Accidentally Left HCG at Room Temp for 3.5 Days

[BBaller]

Did you accidentally leave your HCG at room temperature? This is one of the most common concerns for men on TRT who use human chorionic gonadotropin. The good news: reconstituted HCG is more stable than many people think, though there are important factors to consider before using it.

This forum thread covers what happens when HCG sits at room temperature for 24 hours, 48 hours, or even several days. We'll discuss potency loss timelines, signs of bacterial contamination (cloudiness, particles), and how to decide whether to use it or replace it. With HCG becoming harder to source, understanding proper storage and stability is more important than ever.

---------------------
Hey guys,

Recently refilled my prescription

70mg Test cypionate
400IU HCG

each 2x/week subcutaneous- Tuesday night and Saturday morning

On Saturday I realized my HCG vial was in my room temperature medical bag instead of the refrigerator where I usually keep it. DAMN! Kicking myself.

I know it can lose potency after ~48 hours. Question for y'all is: considering that, should I re-order the medication and start fresh?

Ordinarily I'd be open to just seeing whether I experience anythign different from the medication after it's possibly degraded, but I also just started a compounded DHEA/pregnenolone course. So I have no idea how well I'd isolate those variables if I do experience any changes.

Anyone else accidentally do something like this? How serious and rapid is the degradation of reconstituted HCG? Should I bite the bullet and re-order right away? Wait and see? Or assume all is well and plan on using the remainder of the vial (I've still got ~2 months left).

Thanks for any recommendations.

 

[Re-Ride]

The two concerns are loss of potency and bacterial growth. It may have lost some potency. If it hasn't clouded then there are likely no issues with bacteria. I would use it. Your pharmacist may disagree. You can also discuss it with the manufacturer. If symptoms arose suggesting reduced potency I'd likely up the dose.

 

[BBaller]

The two concerns are loss of potency and bacterial growth. It may have lost some potency. If it hasn't clouded then there are likely no issues with bacteria. I would use it. Your pharmacist may disagree. You can also discuss it with the manufacturer. If symptoms arose suggesting reduced potency I'd likely up the dose.

Thanks Re-Ride. I don't see any cloudiness so I suspect bacterial growth is not an issue.

I'm not sure what I'd be on the lookout for in terms of reduced potency however- I've only begun treatment late November and have since that time continually been on both T and HCG. I have no idea how to isolate any perceived changes from less HCG since my only point of reference is full natty.

Adding to this, I also just started this new DHEA/Pregnenolone compound so my variables are now all over the place, and I don't have a clear baseline to extrapolate effects from.

I mean, I don't want to spend an extra $100 or whatever on a new HCG script if it's not strictly necessary, but I also don't want to needlessly derail my attempts at dialing in my protocol.

 

[Vince Carter]

HCG is economical enough to not have to get in to this dilemma. I pay $40 5000iu or $70 for 11000iu, I'd toss it and start over. I think it's important enough of a piece of my routine to not have the question of potency.

 

[ERO]

You most likely reconstituted it with anti-bacterial water so I think the main concern is loss of potency. It likely lost some strength but I would go ahead and use it if it was me.

 

[CoastWatcher]

Vince Carter and ERO,two of the most experienced members of the Forum, arrive at different conclusions. On this one, I side with Vince. My peace of mind, as I worked to balance my protocol's variables, would be worth a replacement.

 

[Re-Ride]

I'd also look for particles or precipitate. I've left mine out for two days with no issues. No way of predicting what's happened to yours.

The quality of the product would reasonably make a difference. In descending order that would be Novarel > APP > Compounded > Imported

Notice that the shelf life is a bit longer with Novarel. I've reported previously a discussion with one of the recommended compounding pharmacies on here. They were open about the purification process being superior at regular pharmacy houses. I've had instances of APP clouding right away even refrigerated or not fully dissolving. APP replaced that lot.

I suppose you can use a pregnancy test strip but that won't tell you how much potency is lost unless it's all gone. You will know if potency has dropped by testes not seeming as plump within a few days. In the end it's your call.

 

[Vince]

I definitely would still use it, if you have concerns you could up the amount you are using.

 

[Jackie Treehorn]

On Saturday I realized my HCG vial was in my room temperature medical bag instead of the refrigerator where I usually keep it. DAMN! Kicking myself.

That's a tough one Baller. I guess you could look at it this way: an 11,000 IU vial of HCG costs $70 at Defy...that's not even the cost of a bad night drinking. If you can't relate to the drinking analogy, then just consider it a hard lesson learned.

