are supplied as a powder, and those come with their own sterile diluent in the same box and with instructions your pharmacist or nurse will teach you. No authorized medication asks you to source bacteriostatic water yourself. If a seller tells you to mix a powder with bac water obtained separately, the product is not an authorized drug.
Peptide purity: why a research vial cannot be trusted
Sellers of unauthorized peptides often quote a peptide purity figure, such as “99%”, backed by a certificate of analysis. That number says much less than it seems:
- It measures one thing. A purity test shows how much of a sample is the main peptide compared with other peptides. It says nothing about sterility, bacterial toxins, heavy metals or the solvent left over from manufacture.
- It may not be your vial. A certificate usually refers to one batch, often tested by the seller or a lab the seller chose. Nobody independent checks that the vial you receive came from that batch, or holds the amount on the label.
- It cannot be verified by you. There is no public register, no lot recall system and no inspector behind it.
An authorized medication is different: it is made in a facility that regulators inspect, every batch is tested against an approved specification before release, and it can be recalled by lot number. Health Canada has reported contaminated injectable peptides sold online. Purity on paper is not the same as a product that is safe to inject.
Why there is no dosage for research peptides
For BPC-157, TB-500, CJC-1295, ipamorelin, retatrutide and similar products sold online, no authorized dose exists, because no regulator has reviewed them. The charts that circulate are extrapolated from animal studies or copied between forums. They also assume the vial contains what the label says, which nobody has checked. We cannot give dosing or mixing advice for unauthorized products, and no chart can make them safe. Our guide to peptides in Canada explains their legal status.
Questions to ask your pharmacist
- What is my starting dose, and when might it change?
- What should I do if I miss a dose or take too much?
- Which side effects are expected, and which mean I should call?
- How do I store and travel with my pen?
- Does it interact with anything else I take?
Ask a pharmacist Start a consultation
What is the right peptide dosage?
The one your prescriber sets for you from the product monograph of your medication. It differs by medication and by person.
How do you inject peptides?
Authorized peptide medications are injected under the skin with a pre-filled pen, following the instructions for use supplied with it. Your pharmacist teaches you before your first dose.
Do peptide pens need to be refrigerated?
Most do, at 2 °C to 8 °C. Check your label, because some may be kept at room temperature for a limited time.
Is there a peptide dosage chart I can follow?
For an authorized medication, the schedule in its product monograph, as applied by your prescriber. For unauthorized research peptides, no valid chart exists.
Can I adjust my own dose?
No. Speak to your prescriber or pharmacist first, including if you want to stop.
Reviewed by our pharmacist-in-charge. This page is general information, not medical advice, and does not replace the instructions supplied with your medication.