● Storage & Injection Technique

How to Store and Inject Your Medication — Step by Step

Correct storage and technique make injections easier and more comfortable, and lower the chance of site irritation. Here’s the full guide, including a few details most instructions skip.

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Before You Inject

Storing Your Medication

Your medication is a compounded, temperature-sensitive prescription — a few simple rules keep it effective for the full course.

Storage Rules

Keep refrigerated at 36–46°F (2–8°C). Do not freeze.
Protect from light — keep in the original packaging until use.
Do not use after the beyond-use date (BUD) printed on the label. Hallandale assigns a 90-day BUD from the fill date.
Traveling or worried about a storage gap? There’s more flexibility than the refrigerator rule alone suggests — your medication can tolerate room temperature for up to 21 days if needed. Refrigeration is still the standard for day-to-day storage; this is about not panicking over a missed cooler or a travel day, not a green light to skip the fridge routinely. Ask us for travel-specific guidance if you have a trip coming up.

Warming Before Injection

Remove the vial from the refrigerator and let it reach room temperature for at least 30 minutes before injecting — don’t inject straight from the fridge.
Don’t leave the vial out for extended periods beyond that window — warm it up before injecting, then return it to the refrigerator.
Inspect the solution before drawing it up — it should be clear to slightly yellow. Do not use if cloudy or if it contains particles.

Step by Step

Preparing and Giving Your Injection

A tip many patients find helpful: injecting at dinnertime or before bed can help you sleep through the early nausea and fatigue window, rather than feeling it during your day.

Wash your hands, then prep the vial

Wash hands thoroughly. Clean the top of the vial with an alcohol swab, rubbing for at least 30 seconds, then let it dry completely before inserting a needle. Don’t draw up the dose while the vial top is still wet — let the alcohol fully evaporate first.

Draw up your dose

Draw the correct dose into a syringe. Syringes and needles are included with every order, not just your first. Not sure how many units that is for your Level? See our Vial Size & Dose guide.

Choose and prep your injection site

Choose abdomen (at least 2 inches from the navel), outer thigh, or upper arm. The one hard rule: don’t reinject within 2 inches of last week’s spot. You don’t need to switch anatomic locations every week — if the abdomen works well for you, alternating sides or moving “around the clock” each week gives your skin enough of a break. For example: week 1 upper-right abdomen, week 2 lower-left abdomen, week 3 upper-left, and so on, before circling back near week 1’s spot. Pinch a healthy amount of skin, and clean it with a fresh alcohol pad for 30 seconds. Let it dry completely before injecting — injecting through wet alcohol can sting more than it needs to.

Choose your angle

Perpendicular to the pinch (90°) is the standard approach for most sites. If you’re using the leg or arm and don’t have enough pinchable skin to go in vertically without hitting muscle, come in at a 45° angle from the side of the pinch instead.

Inject slowly

Insert the needle and empty the injector slowly — a slow count of 10, not a fast push. This is one of the simplest ways to reduce discomfort at the site.

Dispose of your syringe safely

Withdraw the needle and dispose of the syringe in an approved sharps container. Do not recap needles.

After Injecting

What’s Normal at the Injection Site

Most reactions at the injection site are common and expected — knowing the difference between a normal reaction and one that needs attention takes the guesswork out of it.

Benign — No Action Needed

Itching at the site
Mild discoloration or bruising
A small area of redness or swelling that’s a bit larger than expected

Pus or leaking fluid from the site
Blistering
Warmth at the site combined with a fever

Full side-effect guidance, including eating and hydration strategies during your first weeks, is on our Side Effects & Management page.

Still unsure about a step?

Your injection kit includes a printed reference guide — and we’re always happy to walk through it with you at [email protected].

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How to Store and Inject Your Medication — Step by Step

Storing Your Medication

Preparing and Giving Your Injection

What’s Normal at the Injection Site

Still unsure about a step?