What to Know About Bacteriostatic Water

Bacteriostatic water is a multi-dose sterile water compound that is used by the medical community for their patients to dilute or mix injectable medications via intramuscular (muscle), intravenous (vein), and subcutaneously (under the dermis).

Medication Injectable
Hospitals use specific types of sterile water in small injection vials. They are used to mix injectable medications that are in the form of powders or pills. Unlike sterile water or saline solutions, Bacteriostatic water is safe to inject because it contains benzyl alcohol (0.9%) that is a proven preservative.

Sterile water is safe for mixing medications to be injected into the body. However, it is just not safe to inject sterile water mixed prescriptions directly into veins. The reason is that it would change the body’s balance levels by causing red blood cells to rupture or dangerously breakdown.

Benzyl Alcohol
Benzyl alcohol within Bacteriostatic water halts the growth or reproduction of bacteria which is a contaminate to prescription drugs. Bacteriostatic does not kill the bacteria. Benzyl alcohol is sold safely over the counter and is probably in your home right now. It is an organic solvent that is safe to use for scrapes, scratches, insect bites, and more.

Bacteriostatic Usage
As a bacteria and additive free solvent, Bacteriostatic water is noted for its use as an antiseptic, disinfectant, preservative, and an antibiotic. Due to its beneficial properties, here are 5 key features for using Bacteriostatic water:

1. Unlike sterile water, Bacteriostatic water can be used repeatedly for injectable medication usage. The benzyl alcohol anti-bacterial agent in Bacteriostatic does not change the true properties of medication that have been prescribed for treatment. As a static solvent, Bacteriostatic is the only liquid that can work with powdered drug or tablets.

2. Sterile water once opened and used, cannot be used again. With Bacteriostatic water, it can be stored for as long as 28 to 30 days. Using bacteriostatic saves you money both because of its long storage life and because it can be purchased over the counter in multiple packs.

3. Bacteriostatic water is perfect for keeping the body hydrated. When you are admitted to a hospital, chances are that one of the vials given to you is bacteriostatic to successfully replenish your electrolytes.

4. Add Bacteriostatic water to your home/misting humidifier or diffusers each time you change the required water content. The purpose is to prevent mold, algae build-up, and bacterial growth that can easily be present within the reservoirs.

5. When you use Bacteriostatic water in vial form, a needle is most often used to pierce the sealing. Scientifically, this can introduce bacteria into the liquid. But using bacteriostatic eliminates this possibility because of the benzyl alcohol content.
Many people use bacteriostatic water at home and in the medial industry. The immune system of people who are sick makes them vulnerable to bacterial infections. As a result, to curtail the introduction of more harmful bacteria, Bacteriostatic water is a critical component to introduce in this context.

Evan Shaner