Solvents for making steroid injections
When to homebrew steroids solution,BB,BA,GSO and some other oils are commonly used.
Benzyl Alcohol (BA):Sterilizing agent
Product name: Benzyl Alcohol
Alias:Benzoyl alcohol,Benzenecarbinol,Benzenemethanol,Phenylcarbinol,Phenylmethanol,Phenylmethyl alcohol
CAS :100-51-6
EINECS: 202-859-9
Molecular Formula:C6H5CH2OH
Molecular Weight:108.14
Purity: 99%
Appearance: Colorless transparent liquid
Grade : Pharmaceutical Grade
BA is a fairly potent antiseptic solvent as a sterilizing agent,whose main function for our purposes is keeping a solution bacteriostatic and sterile.
Benzyl alcohol has bacteriostatic properties: in other words it typically does not kill bacteria, but does prevent their growth. A clean oil solution of a steroid, without particulate matter, completely lacks nutrients needed for bacteria to grow: for example there are no sources of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus etc which are absolutely required for bacterial growth. However, if for example allowing skin particles or food residue to be introduced into the oil solution, then bacterial growth becomes possible. However, if cleansing the septum and using a fresh needles, that should not happen.
Benzyl Alcohol is often the primary solvent and sometime the only solvent in a given formula. It’s presence as low as 0.9% is enough to prevent practically all microbial growth in solution.However, due to its solvency power it is often used to keep hormones in solution with oil or other vehicles. It is also one of the thinnest (that is best for viscosity reduction).
Benzyl Alcohol (BA) is also used to increase the lipid solubility of esterfied compounds and to prevent bacteria growth in the oil.
The shorter the ester, the more BA is needed to get the compound to dissolve.More BA is required to dissolve the raw powder to make high concentration products.
The major drawback to this solvent is that it tends to make for painful injections if the concentration goes above 10%. (This is true for any low molecular weight alcohol). Less than this tends to be painless for most people.
Benzyl Benzoate (BB):Solubilizer
Product name: Benzyl Benzoate
Alias: Benzoic acid benzyl ester,Benzoic acid phenylmethyl ester
CAS Registry Number: 120-51-4
Einecs No: 204-402-9
Molecular formula: C14H12O2
Molecular weight: 212.24
Purity: 99%
Appearance:colorless to pale yellow transparent liquid
Benzyl Benzoate (BB) is the primary solvent, which keeps the product from crashing.BB is a co-solvent that serves several functions: helps dissolve the hormone, helps keep it in solution in depot (injection site), and thins the gear so it is easy to draw and inject.
Benzyl Benzoate is the next common solvent on the list. It is not nearly as strong and much heavier than the benzyl alcohol so benzyl benzoate is used primarily for its latent affects in the depot. Namely it helps keep the hormone in solution at the injection site after the more water-soluble benzyl alcohol has leached from the depot. Benzyl benzoate is constructed of two benzene rings bridged by a carbonyl group, this making the solvent extremely hydrophobic. It is also painless at low levels and nearly painless at 15-20% for most people.is the next common solvent on the list.
Benzyl benzoate is a useful solubilizer. For example, trenbolone acetate is soluble only at 50 mg/mL in straight Wesson oil, but 100 mg/mL can be obtained with 20% benzyl benzoate and 80% Wesson oil.
Grape Seed Oil (GSO):Carrier
Product Name:Grapeseed oil
Alias: Vitis vinifera
CAS Registry Number: 85594-37-2
Einecs No: 287-896-9
Purity:100%
Grade: Food Grade
Appearance:yellow liquid
GSO is a much superior oil for steroid injections, as opposed to cottonseed oil, but also has a shorter shelf life. It should be stored in a dark place, at room temp.
Grape seed oil is much thinner, has anesthetic qualities, repairs damaged tissue and is actually healthy for you.It is cheaper, more sterile,more readily available, thinner, and above all, less allergenic than other oils. The stuff shoots great.
So when you use GSO; you can use a smaller needle, create less scar tissue and help repair the tissue that is damaged with the injection.
