I love making breakfast burritos with low carb tortillas.
Should make about 6 burritos.
I also spray them with olive oil then bake at 400 to get a crisp at the end. Then I wrap them in foil. Fridge if I'm going to eat in the next week, freezer if I'm saving for more than a week.
Apologies if this is the incorrect place for this post. I figure it has to do with pens, so this may work?
I've recently made the switch to peptide pens and have become a huge fan of the convenience and consistency (thanks Randy!). Since I'm also on TRT, I started wondering whether testosterone could be used with pens as well.
After finding a forum thread where several people were doing exactly that, I decided to run some tests of my own.
Goal: Determine whether Testosterone Cypionate can be delivered accurately and consistently through a peptide pen.
Setup:
Pen: ConviPen (auto-injector)
Testosterone: Testosterone Cypionate 200 mg/mL in cottonseed oil
Needles: EasyTouch 29g 1/2" pen needles
I chose the ConviPen because it uses a metal drive rod and I suspected an auto-injector would have an easier time pushing a more viscous oil. I am still considering testing a manual pen (V4) for comparison.
Testing Performed:
Test #1: I loaded a cart into the pen and measured output directly into an insulin syringe. To do this, I inserted the syringe into the cart and dispensed a dose from the pen, allowing me to measure the volume.
Approximately 10 repetitions were performed.
Result:
Output was extremely consistent.
15 units delivered essentially what was expected each time.
Test #2: I then attached a 29g pen needle and repeated the testing by dispensing through the needle into the open end of a syringe. This method was less precise than Test #1, as some of the oil adhered to the sides of the syringe and could not be measured perfectly.
Approximately 30+ repetitions were performed.
Result:
Output remained consistent.
Measured delivery was roughly 1 unit lower than expected.
Because of this, I began testing a setting of 16 units to achieve an effective 15-unit delivery.
Test #3: I then did an actual subcu injection for my regular dose. When I pressed the trigger at 16 units, the dose indicator rapidly dropped to approximately 5 units remaining, then continued clicking all the way down to 0. I left the needle in place for approximately 10 seconds after the indicator reached 0.
This behavior was very different from my syringe testing and raises the question of whether tissue resistance affects delivery compared to bench testing.
Preliminary Conclusions:
• Testosterone Cypionate in cottonseed oil can be delivered through a peptide pen.
• A 29g pen needle appears to work (shout out to the forum users who stated this in another post!!)
• Pens are mechanically capable of pushing oil-based testosterone.
• I still need long-term validation through TRT labs to confirm that Total Testosterone and Free Testosterone remain consistent with pre-pen values.
• I am unsure whether an auto-injector or manual pen is ultimately the better platform for oil-based compounds.
Questions: For those who have experimented with TRT in peptide pens:
• Have you found auto-injectors or manual pens to be more reliable?
• Has anyone validated dose accuracy through bloodwork or measured output testing?
• What are some other factors I should be considering?
I'm still early in this experiment, but so far, things are looking promising!
P.S. For those wondering, I wasn't burning through my actual TRT supply for science. A friend had an old blended testosterone vial that was never going to be used, so it became the sacrificial test subject for this project.
Over the last year, thanks to PC/Randy, this forum, and a lot of independent research, I've really managed to improve my research workflow. Things like:
• Vetting vendors more thoroughly
• Learning what to look for when it comes to COAs
• Sourcing better research supplies (carts, bac water, needles, etc.)
• Testing pen accuracy
• Reconstituting based on average peptide weight from the COA rather than the labeled amount
• Filtration
• Testing kits before researching a new batch
• Always low and slow (titration and patience)
The more I've learned, the more I've realized that most discussions revolve around efficacy, while relatively little is said about when things don't go as planned.
I'm not trying to start a fear-mongering thread or debate whether peptides are "safe" or "unsafe." I'm genuinely curious about the community's experiences. Your risk tolerance may vary. I personally love my peps, pep pen collection, and now 3D printer…lol
Has anyone experienced a reaction that went beyond a typical injection site reaction? Maybe even something that actually warranted medical evaluation or treatment? Not really looking for those who started reta at 8mg tbh, but all stories are welcomed.
For me personally, the worst I've experienced has been fairly mild, some bruising, occasional itching at the injection site, and a small amount of nausea after my very first Reta dose. I always start low and titrate slowly, so I haven't had any significant side effects beyond that.
The goal here isn't to collect horror stories. It's to better understand where the line is between a "normal reaction" and something that deserves more attention.
@Nuncles I poked IM for maybe a year or so because I was taught that was the only way for it to be effective. I made the change to subcu and have been doing that for years. Labs have been consistent (I run them every 90 days because I'm a freak). For me switching to subq was a HUGE QOL improvement. I rotate injection sites on my thighs
@jackiee Not sure if this would be considered a micro dose, but I take 1mg a week split 3x a week, so T/W/TH is 300mcg/300mcg/400mcg. I've never actually done more than 1mg because I don't want to lose anymore weight.
No negative side effects like nausea or GI issues. At this dose and how long I've been on it (about 5 months), I do still have mild appetite suppression, but can eat through if I consciously decided to. Food noise stays controllable for the most part at that dose and I still have a healthy appetite so I can hit macros/correct calories while simultaneously working on good eating habits/systems around food.
@kenhnsy I've had the goal of getting off of an AI. I take DIM, but I still needed AI.
I am at a point where I can almost be entirely off of it, but lowered my T dose to 90mg/week, 3x pokes EOD
I still feel great and labs are good floating around 1050. Just need to keep confirming my E2+symptoms are where I want to be at
@SpaceGhost I switched to MCT just to get better viscosity for pen use. I still have to run labs to confirm numbers remain the same even though I switched from syringes to pens. In terms of user experience, I prefer pens much better than using syringes. I think this would apply to you even more since you're poking at a higher frequency. I poke EOD (M/W/F).
You likely will not be able to use a 32g though or you'll be sitting there forever just trying to push the T through. Based on this thread it seems like most people are using 29g for T (so am I). I do admittedly use 32g for all peps.
Based on the popularity of this thread and all the comments, I'm wondering if a testosterone pen is a business opportunity for anyone entrepreneurial lol
I've purchased Reta in kits and my rat has been using it for 6+ weeks now.
I've also reached out via text, email, etc. and they have been very responsive.
Based on the COAs and pricing, I admittedly am a skeptical fan. Great prices, but not much info/annecdata.
My skepticism, and I would love to hear your thoughts, is that they are definitely associated with Reta One and possibly one other vendor. If you take a look at the COAs for the same product, it is the same batch number, but different report #. All of the report numbers DO pull up at Kovera Labs, which imo is a good sign.
I am wondering if this is the white labeling that Jeff was discussing in one of his recent articles? And if so, is this something to consider when purchasing from Renova, or is it not a big deal at all?
Curious to see what others say, never seen that before.
Where do you get your carts from?
@HockeyRat Sorry to hear that, but glad your rat is okay!
What pep/dose/etc.?
Is there a history of issue with needles or anything like that?
Thats interesting. Because your profile says you are working with them specifically and with a person with 10 years experience in the industry I would think this would be an easy question to answer.
GOT'EM
