How much water do I add to Glutathione?

You can reconstitute Glutathione with 0.5, 1, or 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Each option produces a different concentration and syringe draw for the same dose. Use the calculator to see which is easiest to measure.

What does Glutathione cost per dose?

Cost per dose depends on vial size, price paid, and your dose. Enter your vendor's price in the Glutathione calculator to see cost per dose and monthly cost.

What is the reference dose for Glutathione?

The commonly referenced range is 250 up to 1000 mg per day (start low, increase slowly), taken daily (oral). This is reference information, not a recommendation. Talk to a licensed clinician.

What are the side effects of Glutathione?

Reported side effects of Glutathione include: Taken by mouth it is generally safe.; The FDA has flagged IV use for skin-lightening as risky.. Severity and frequency vary by person and dose.

Who should not take Glutathione?

Glutathione is generally not appropriate for: Asthma, where inhaled forms have triggered attacks; Pregnancy; No injectable form is approved in the US. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting.

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Decoding

Glutathione_

Q: What is Glutathione?

Glutathione is a antioxidant tripeptide used for antioxidant / glow. Glutathione is a natural tripeptide (three amino acids) that is your body's master antioxidant. In plain terms: it mops up cell-damaging molecules, which is why it is taken for skin brightness, detox support, and general cell protection.

Q: Do you cycle Glutathione?

Not cycled Taken daily as a supplement rather than in blocks. The open question is absorption, not tolerance.

Also known as GSH, L-glutathione

Your body's master antioxidant, taken for glowing skin and detox support.

Antioxidant / glowAntioxidant tripeptideOTC / supplement

Common vial size600 mg

Dose250 up to 1000 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)

FrequencyDaily (oral)

RouteBy mouth, into a vein or muscle, or inhaled

StatusSupplement

MixYour choice, calculate it

CycledNot cycled

Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.

What is Glutathione?

Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.

Overview

Glutathione is a natural tripeptide (three amino acids) that is your body's master antioxidant. In plain terms: it mops up cell-damaging molecules, which is why it is taken for skin brightness, detox support, and general cell protection.

What it's used for

Your body's master antioxidant, taken for brighter, clearer skin, detox support, and protecting cells from daily wear. It is popular for a healthy glow.

How does Glutathione work?

What it does in the body, and where.

Glutathione is three amino acids and your body's main antioxidant. You already make it constantly; the question with supplementing is whether what you take in ever reaches your cells.

01
It neutralises cell-damaging molecules
Reactive oxygen species are a normal by-product of making energy, and glutathione is the primary system for clearing them.
02
It regenerates other antioxidants
Vitamins C and E get used up doing the same job, and glutathione restores them, which multiplies its effect.
03
Absorption is the real question
Swallowed glutathione is largely broken down before it is absorbed. That is why it is given by IV or injection, and why the skin-brightening claims are weaker than they sound.

Pathway

A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.

What else is it used for?

Each group carries its own evidence level.

Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.

Skin lightening

Early research

Human trialTwo small controlled trials, one oral in 60 people and one topical in 30, reported a measurable drop in skin melanin.
Human trialA double-blind placebo-controlled trial of a topical form in healthy women reported skin lightening and improved skin condition.
No dataThere is inadequate safety data for intravenous use, and a case report describes severe reversible liver injury from it.

Study

IV glutathione skin-lightening review, PubMed

Parkinson's disease

Early research

Human trialAn early open study of a high intravenous dose reported a 42% drop in disability scores.
Human trialA later randomised trial at a lower dose did not confirm the benefit.
Human trialA mid-stage nasal trial showed only mild benefit, complicated by the placebo group also improving.

Study

IV glutathione in early Parkinson's, PubMed

How much, and do you cycle it?

The range, and whether you take breaks.

250 up to 1000 mg per day (start low, increase slowly), daily (oral). Not cycledCommunity practice

Taken daily as a supplement rather than in blocks. The open question is absorption, not tolerance.

Compare cycling across compounds →

How do I dose and price it?

Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.

The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.

Your vial size (mg)

Printed on the vial.

What you paid per vial

Used for cost per dose only.

Your dose (mg)

Commonly referenced range: 250 up to 1000 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)Community practice

Choose your mix

0.5 mL water21units · 1200 mg/mL

Half a 100-unit syringe

1 mL water42units · 600 mg/mL

One full 100-unit syringe

Easiest

2 mL water83units · 300 mg/mL

Two full 100-unit syringes

your own mL

units · —

Enter your own volume

Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.

