How much bacteriostatic water do I add to a liraglutide vial?

Use the volume in your product's instructions or from your prescriber or pharmacist. The water doesn't change how much liraglutide is in the vial, only the concentration: a 5 mg vial with 2 mL is 2.5 mg/mL, and adding more water makes each unit on the syringe hold less.

How do I convert liraglutide from mg to syringe units?

Divide the amount in mg by the concentration in mg/mL to get mL, then multiply by 100 for a U-100 insulin syringe (50 for U-50, 40 for U-40). The calculator on this page does it when you enter the amount from your prescriber or label.

Does this calculator give a liraglutide dose?

No. The calculator's amount field starts empty and Caliper never suggests an amount. For reference, this page quotes the dosing section of the FDA label for Saxenda and Victoza, which applies only to that branded product. Your dose comes from your prescriber.

How should I store liraglutide after mixing?

Follow the storage section of your product's label or the pharmacy's instructions. The notes on this page summarize what the FDA label says for the branded product. For any mixed vial, write the mixing date on it and respect the use-by date.

Liraglutide reconstitution calculator

Concentration and syringe-unit math for liraglutide vials (3, 5 and 10 mg), with the calculator set up for a 5 mg vial and 2 mL of diluent. Change both to match your own vial.

FDA-approved product existsGLP-1 and incretin compounds

Liraglutide is a once-daily GLP-1 receptor agonist. The FDA-approved brands are Saxenda (weight reduction) and Victoza (type 2 diabetes), and generic liraglutide pens are also approved. All come as ready-to-use pen solutions.

FDA-approved product: Saxenda and Victoza. The official label dosing for the branded product is quoted further down this page for reference. It applies only to that product, and it is never filled into the calculator. Products sold for “research use only” are not the approved drug.

Reconstitution calculator

Enter the numbers from your own vial, and pick the syringe in your hand. Check the U- number and size printed on the syringe box.

Concentration

2.5 mg/mL

2,500 mcg/mL

Draw volume

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Syringe units

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U-100 1 mL, holds 100

Draws in the vial

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1Concentration: 5 mg ÷ 2 mL = 2.5 mg/mL
2Draw volume: amount in mg ÷ 2.5 mg/mL = draw mL
3Syringe units: draw mL × 100 units per mL (U-100) = units

Math only, not dosing advice. Follow your prescriber or label. Real vials give slightly less than the full-draw count: a little liquid stays in the vial and needle. Your last setup is saved in this browser only; Clear removes it.

Save your vial in Caliper and it remembers the concentration and use-by date you entered, alongside your dose log. The calculator above is a browser tool and is not part of the app.

Save my vial in Caliper

The calculator starts with a 5 mg vial and 2 mL of diluent as an example setup, not a recommendation. Enter the vial size on your label and the volume you actually added. The amount field starts empty: Caliper never suggests an amount.

Liraglutide concentration by vial size

Vial mg ÷ mL of diluent = mg per mL. Plain arithmetic for liraglutide label sizes; the volumes are examples, not recommendations.

Liraglutide: mg/mL by vial size and diluent volume
Vial	1 mL	2 mL	3 mL
3 mg	3 mg/mL	1.5 mg/mL	1 mg/mL
5 mg	5 mg/mL	2.5 mg/mL	1.667 mg/mL
10 mg	10 mg/mL	5 mg/mL	3.333 mg/mL

Syringe units to mg at 2.5 mg/mL

What a given number of U-100 units holds when a 5 mg vial has 2 mL added. This is a unit conversion, like a map scale, not a dose. A different vial size or volume changes every row, so use the calculator for your own numbers.

5 mg vial + 2 mL (2.5 mg/mL): conversion only
U-100 units	mL	mg	mcg
5 units	0.05	0.125	125
10 units	0.1	0.25	250
20 units	0.2	0.5	500
25 units	0.25	0.625	625
50 units	0.5	1.25	1,250

Mixing and storing liraglutide

Liraglutide pens are already in solution, so there is nothing to mix. For a powder vial, a 5 mg vial with 2 mL is 2.5 mg/mL and a 3 mg vial with 2 mL is 1.5 mg/mL.

