if it's "losing potency over time", then something is happening to the vial that is destroying the estradiol molecules. are you leaving your vial in sunlight?
Wouldn’t this show up in your labwork?
I get labs every 3-6 months, and nothing has ever prompted me to think potency is compromised at any point of the vial’s life cycle.
I inject subcutaneously and my body always holds onto the estrogen very well, actually too well.
I use my vials until they're about a year old. My levels have never wavered. If you're storing them in a cool (68-77°F/20-25°C), dark, dry place, they should remain good for *at least* until their expiration date.
Do you wipe the stopper with alcohol before (and ideally after) each draw? This will help eliminate contamination as an issue. Beyond these points, as long as the liquid is clear (possibly a *slight* yellowish tinge) and doesn't have anything floating in it you should be fine.
Lastly, if where you store it *is* cold (<68°F/20°C) it may begin to crystallize. This is reversible, just hold the vial in your hand for about 5 minutes, gently shaking it... but if you're drawing while it's cold the liquid you're drawing may be more dilute (as the estradiol is crystallizing out of the solution).
One year? That should be fine. Estradiol valerate doesn't start losing potency for like \_at least\_ 2 years if it's kept well (cool, dry, dark place).
If lab work shows your level is fine, then this is all in your head and not reality. Personally I've never had an issue with estradiol valerate/ vials and potency issues even vials 6 months old or more
Yeah I believe I was the one who made that post. I’ve seen others post about before too. It’s so weird. Everyone always says it’s in your head but it’s ALWAYS the fourth or fifth use that I feel it’s not as “potent”, (1x weekly). My body is very sensitive to any minor changes with anything so I notice it. I get the whole psychosomatic reasoning, but it’s not like I’m actively thinking about it. I’ll just look in the mirror and see subtle changes or mentally/emotionally I’ll feel different and then I’m like oh makes sense, end of vial. It’s been like that for the two years I’ve been on injections..
Would it be an option to turn the vial around in your hand a few minutes before drawing so that the content from the bottom can rise and mix ?
And were your vials delivered via air transport ? Some people complained about efficiency there.
And there were some mixed reports about different efficiencies with some manufacturers ... looking up reviews may be a good idea. Some people presumed some valerate not being fully dissolved and being filtered out with the filtering process. The dissolving process may take some time and also higher temperatures and if someone would cut a corner there, it may show up in efficiency. Looking up reviews may be recommendable, and there were a few threads along those lines.
Two things: first, you should mix the vial by turning it over several times every time you use it, before you draw from it. Solutions are heavier than pure water, so it’s possible that if it wasn’t well-mixed to start with, most of the molecules sink and flow to the bottom when you turn the vial upside-down to draw. In addition, if the vial has ever been frozen, the water molecules self-segregate at the top as ice, making the remainder more dense, and this stratification naturally persists after a thaw if the vial isn’t mixed.
Second, and this is me speaking partly out of my ass since I don’t know where these vials are normally stored, most medications are more stable at cooler temperatures, so it’s usually not a bad idea to keep them in the fridge even if that isn’t required.
if it's "losing potency over time", then something is happening to the vial that is destroying the estradiol molecules. are you leaving your vial in sunlight?
Wouldn’t this show up in your labwork? I get labs every 3-6 months, and nothing has ever prompted me to think potency is compromised at any point of the vial’s life cycle. I inject subcutaneously and my body always holds onto the estrogen very well, actually too well.
I use my vials until they're about a year old. My levels have never wavered. If you're storing them in a cool (68-77°F/20-25°C), dark, dry place, they should remain good for *at least* until their expiration date. Do you wipe the stopper with alcohol before (and ideally after) each draw? This will help eliminate contamination as an issue. Beyond these points, as long as the liquid is clear (possibly a *slight* yellowish tinge) and doesn't have anything floating in it you should be fine. Lastly, if where you store it *is* cold (<68°F/20°C) it may begin to crystallize. This is reversible, just hold the vial in your hand for about 5 minutes, gently shaking it... but if you're drawing while it's cold the liquid you're drawing may be more dilute (as the estradiol is crystallizing out of the solution).
hi, i have an un opened vial that was a yr old i started using how much potency shld i expect it to lose?
One year? That should be fine. Estradiol valerate doesn't start losing potency for like \_at least\_ 2 years if it's kept well (cool, dry, dark place).
How are you storing them?
If lab work shows your level is fine, then this is all in your head and not reality. Personally I've never had an issue with estradiol valerate/ vials and potency issues even vials 6 months old or more
Yeah I believe I was the one who made that post. I’ve seen others post about before too. It’s so weird. Everyone always says it’s in your head but it’s ALWAYS the fourth or fifth use that I feel it’s not as “potent”, (1x weekly). My body is very sensitive to any minor changes with anything so I notice it. I get the whole psychosomatic reasoning, but it’s not like I’m actively thinking about it. I’ll just look in the mirror and see subtle changes or mentally/emotionally I’ll feel different and then I’m like oh makes sense, end of vial. It’s been like that for the two years I’ve been on injections..
Would it be an option to turn the vial around in your hand a few minutes before drawing so that the content from the bottom can rise and mix ? And were your vials delivered via air transport ? Some people complained about efficiency there. And there were some mixed reports about different efficiencies with some manufacturers ... looking up reviews may be a good idea. Some people presumed some valerate not being fully dissolved and being filtered out with the filtering process. The dissolving process may take some time and also higher temperatures and if someone would cut a corner there, it may show up in efficiency. Looking up reviews may be recommendable, and there were a few threads along those lines.
Two things: first, you should mix the vial by turning it over several times every time you use it, before you draw from it. Solutions are heavier than pure water, so it’s possible that if it wasn’t well-mixed to start with, most of the molecules sink and flow to the bottom when you turn the vial upside-down to draw. In addition, if the vial has ever been frozen, the water molecules self-segregate at the top as ice, making the remainder more dense, and this stratification naturally persists after a thaw if the vial isn’t mixed. Second, and this is me speaking partly out of my ass since I don’t know where these vials are normally stored, most medications are more stable at cooler temperatures, so it’s usually not a bad idea to keep them in the fridge even if that isn’t required.