Your draw

83 / 100 units

Full calculator with reorder date →Read a syringe →

How do you store it?

Before mixing, and after.

Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.

Unmixed lyophilized Glutathione keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.

What are the side effects and cautions?

Known cautions and warnings for this compound.

22 July 2026No injectable glutathione product is FDA-approved in the United States. Several national regulators, including the Philippine FDA, have issued explicit advisories against IV use for skin lightening.

Who should avoid it

Check these before anything else.

Asthma, where inhaled forms have triggered attacks
Pregnancy
No injectable form is approved in the US

Stop and get help

These are emergencies. Seek care.

Wheezing or difficulty breathing
Signs of an allergic reaction
Any skin rash that spreads

Common effects

Expected, and usually mild.

Generally well tolerated by mouth
Injection carries infection and reaction risk with no approved product
Lightening of skin tone with repeated IV use, which is not an approved purpose

Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.

Is Glutathione approved?

And where the numbers on this page come from.

OTC / supplement

Yes. Sold over the counter.

No injectable glutathione product is FDA-approved in the United States. Several national regulators, including the Philippine FDA, have issued explicit advisories against IV use for skin lightening.

DoseFrom product labeling and published use.
Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
Sources
Philippine FDA advisory on IV glutathione for skin lightening Peer-reviewed review of IV glutathione safety IV glutathione skin-lightening review, PubMed IV glutathione in early Parkinson's, PubMed
Reviewed22 July 2026

What else is like Glutathione?

Others in Immune support, side by side.

If you're weighing Glutathione, it's worth reading Thymalin, Vilon, and Thymosin Alpha-1 in the same class.

YOU ARE HERE

GSH

Glutathione

Your body's master antioxidant, taken for glowing skin and detox support.

OTC / supplement

Dose: 250 up to 1000 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
How often: Daily (oral)

THYMA

Thymalin

A thymus peptide taken in courses to refresh immune function and aging.

Research only

Dose: 5 up to 10 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
How often: 10-day courses

Vilon

A tiny bioregulator taken in courses for immunity and aging, with thin evidence.

Research only

Dose: Varies (course-based)
How often: Courses

Thymosin Alpha-1

A well-studied shot that tunes up the immune system.

Clinical use

Dose: 1.6 mg per dose
How often: 2x per week

What these words mean

Show glossary +

Titrate: Starting at a low dose and increasing it slowly over time so your body adjusts and side effects stay mild.
Subcutaneous: An injection just under the skin, into the fat layer, usually with a short, thin insulin needle.
Intramuscular (IM): An injection into a muscle, using a longer needle.
Reconstitution: Mixing a powdered peptide with liquid (bacteriostatic water) so it can be drawn into a syringe.
Bacteriostatic water: Sterile water with a tiny amount of preservative, used to mix powdered peptides.
Concentration: How strong the mixed peptide is, in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL). More water makes it weaker; less water makes it stronger.
Units (on the syringe): The marks on an insulin syringe. 100 units equals 1 mL. They measure how much liquid you draw, not the dose in milligrams.
mcg and mg: Units of dose. 1 milligram (mg) equals 1,000 micrograms (mcg).
GLP-1: A natural gut hormone that lowers appetite and blood sugar. Drugs that copy it, like semaglutide, are used for weight loss.
Growth hormone secretagogue: A compound that nudges your body to release more of its own growth hormone, rather than injecting the hormone itself.
Half-life: How long a compound stays active in your body. A longer half-life means you inject less often.
Peptide vs small molecule: A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. A few items here (like MK-677 or methylene blue) are small molecules, not true peptides, but people use them the same way.
Research only: No approved dose or use in people. Sold for research and not reviewed by the FDA for safety or quality.
Investigational: Still being tested in clinical trials and not yet approved or legally sold for general use.
Banned in drug-tested sport: Prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); using it can disqualify a competing athlete.

Sources

Philippine FDA advisory on IV glutathione for skin lightening(2019)
Regulator advisory against IV glutathione for skin lightening.
Peer-reviewed review of IV glutathione safety(2025)
Peer-reviewed review of IV glutathione safety.
IV glutathione skin-lightening review, PubMed
IV glutathione in early Parkinson's, PubMed

Last reviewed 22 July 2026