Ethyl Oleate (EO):Carrier
Product Name:Ethyl oleate
Alias: ethylis oleas
CAS Registry Number: 111-62-6
MF: C20H38O2
MW: 310.51
Grade : Pharmaceutical Grade
Purity : 98.0%
Appearance:Colorless or Pale yellow transparent oily liquid
EO is a solvent, which dissolves the powder and to thin the solution’s viscosity.EO is Oleic Acid with an ethyl ester,it is an excellent solvent for lipophilic compounds in injectable preparations,and typically used by us as a base for steroid solutions.Its oxidative stability helps extend the shelf life of compounds, and its low viscosity provides for easy injections.
It provides smooth and painless injections, and will suspend compounds at much higher concentrations than just oil. For many the pain is reduced because Ethyl Oleate has the advantages of lower viscosity than the vegetable or seed oils, and greater solubilizing ability. And because it’s a solvent, it allows you to use less Benzyl Benzoate in your blends, however BA is still used to maintain sterility.
It is great for short esters like Acetate, Propionate and Phenylpropionate forincreasing concentrations of these esters without crashing.(It will make 100mg/ml Prop completely painless…)
The potential disadvantages come from individual reaction to ethyl oleate in some cases, and poor quality ethyl oleate in others. EO also does harm to the plastic/rubber end of the plunger of a syringe so you can’t hold your gear inthe syringe for any duration of storage.Also EO cost is expensive.
Guaiacol :Solubilizer
Product Name:Guaiacol
CAS NO.:90-05-1
EINECS:201-964-7
Molecular Formular:C7H8O2
Molecular Weight:124.14
Appearance:Yellow liquid
Grade:Pharmaceutical Grade
Guaiacol is the methyl ether of pyrocatechin, and is obtained by distilling guaiacum from wood-tar creosote. A strong solvent pure and simple it has some water miscibility to it and high degree of oil solubility as well.Guaiacol is called super solvent,as with most high mg gear it contained guaiacol as a solvent used to create high level of concentrate.It can dissolve powder more easily,and mainly used for oral steroids such as Oxandrolone,Dianabol,Winstrol,anadrol,etc.
Guaiacol has been shown to have anesthesic properties,this fact is probably why solutions in high concentrations using the super solvent are reported to be painless or nearly painless by users.
Though Guaiacol is a super solvent we seldom use it because it causes side effects which many people don’t like,such as:Allergies,Irritability,Fever,Cough,Disgusting vomits……
It also have irritating properties on inhalation, injestion, or skin contact in high quantities. It permeates the skin barrier very readily and will be distributed systemically as well.Besides Guaiacol is a combustable compound so you should be careful when brewing .
Propylene glycol is made ether from glycerol reacted with NaOH or from propylene reacted with chlorine and s carbonate.This shit is used for everything. It is one of the lightest polyhydric alcohols. Fairly polar solvent than can dissolve most any powder. Used as a co solvent for just about anything. Drawbacks include discomfort injecting at high levels and poor viscosity for the MW. Not the most compatible with oil.
Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is a polymer made for ethylene oxide. It comes in almost any MW, from 200 to 60,000. 400 to 12,000 are the most common with 400 the most common for liquids and 2,500 for solid. (Anything over 800 to 1,000 is a solid at room temp.) It is nontoxic at any reasonable level. It is nonpolar while having lots of hydroxyl functionality. This makes it great for getting things to stay soluble in oil. Used a lot for compatibility reasons. Can also be used as a painless vehicle, instead of oil. Drawbacks include high viscosity and thermoplastic tendencies becoming more pronounced at the higher MWs. Also has mechanical properties (surface tension) that cause it to separate from oil. This may become less pronounced at the higher MWs but I have not had a chance to test this at this time.
Glycerol is glycerin and via versa. The first is a lab term and the second an industrial term. It is the binding component of fat, which is fat is one molecule of glycerol and 3 fatty acid chains. It is not a great solvent for the home brewer for a couple of reason. First and foremost do not inject glycerol undiluted. It is a strong dehydrogenating agent and can cause ruptures in cells. (OUCH) Oral it can even be taken as a diuretic. The second is that it is a very viscous solvent. It is hard to thin. Can be used as a vehicle instead of oil.