GLP-1 Medications: What It Is, FDA Status & Reconstitution Math
By James Li, Lead Editor · Updated · Reviewed
Quick answer
GLP-1 means glucagon-like peptide-1, which is a class of medicines rather than one vial, and semaglutide and tirzepatide sit in that conversation with their own FDA-approved brands, while a dry vial is not the same thing as those pens.
Once you have milligrams on the label and the milliliters of water you added, concentration is those milligrams divided by those milliliters, and a U-100 syringe reads that volume as 100 units per milliliter, so 10 units is 0.1 mL while one milligram is 1,000 micrograms. Use the strength printed on the container you are measuring.
Blends
Optional. Extra peptides are added to the vial total.
Waiting on Input
5 mg vial, 2 mL water, 250 mcg. Example only, not a dose.
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Illustrative arithmetic only, not a recommendation. The result for GLP-1 (general) uses only the numbers you type.
What is GLP-1 (general)?
GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, which is the name of a class of medicines rather than one vial.
Semaglutide and tirzepatide are separate products with separate labels even though people group them here, so use the strength printed on the container you are measuring rather than a figure copied from a different drug.
What is the FDA status of GLP-1 (general)?
Some medicines in the class are FDA-approved, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, while the class name itself is not one approval.
Look up the exact drug name on Drugs@FDA before you count a container as an approved product, because retatrutide, for example, is in this neighborhood of conversation and is not approved.
How is GLP-1 (general) reconstituted?
Reconstitution means a measured volume of liquid, usually bacteriostatic water, was added to a dry vial of a GLP-1 medicine.
Concentration is the milligrams in the vial divided by the milliliters you added, doubling the water cuts the amount in each unit in half, and the calculator uses the volume you report rather than picking one for you.
How do you convert GLP-1 (general) mg to mcg and syringe units?
For a GLP-1 medicine, multiply milligrams by 1,000 to get micrograms.
That conversion does not produce a syringe mark, because units measure volume and you still divide the micrograms you want to measure by the micrograms in each milliliter.
How should GLP-1 (general) be stored?
Storage for a GLP-1 medicine is on its own label, covering temperature, light, and how long it may be kept after mixing.
An unopened bottle and a mixed vial are not the same case, so if the label is missing ask the pharmacist or clinician who supplied it rather than borrowing a rule from a different product.
Where can I find primary sources on GLP-1 (general)?
For the approval status of a GLP-1 medicine, start with Drugs@FDA and the product label on DailyMed.
Those are the places that say whether a named product is approved and what its label claims, and this page does not recap studies or change the calculator because of them.
Unit math
Illustrative arithmetic only. Not a dose. Barrel columns use a U-100 scale, 100 units per mL.
| Vial mg | Water mL | mg/mL | mcg/mL | mcg in 10 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 2 | 2,000 | 200 |
| 5 | 1 | 5 | 5,000 | 500 |
| 10 | 2 | 5 | 5,000 | 500 |
| mL | 1 mL barrel (U-100 scale) | 0.5 mL barrel (U-100 scale) | 0.3 mL barrel (U-100 scale) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.05 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 0.1 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 0.25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 0.5 | 50 | 50 | 50 (past barrel) |
| 1 | 100 | 100 (past barrel) | 100 (past barrel) |
FAQ
What does GLP-1 stand for?
GLP-1 stands for glucagon-like peptide-1, and on this site that name is the group for that class of medicines rather than one vial.
Is GLP-1 (general) FDA approved?
Some medicines in the class are FDA-approved, including semaglutide and tirzepatide, while the class name itself is not one approval.
How do I use the GLP-1 (general) calculator?
Type the milligrams on the vial, the milliliters of water you added, and the amount you want to measure, and the syringe mark updates in the calculator.
What is BAC water?
BAC water is bacteriostatic water, which is sterile water with a preservative used to dissolve a dry vial, and the volume you add is what sets the concentration.
How many units are in 1 ml on a U-100 syringe?
On a U-100 syringe, 1 mL is 100 units, 0.5 mL is 50 units, and 0.1 mL is 10 units, provided the barrel is long enough to hold that volume.
Sources
- Drugs@FDA, FDA
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