Before You Start
- Read the prescription label and these instructions thoroughly before beginning.
- Wash your hands with soap and water.
Layout your supplies
- Vial of lyophilized powder medication
- Vial bacteriostatic water/provided sterile diluent
- Mixing Kit: 1 mixing needle and 1 syringe
(10ml Sterile Syringe, with 20 Gauge 1.5” Needle) - Alcohol pads
- Needle/Sharps disposal container
Prepare Your Medicine
- Only use the bacteriostatic water/saline provided with your prescription.
- Flip the cap off the vial of lyophilized powder medication
- Flip the cap off the vial of bacteriostatic water
- In one motion, wipe each top of the vial with an alcohol swab (do not touch the tops of vials
once you have sanitized them) - Remove the larger syringe with needle from the wrapper
- Pull back the plunger to the black line that corresponds to the volume of
bacteriostatic water/saline your health care provider has prescribed. - Please note, the air is just being drawn into the syringe at this step. You are not withdrawing any bacteriostatic water at this point.
- While holding the barrel of the syringe, insert the needle through the rubber stopper
of the water vial. Then push the plunger all the way down to transfer the air from the
syringe into the vial of bacteriostatic water/saline. - While still holding the plunger down, tilt the syringe (with vial attached) at a slight
angle. Making sure the needle tip stays in the water, pull back the plunger to transfer
the prescribed amount of bacteriostatic water into the syringe. - Place the vial on a flat surface and carefully withdraw the needle. Now you are ready to mix your vial of medication.
Reconstituting Your Lyophilized Powder Medication Vial
- Place the lyophilized powder vial on a flat surface, while holding it firmly, take the bacteriostatic water syringe you just prepared and insert the needle through the center of the rubber stopper. Holding at a slight angle, slowly press down on the syringe to inject the bacteriostatic water/saline into the vial. Aim the liquid towards the walls of the vial and do not saturate the powder directly.
- Once all of the water has been pushed into the lyophilized vial, carefully remove the needle and discard it in a sharps container.
- Gently swirl the vial, do not shake. Continue until all powder is dissolved.
Now you are ready to inject!
H/T: Spacecrafted
