What Is Glutathione? Dosage, Half-Life & How to Track It
Also known as: GSH · Reduced Glutathione · γ-Glutamylcysteinylglycine
Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant — a tripeptide (γ-Glu-Cys-Gly) made mostly in the liver — and injectable dosing exists because it’s poorly absorbed orally. A typical subcutaneous protocol titrates from 100 mg daily up to 200 mg daily over five to eight weeks, with some people shifting to a 200 mg, once- or twice-weekly maintenance schedule afterward. Educational information only; any protocol is a conversation with your prescriber.
What Glutathione is and how it works
Glutathione is a small tripeptide your own liver produces continuously, and it’s the single most abundant antioxidant working inside your cells. Its job is to neutralize free radicals and reactive oxygen species before they damage DNA, proteins, and cell membranes — the same oxidative-stress process implicated in aging and a long list of chronic conditions.
It also plays a direct role in liver detoxification (it’s the molecule that conjugates with many toxins so they can be cleared) and supports immune-cell function. The reason it’s injected rather than swallowed is straightforward: oral glutathione is broken down by digestive enzymes before much of it reaches circulation intact, so subcutaneous, IM, or IV administration are the routes actually used to raise levels meaningfully.
Typical dosing & reconstitution
Glutathione ships as a lyophilized powder and is reconstituted with bacteriostatic water. A 600 mg vial dissolved in 2 mL of BAC water gives a 300 mg/mL concentration, where each unit on a U-100 insulin syringe carries about 3 mg.
| Phase | Daily dose | Units (U-100) ≈ |
|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 | 100 mg | 33 units (0.33 mL) |
| Weeks 3–4 | 150 mg | 50 units (0.50 mL) |
| Weeks 5–8 | 200 mg | 67 units (0.67 mL) |
After the initial titration, some protocols switch from daily dosing to 200 mg once or twice a week for maintenance. Run your own vial and water combination through the reconstitution calculator to confirm units.
Half-life & dosing frequency
Circulating glutathione is used up quickly — cells consume it as part of the antioxidant reactions it’s built for, so there’s no meaningful depot effect and no formally published half-life for the injected form to point to. That fast turnover is the practical reason daily dosing is used during the titration phase: you’re replenishing a pool that’s constantly being spent, not building up a reservoir.
Once levels are established, the shift to a couple of times a week for maintenance reflects the same logic in reverse — daily dosing indefinitely isn’t necessary once the goal is topping up rather than titrating from a low baseline.
What to track & side effects
Glutathione is generally well tolerated. The most commonly reported issues are injection-site discomfort and, because of the sulfur-containing cysteine in its structure, an occasional garlicky taste or smell shortly after dosing — neither is a sign of a problem.
What’s worth tracking is the titration schedule itself (so you know whether you’re still ramping or on maintenance) and, if you’re also logging labs in Stackeddd, any oxidative-stress or liver-panel marker you’re watching alongside it.
How to track Glutathione in Stackeddd
Log each dose through the titration weeks so you always know whether you’re still ramping toward 200 mg or on a maintenance cadence — the two look very different on a calendar. Reconstitution math matters here too: get the vial-and-water concentration right once, and every day’s units are already calculated.
Model it yourself · free, no account
Reconstitution Calculator
Model it yourself: enter your vial size and BAC water and the Peptides tab returns concentration and exact syringe units for any dose — the same math built into the Stackeddd app.
Related compounds
Related reading: Peptide reconstitution math: how much BAC water to add
Frequently asked questions
What is Glutathione used for?
Glutathione is the body’s primary intracellular antioxidant, used to neutralize oxidative stress, support liver detoxification, and support immune function. It’s injected because oral forms are poorly absorbed.
What is the half-life of Glutathione?
No formal half-life is published for the injected form — it’s consumed quickly in antioxidant reactions rather than persisting in circulation, which is why it’s dosed daily during titration.
How do you reconstitute Glutathione?
Add 2 mL of bacteriostatic water to a 600 mg vial for a 300 mg/mL concentration — a 100 mg dose is then about 33 units (0.33 mL) on a U-100 insulin syringe.
How often do you inject Glutathione?
Titration protocols typically run daily for five to eight weeks (100 mg up to 200 mg), after which some people move to a 200 mg, once- or twice-weekly maintenance schedule.
This is educational information, not medical advice. Doses and protocols above reflect published references and community practice — protocol decisions belong with your prescribing physician. Generic names used throughout. How this reference is built & how the AI is tested →
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