Graduated Cylinders and Pipettes

Some people in the withdrawal community prefer to use graduated cylinders and pipettes for measuring rather than syringes. If you choose to use cylinders and pipettes, whenever the use of syringes is suggested elsewhere in Part 2 of this Companion Guide, you can simply replace with cylinders and pipettes.

If using a graduated cylinder, it is important to understand how to read a meniscus.

The wider the graduated cylinder, the more room there is for variance in the volume of liquid when filling to a marked line – so it’s helpful to have a good idea of the overall volume of liquid you’ll be working with and then purchase those that will facilitate the most accurate measuring. 

If planning to purchase and work with both cylinders and syringes, it’s also important to measure the syringes and graduated cylinders against each other—for example, ensuring that 10mL on your syringe holds the exact same amount of liquid as 10mL in your graduated cylinder.

Image courtesy of CPLabSafety.