Directions for hCG injections may vary slightly among different suppliers. Regardless of preparation technique, the ideal amount of hCG for injection is 125-150 IU per day. The original protocol by Dr. Simeons called for 125 IU regardless of starting body weight. Since hCG is a hormone, it acts in very small amounts.
Dr. Simeons discovered that the same dose works for everyone, regardless of age, body size, or gender. Any protocol that recommends boosting the daily dose to accommodate greater weight or to speed up weight loss represents an unnecessary modification of the original protocol.
HCG Injections Kits
The most convenient choice for injectable hCG would be in a kit that already provides all the necessary components. If you are getting your hCG from your doctor, you should receive everything that you need for mixing and administering the hormone.
You can also find many reliable, reputable, and cost-effective non-U.S. suppliers that provide injectable hCG and complete mixing kits online. They ship to U.S. and international addresses. The directions below are based on the hCG and mixing kits that are available from a typical online pharmacy. Keep things simple whenever you can!
Kits should be specifically designed for mixing Pregnyl, which is the most common brand name of hCG. Most such kits include the following components, or slight variations of them:
(Note that ‘cc’ and ‘mL’ are equivalent metric units among different brands of mixing kits)
For mixing 5,000 IU of hCG (“23-day kit”)
25 x Insulin syringes (1 cc) with needles for injection (1/2″ long, 29 gauge)
1 x 10 cc Mixing Syringe with needle
1 x 10 cc Clear Sterile Capped Vial (empty)
1 x 30 cc Vial of Bacteriostatic Water
30 x Sterile Alcohol Wipes
Mixing Instructions
- Wash hands and swab down sterile work area on counter with rubbing alcohol; use only this area for all of the following steps
- Expose rubber seal on vial of hCG, wipe top and neck with alcohol wipe
- Expose seal on vial of bacteriostatic water, wipe top and neck with alcohol wipe
- Attach accompanying needle to 10 cc mixing syringe. Be sure to keep it covered by its cap until just before using it. Never touch the needle with your hands, in order to keep it sterile.
- Draw 1 cc of bacteriostatic water and add it to the hCG vial. Swirl it carefully until all of the hCG is dissolved. NEVER SHAKE IT!
- Wipe the top and neck of the empty sterile capped vial. Then, again using the mixing syringe, slowly draw out all of the freshly mixed hCG solution from the hCG vial and slowly inject it into the sterile capped vial. This is now your hCG for the duration of your protocol.
- Using the mixing syringe again, draw out an additional 19 cc* of bacteriostatic water and inject it into your hCG vial. At this point the hCG is ready to use. It contains 5,000 IU of hCG in 20 cc of bacteriostatic water. This is a concentration of 250 IU per cc, which means that 1/2 cc (or 0.5 cc) will give you a daily dose of 125 IU for up to 40 days.
- Keep this hCG refrigerated at all times when not in use.
*Before drawing out any water, you must inject an equal amount of air into the vial beforehand. Otherwise, the vacuum pressure inside the vial will make it difficult for you to withdraw enough water. Conversely, before injecting a liquid into a sealed vial, you must first withdraw an equal amount of air from the vial.
By using the 23-day mixing kit, the most common commercial quantities of hCG will provide a 0.5 cc daily dose as follows:
1,500 IU (12 doses)
2,000 IU (20 doses)
5,000 IU (40 doses)
10,000 IU (80 doses) … applicable for more than one person at a time
You will, of course, have to order more injections syringes if you plan to take more than the number that comes with this kit. You can order more syringes separately, as needed.
Regardless of which kit you have, keep in mind that the quantity of hCG, the amount of bacteriostatic water, the number of vials that you mix hCG into, and the volume of each injection will determine how much you mix together in each vial. The target is a dose of 125 IU.
Maintain a sterile environment at all times for handling hCG.