Saxenda and Victoza pens are labeled for refrigeration at 2°C to 8°C (36°F to 46°F) before first use. After first use, a pen can be kept for 30 days at 15°C to 30°C (59°F to 86°F) or in the fridge. Don't freeze it, and don't use it if it has been frozen.

Research vials don't come with FDA-reviewed storage or stability data. Follow the storage line on the vial label, keep the vial away from heat and light, and write the date on it when you mix it. Our storage guide covers fridge temperatures, use-by dates and travel.

Status: FDA-approved as Saxenda, Victoza and generic liraglutide. Powder vials labeled liraglutide are compounded or research products, not the FDA-approved drug.

More detail: how to reconstitute peptides and how to store peptides and GLP-1s. To convert units you've already drawn, use the units-to-mg converter.

Official FDA label dosing for Saxenda and Victoza

Follow your prescriber's instructions. This is not medical advice. The text below is quoted exactly from the current FDA prescribing information (section cross-references removed). It is the official label schedule for the branded product named and does not apply to compounded or research products. Labels change; the linked label is the authority.

SAXENDA: label schedule

Indication (from the label): “SAXENDA is indicated in combination with a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in: Adults and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with body weight greater than 60 kg and obesity.”

“The recommended dose of SAXENDA is 3 mg daily.”
“Initiate at 0.6 mg per day for one week. In weekly intervals, increase the dose until a dose of 3 mg is reached.”
“For adults, the recommended dosage of SAXENDA is 3 mg daily, lower dosages are for titration only.”

Table 1. Dosage Escalation Schedule
Week	Daily Dose
1	0.6 mg
2	1.2 mg
3	1.8 mg
4	2.4 mg
5 and onward	3 mg

Source: SAXENDA (liraglutide) prescribing information, DailyMed, label version effective February 25, 2026; checked October 17, 2026.

VICTOZA: label schedule

Indication (from the label): “VICTOZA is indicated: as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults and pediatric patients aged 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes mellitus …”

“Adult Patients: Initiate at 0.6 mg injected subcutaneously once daily for one week then increase to 1.2 mg daily. If additional glycemic control is required, increase the dose to 1.8 mg daily after one week of treatment with the 1.2 mg daily dose.”

Source: VICTOZA (liraglutide) prescribing information, DailyMed, label version effective October 14, 2025; checked October 17, 2026.

FAQ

How much bacteriostatic water do I add to a liraglutide vial?: Use the volume in your product's instructions or from your prescriber or pharmacist. The water doesn't change how much liraglutide is in the vial, only the concentration: a 5 mg vial with 2 mL is 2.5 mg/mL, and adding more water makes each unit on the syringe hold less.
How do I convert liraglutide from mg to syringe units?: Divide the amount in mg by the concentration in mg/mL to get mL, then multiply by 100 for a U-100 insulin syringe (50 for U-50, 40 for U-40). The calculator on this page does it when you enter the amount from your prescriber or label.
Does this calculator give a liraglutide dose?: No. The calculator's amount field starts empty and Caliper never suggests an amount. For reference, this page quotes the dosing section of the FDA label for Saxenda and Victoza, which applies only to that branded product. Your dose comes from your prescriber.
Is liraglutide FDA-approved?: FDA-approved as Saxenda, Victoza and generic liraglutide. Powder vials labeled liraglutide are compounded or research products, not the FDA-approved drug.
How should I store liraglutide after mixing?: Follow the storage section of your product's label or the pharmacy's instructions. The notes on this page summarize what the FDA label says for the branded product. For any mixed vial, write the mixing date on it and respect the use-by date.

Related compounds

Calculators by vial size

The same arithmetic for any compound, with a 1, 2 and 3 mL concentration table.

Related guides

Sources

Updated October 17, 2026

For adults 18+. Educational math only, not medical advice. This page does not recommend any dose, dilution, syringe or compound, and doesn't say where to get one. Always follow your prescriber's instructions and the product label, and ask a pharmacist if a number doesn't look right.