The HCG that you left out may very well be just fine. The only problem is that you don't know how much the potency has been affected. That being said, I would refer back to my bad night of drinking example, bite the bullet and buy a fresh vial.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

HCG--Does it expire/lose potency after a few weeks in the refrigerator ?

 

[BBaller]

: HCG--Does it expire/lose potency if too old or not refriger'd?

Nelson- thank you! If I'm reading this correctly, even left at room temperature for one week, HCG potency loss would be minimal, and it is in fact more stable than sometimes presumed?

If so, I will proceed along as is.

My main concern was not wanting to have to decipher micro-changes and "intuit" HCG potency. If there's good evidence to suggest that potency loss is nto at play here, I see no reason to replace the medication needlessly.

Thanks again.

 

[BBaller]

That's a tough one Baller. I guess you could look at it this way: an 11,000 IU vial of HCG costs $70 at Defy...that's not even the cost of a bad night drinking. If you can't relate to the drinking analogy, then just consider it a hard lesson learned.

The HCG that you left out may very well be just fine. The only problem is that you don't know how much the potency has been affected. That being said, I would refer back to my bad night of drinking example, bite the bullet and buy a fresh vial.

Thanks Jackie- the cost is relatively modest and I was inclined to just re-order for the reasons you outlined, but the endorsement from Nelson as to its persistent potency swayed me.

 

[BBaller]

I definitely would still use it, if you have concerns you could up the amount you are using.

I'll consider talking to the doc about that if I perceive any potency issues. Thanks Vince.

 

[BBaller]

Thanks Re-Ride,

It's from Tri-Coast compounding pharmacy. No visible clouding or any particulates that I can see. I'm hoping, absed on Nelson's feedback and others, that it is all good still.

 

[BBaller]

Vince Carter and ERO,two of the most experienced members of the Forum, arrive at different conclusions. On this one, I side with Vince. My peace of mind, as I worked to balance my protocol's variables, would be worth a replacement.

Thanks Coastwatcher- I was inclined to agree, until Nelson weighed in, leading me to think its potency is not reduced. So I'll stick with it for now. Thanks for the reply.

 

[BBaller]

HCG is economical enough to not have to get in to this dilemma. I pay $40 5000iu or $70 for 11000iu, I'd toss it and start over. I think it's important enough of a piece of my routine to not have the question of potency.

Thanks Vince Carter- I agree that it's not significant enough of an expense to fret over. But Nelson has put my mind at ease, at least for now, so I'm going to continue on as is.

 

[BBaller]

You most likely reconstituted it with anti-bacterial water so I think the main concern is loss of potency. It likely lost some strength but I would go ahead and use it if it was me.

Thanks ERO-Potency loss is my main concern, though that concern has been assuaged so I will not replace it for now.

Appreciate the reply.

 

[Clouds]

Slightly different question on HCG. I get mine via a compounding pharmacy in Texas and have it shipped to me. I also live in Texas. Texas is hot right now. My last shipment came to me with a semi-melted block of ice. I would classify the HCG temperature as "slightly cool", better than "room temperature" but not "refridgerated". "Slightly cool" is pretty good in Texas heat, but is it adequate to maintain HCG potency? Also, the pharmacy pre-mixes the HCG with B12 (not sure why) and places an expiration date on the bottle about 60 days from when I order it. I called the pharmacy and asked about the temperature. They responded much like I am reading in this string, 'HCG loses minimal potency at room temp for up to 72 hours.'

My questions 1) do you think the potency is ok? including up to 60 days?, 2) I read everyone seems to get the powder and water and then mixes it themselves. Is this a better and cheaper way? I paid $77 for my last 10ml vial. Is there a recommended on-line pharmacy I can have my script sent to for "powder and water" HCG?

 

[ERO]

You are likely fine as they probably sent it next-day with a frozen block of ice and when you got it it was semi-melted for a just a few hours. Not at ambient temperature for days or anything like that. Now the 60-day thing is typically a "use by" date rather than a "this medicine is now worthless" date.

One of the main reasons folks recommend getting HCG in powder and reconstituting it is because that way you know how long it has been mixed, where with pre-mixed you have no way of knowing. I mean, your pharmacy may mix it and ship it that same day, but another pharmacy may have bottles of it already mixed sitting in a refrigerator for a month before it is shipped to somebody.

 

[Nelson Vergel]

hCG Expiration . Can you freeze hCG?

Question about traveling with HCG and needles