Injecting the hCG
The protocol for hCG injections requires that you inject 125 IU of hCG at least six days per week over a period of up to 40 days, starting two days before you begin your Very Low Calorie Diet. Dr. Simeons offered some flexibility on how many of injections days per week. The main concern is the development of resistance to the hormone. If you take hCG every day, a longer series (e.g., 40 days) is more likely to induce resistance unless you skip it once per week. Choose the same six days every week of the protocol, meaning the same non-hCG day every week as well. In a shorter series (e.g., 23 days), taking hCG all seven days per week throughout the protocol should not lead to resistance.
The only other breaks from taking hCG during the protocol are for women during their menstrual period. During this time, do not take hCG for the 3-4 heaviest days of your period.
Follow the steps below on injection days:
- Draw out 0.5 cc of air from an injection syringe, insert the needle into your hCG mixture, and inject air into it.
- Draw 0.5 cc from the hCG mixture.
- With the needle pointed up, tap the side of the syringe to make sure all bubble go to the top, then push the plunger just enough to expel any air that has accumulated in the syringe.
- Choose an injection site in the stomach area, wipe it thoroughly with an alcohol wipe, pinch off a 2-inch fold of skin between your thumb and index finger, hold the syringe like you would hold a dart, and quickly insert the needle all the way into the skin fold.
- Aspirate (pull outward) slightly on the plunger to see whether you have struck a vein. (This is rare.) If so, blood enters the syringe and you have to find another injection site. If not, then slowly push the plunger all the way in to inject the hCG.
- When you finish injecting, pull the needle out and wipe the area once again with an alcohol wipe. If you bleed a little, simply cover the site with a Bandaid or add pressure to it using a sterile cotton ball or clean tissue until the bleeding stops.
- Put the cap back onto the needle and dispose of it in an appropriate container.
- Put the hCG back into the refrigerator.
Additional recommendations:
Rotate the injection site daily, a couple of inches or so away from the previous site. Call a doctor if the injection site bleeds and won’t stop or if you have a lot of pain. Never reuse needles or syringes.
With hCG injections updates,
Dr. D
by Lily
Question about the Inherited fat…
I assume that, since the HCG resets the Hypothalamus, then even the unwanted fat that we are ‘born with’ (or develop at an early, childhood age) will reduce and/or even disappear while on the HCG Diet protocol (regardless if we have the same arms and legs shape *for example* as our parents or grandparents).
Is this correct?
Thanks,
by Dr. Dennis Clark
Yes, the key being ‘abnormal’ fat…i.e, the fat that we don’t need for structure, for cell membranes, or for normal storage. What we do want more of in the way of fat is what is called brown adipose tissue (‘brown fat’), which we have a lot of as babies and lose as we age. It helps to balance our fat metabolism overall. I posted a short article about it on another blog here: Getting Rid of Fat with Brown Adipose Tissue. It is a fascinating topic that the majority of weight loss programs fail to mention. Most people, outside of research scientists, never even heard of it.
by Lily
Thanks Dr. Clark. You and your research are so much appreciated!!
Seems to me that if the Hypothalamus gets reset, then the brown adipose tissue will start working better (at least, that is what I’m getting out of your articles)
*sigh… I wonder how many protocols I’ll have to do to get rid of all this inherited, unwanted fat*
by Dr. Dennis Clark
Yup, that is the idea. BAT is still a bit of an enigma, though. The best way to get BAT to work better is to cool it: Sit in an ice bath for 30 minutes a day – really! – or put an ice pack on the back of your neck/upper back for 30 minutes daily. Sounds crazy, doesn’t it?
by Lily
You know, a couple things came to mind today…
1. Could it be, that if the adrenal glands are not functioning properly, then the BAT will not work as well?
and
B. Since the HCG stays in your system for 3 days, would it be possible to take an injection (for example) every other day while on VLCD?
by Dr. Dennis Clark
Ah, Lily. You are a critical thinker. First, BAT is brown because of the density of mitochondria in it. I don’t know if it has a direct cause-effect relationship with the adrenals. Second, I don’t know how little hCG you can get away with. The 3-day washout period is to make sure all traces are gone, although I don’t know how much is gone on days 1, 2 or 3 of the washout period. As a critical thinker myself, I bet you could do an experiment to see how the every other day pattern might work for you. Who knows, maybe you can go longer than the standard 40 days without developing resistance to the hormone – ?
