TB-500 dosing protocols
TB-500 dosing — the loading-then-maintenance two-phase pattern, body-weight scaling, and reconstitution math for typical research-chem vials.
Updated May 7, 2026 · 3 min read
TB-500 is dosed less frequently than BPC-157 because it has a long tissue half-life. Most reported protocols follow a two-phase pattern: a loading phase to saturate, then a maintenance phase to hold.
The two-phase protocol
| Phase | Dose | Cadence | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loading | 2–5 mg | Twice weekly | 4–6 weeks |
| Maintenance | 2–5 mg | Every 1–2 weeks | As needed |
The loading phase is what most people associate with the early benefits — saturating tissue stores so the actin-binding effects can take hold. The maintenance phase keeps levels elevated for ongoing recovery support.
Body-weight scaling
Dose typically scales with body weight, though the curve flattens:
| Body weight | Loading dose | Maintenance dose |
|---|---|---|
| Under 175 lb (80 kg) | 2 mg | 2 mg every 2 weeks |
| 175–225 lb (80–100 kg) | 3–4 mg | 2–4 mg weekly |
| Over 225 lb (100 kg+) | 4–5 mg | 4–5 mg weekly |
These are reported community ranges, not validated clinical doses.
Reconstitution math
TB-500 ships lyophilized in 5 mg or 10 mg vials. The standard mix:
5 mg vial + 2 mL bacteriostatic water = 2.5 mg/mL.
A 2.5 mg dose → 1 mL → 100 units on a U-100 insulin syringe (right at the syringe's max).
A 5 mg dose at this concentration → 2 mL → won't fit a single insulin syringe.
For a 5 mg dose, you have two options:
- More concentrated mix. 5 mg vial + 1 mL BAC water = 5 mg/mL. A 5 mg dose → 1 mL → 100 units.
- Split injection. 50 units in each of two SubQ sites.
The reconstitution calculator flags when your math overflows the syringe and suggests adjustments.
Site selection
TB-500 is systemic — site selection matters less than for BPC-157. Standard SubQ injection works:
- Abdomen, 2 inches lateral to the navel (most common)
- Outer thigh
- Upper arm (back of arm, fatty area)
Rotate sites with each injection. There's no benefit to injecting near a specific injury for TB-500 — it distributes systemically through the bloodstream regardless.
Cycling
Because TB-500 has such a long half-life, the on-off pattern is different from BPC-157's:
- Loading phase: 4–6 weeks twice weekly
- Maintenance: 4–8 weeks at every 1–2 weeks
- Off period: 4–8 weeks, longer if running again later
Some users run a single loading phase per year for general maintenance and skip ongoing cycles. Others run periodic loadings around heavy training blocks. Continuous indefinite use is uncommon and not well-supported by the pre-clinical data.
Stacking with BPC-157
When running both peptides, the typical schedule:
| Day | BPC-157 (250 mcg) | TB-500 (loading: 2.5 mg) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | morning SubQ | morning SubQ |
| Tuesday | morning SubQ | — |
| Wednesday | morning SubQ | — |
| Thursday | morning SubQ | morning SubQ |
| Friday | morning SubQ | — |
| Saturday | morning SubQ | — |
| Sunday | morning SubQ | — |
You don't need to inject them in the same syringe — most users do separate SubQ shots in different sites for clean dose tracking. See BPC-157 vs TB-500 and stacking.
Common dosing mistakes
- Skipping the loading phase. Maintenance dosing without loading reportedly takes much longer to produce noticeable effects.
- Loading too aggressively. 5 mg twice weekly on a 150 lb person is reportedly more side effect than benefit.
- Running maintenance forever. TB-500 wasn't designed for continuous chronic use.