Putting Testosterone back into a vial?

[Warrior]

Hey guys, I have not seen this question posted, so forgive me if I missed it.
I've been on TRT for about 6 years. I've been going in once weekly, receiving my shot, and coming back a week later. Recently, I decided to do it via telemedicine, and this company  does theirs a little differently, um....I will receive a month's worth of PRE-FILLED syringes.
My question is if I decided to put maybe a couple of weeks worth of Test into a sterile vial, just as a means for storage, instead of in the syringes would this be safe? Would it in some way damage or ruin the Testosterone? Would there still be an ideal vaccum?
Thank you.

[Cataceous]

What the provider is doing is not ideal. Syringes are not intended to be used as storage containers for sterile medicines. At least the risks are probably low if the provider used good sterile technique in making the transfer, and the syringe materials are not susceptible to damage from the carrier oil or preservatives.

I don't see a problem in your transferring the testosterone solution to sterile vials if you also have good technique.

As background: It's likely that there will have been a small amount of contamination from the original syringe draw—assuming it wasn't done in a clean room and air was injected into their original vial. There are always microscopic dust particles around, and these can harbor bacteria. However, the testosterone solution should have a preservative, such as benzyl alcohol. While this doesn't kill the contaminating bacteria, it does prevent them from multiplying to dangerous levels.

[Warrior]

What the provider is doing is not ideal. Syringes are not intended to be used as storage containers for sterile medicines. At least the risks are probably low if the provider used good sterile technique in making the transfer, and the syringe materials are not susceptible to damage from the carrier oil or preservatives.

I don't see a problem in your transferring the testosterone solution to sterile vials if you also have good technique.

As background: It's likely that there will have been a small amount of contamination from the original syringe draw—assuming it wasn't done in a clean room and air was injected into their original vial. There are always microscopic dust particles around, and these can harbor bacteria. However, the testosterone solution should have a preservative, such as benzyl alcohol. While this doesn't kill the contaminating bacteria, it does prevent them from multiplying to dangerous levels.

Cataceous, I appreciate your advice. I absolutely want to do things in the safest way possible. What would be the safest/most sterile way for me to do this, in your opinion?

[Cataceous]

...
... I absolutely want to do things in the safest way possible. What would be the safest/most sterile way for me to do this, in your opinion?

It's straightforward if you have a sterile vial: Wash your hands; remove the foil seal from the vial stopper if it has one; clean the vial stopper with an alcohol swab; make sure the alcohol has evaporated, then uncap the syringe and inject the contents into the vial; withdraw a similar amount of air unless you want extra pressure in the vial; put a label on the vial with description of contents and date.

I like to store my opened vials in another sealed container to minimize any risk of contamination.

[Warrior]

So, if I put 1 m/l of solution in, I'll pull 1m/l of air out?
When would someone put air into the vial?

[Anthony01234567]

Wow, this all seems like a lot of unnecessary work, to me ...

Can't you just ask the pharmacy / doctor's office to not separate the original solution into separate syringes?

I bet if you made a big stink about it ... citing the safety / sterility problems mentioned above ...they would find a way to comply with your wishes / preferences ...  no?

[Cataceous]

So, if I put 1 m/l of solution in, I'll pull 1m/l of air out?
When would someone put air into the vial?

Yes, this is how you would avoid extra pressure in the vial. I actually like to keep my vials slightly pressurized compared to the local atmosphere. This is because I may have two medications in one injection. When I am drawing the second medication into the syringe I don't want the vial to have low pressure and inadvertently suck in some of the first medication from the syringe, causing cross-contamination.

[Warrior]

Wow, this all seems like a lot of unnecessary work, to me ...

Can't you just ask the pharmacy / doctor's office to not separate the original solution into separate syringes?

I bet if you made a big stink about it ... citing the safety / sterility problems mentioned above ...they would find a way to comply with your wishes / preferences ...  no?

This is the way that company does it, nationwide. I wish it were different, but unfortunately I can't  change it.

[Warrior]

Ok. Last question, and thanks for your patience. Would I pull the air out before putting the solution in, or after I put it in?

[Cataceous]

I would withdraw the extra air afterwards. This is simpler than trying to lower the vial's pressure beforehand. The exception is if you're going to have the vial relatively full and the pressure is getting too high. Then you may need to pull air out during the injection into the vial. This can be done with the same syringe while it's still penetrating the vial, but it's a little tedious.

[Warrior]

Thanks, Cataceous. I really appreciate the help. I'm only going to put two weeks worth in the vial at a time, so no more than 3ml into a 5ml vial, and then replace the vial with a new one.