All the best,
Dennis
by Lily
Well, a few weeks ago I went 3 days w/o the injections (2 days due to TOM, and 1 day because of the “skip-one-day-a-week”). By day 4, I was feeling fine and had no problems (not even hungry) when I started the injections again.
I only have 4 days left of injections for this round, but I plan to experiment on R2.. injecting every other day.
I’ve also noticed through this round that I had to change my dosage a couple of times. I started out taking 150IU. After 2 weeks, I increased to 175IU (I was having problems and increasing it helped). Then just about 1.5 weeks ago, I started having problems again, so this time I lowered to 140IU (and have been on that steady, the rest of the protocol *40 day round*)
So that got me thinking, even though Simeon’s’ said 125IU is sufficient… is it really? As the body is adjusting to losing unwanted fat, and adjusting to the HCG, the dose is going to need adjusting throughout protocol?
Another thought came to mind regarding the inherited fat situation… if one has NEVER been thin in their life, might it be a slower process to rid the body of the unwanted fat (as opposed to someone who was thin as a child)… what do you think about this?
by mom of five
I was told could take two hcg shots a week do I take them at same time r what. Please email me wit answerthanks A lot ‘
by Dr. Dennis Clark
You were told by whom to take two hCG shots per week? This is so far afield from the Simeons protocol that I wouldn’t know where to begin answering your question. There is no twice a week protocol that I know of.
by Lily
Just a tidbit of info… I’m on washout day 2 and am feeling famished… no amount of liquids or food is relieving the hunger.
other than that, I’m feeling OK.
by Dr. Dennis Clark
Hi, Lily…that happens, and it is a challenge, so stick with it and you will be glad you did!
by Lily
Yes, I definitely am doing my best to stick with it.
After I ate my lunch it was like someone opened the flood gates and I was full until after I got home (which was 5pm). I even had a brisk 20 minute walk.
Now, I’m on day 2 of normal eating and so far, I think my leptin levels are working.. what fun! I actually don’t get hungry hardly at all, but make myself eat a little breakfast and then lunch. Still drinking at least 1 gallon of water daily.. started taking my vitamins again. This morning I was the same weight as my last washout.. so feel I’ve got a grip on my new reality.
Btw, made the Eggplant Lasagna last night from Eve’s “WHAT TO DO AFTER HCG WEIGHT LOSS – HCG Diet Phase 3 Instructions and Recipes for Success” (I made my own sauce, but put a bit too much rosemary in it.. nonetheless…) had it for lunch today and it was great!!!!
At this point, I am getting a bit confused.. I may have to just go re-read your post about meal spacing..
If we’re leptin sensitive (which is a good thing), then we won’t be hungry until our body tells us we need sustenance. correct?
(provided we are eating the right kinds of food for our insulin/leptin)
But what happens if you don’t get hungry often enough to eat 3 meals a day (no snacks), and therefore can’t do the meal spacing as you mentioned in your latest post?
For example. My mom ate lunch yesterday but was not hungry until midnight this morning…
so, based on this.. do we go by our leptin receptors, or do we go by meal spacing and just make ourselves eat or ….. ?
by Dr. Dennis Clark
Great questions, Lily. The hunger sensation is more complicated than you think. The hormone ‘neuropeptide Y’ (NPY) has more to do with sensations of hunger. Leptin and NPY are opposites. As leptin levels rise, NPY levels fall, and vice versa. Ideally, you want normal leptin levels, without leptin resistance, and lower NPY levels to feel satiated. Other hormones complicate this picture, including dopamine, serotonin, histamine, and ghrelin. Confused yet?
The basic answer you want is that, when hormones are working well, you can eat when you are hungry, just the amount to feel full yet not overfull.
by Lily
OK,
I think that my dad and I are doing fine. We get hungry (not starved) around lunch and supper time.
My mom on the other hand, will get hungry at lunch time, eat, and then not get hungry until midnight. This is where we don’t understand what to do / or why it is this way. So if mom’s hormones aren’t working well, this could cause her continual full feeling? Should she go ahead and eat anyway?