are my vials actually single dose?

[u/imliterallyiconick]

I guess I wasn't paying attention at first but I'm doing my third t shot right now and my vial says to discard vial after one use. maybe I'm misunderstanding but is that true? I've used one vial for two doses, theyre 1 ml bottles and I'm doing 0.3 ml injections so the bottle gets two or three doses out of it?

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[u/kase_horizon]

All 1ml vials are technically single use. But they can be used multiple times as long as you disinfect the top and do not core the self healing stopper (and it doesn't look cloudy etc). It's just "off label" to do more than one shot from them... but so is hrt for trans folks sooooo

[u/ckeliin]

you are generally supposed to use the "single use vials" more than once to get every last drop of T out of them. if you notice anything floating in it or any coring from the rubber seal then you should toss it but otherwise you'll be fine!

[u/elysiancollective]

For sterilization/safety reasons, they're meant to be single dose.

At one point a doctor told me I could wipe down the top with rubbing alcohol and let it dry before reusing.

That said, insurance might cover enough "single use" vials to cover you as though you were discarding the vials as directed. For example, I inject twice per week so I get eight vials per month, but I reuse vials anyway.

Over time, this allows me to create a small stockpile in case I lose access for any reason. This got me through most of a 3-month break between moving to another state and establishing with a local primary care provider, and it's consistently kept me supplied through logistical delays (insurance, pharmacy stock, etc).

My doctor is aware of this but hasn't noted it anywhere in writing as to protect herself from any legal liability if I were to hurt myself by reusing vials (or if I were to somehow get in trouble for possessing a significant amount of a controlled substance). She agreed with my assessment that T is "at risk" for access as gender-affirming care, and disruptions in hormone access are especially damaging in my case as I'm post-oophorectomy.

[u/undermytinyhat → u/elysiancollective]

As well that some chain pharmacies will have automatic systems that will remind the person filling/putting the RX in that the vials are single use (unless its the 10ml vial).

So you would have to put it in as a single use supply. So if it's to inject 0.25ml once a week, and the doctor only prescribed a single 1ml vial, you have to put it as a 7 day supply. Despite it being able to last 4 weeks technically.

Then again some techs/pharmacists will mess up on that but can be an easy fix.

[u/inadeepdarkforest_]

the self-sealing rubber-topped 1ml vials are reusable*. 1ml ampoules are (obviously) not. disinfect the top before and after each use with rubbing alcohol. discard if the oil is cloudy or has things floating in it, but be aware that testosterone will come out of solution when it gets cold and you will find crystals floating in it that will redisolve if you warm the vial and shake it around a bit.

*for liability purposes, pharmacies and doctors label and prescribe them as "single use only", but if your dose is less than 1ml, you can (and should) use them multiple times to have a stockpile.

[u/Cartesianpoint]

1ml vials are labeled as single-use, but it's very common for them to be prescribed with the intention of reusing them. When I was injecting 0.2 ml per week, for example, I would be three vials for three months. There was no way I could have had enough without reusing the vials.

My understanding is that doctors usually don't see it as a problem as long as you sanitize the top of the bottle with an alcohol swab, there aren't major major holes in the the top, and you aren't using an open bottle for longer than around a month.

[u/Novel_Side_2072]

That's pretty normal. Clean with alcohol before each use and use a clean needle to draw it up.