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№ 014

Sermorelin

The gentle, older option for restoring your body's natural growth hormone. A GHRH analog, the older sibling to Tesamorelin and CJC, with a gentler profile.

GH-axis
Evidence: Moderate

Sermorelin: The gentle, older option for restoring your body's natural growth hormone. A GHRH analog, the older sibling to Tesamorelin and CJC, with a gentler profile. Sermorelin is the older, gentler cousin in the GH-axis family.

FDA ⓘ
Not approved
WADA
Banned
Typical dose
200-500 mcg sub-q nightly
Half-life ⓘ
~10-20 minutes
Route ⓘ
Subcutaneous
Schedule
Once daily, typically before bed
In plain English

Sermorelin is the older, gentler cousin in the GH-axis family. Approved decades ago. Often used by anti-aging clinics for adults with declining GH output. Daily injection at bedtime.

Status & legalityWhat do these mean? →
Natty? ⓘ
Not natty
FDA ⓘ
Not approved

Approved as Geref (1997) for treatment of pediatric growth hormone deficiency. Discontinued by the manufacturer around 2008 for commercial reasons (the FDA's 2013 determination explicitly states it was not withdrawn for safety or effectiveness). Now compounded-only, not FDA-approved as a finished product.

Compounding ⓘ
Not classified

Not formally categorized in the FDA bulks lists.

WADA ⓘ
Banned (S2)
Prescribed ⓘ

Some longevity / anti-aging clinics prescribe via compounding pharmacies, off-label.

Who it's for

  • →Beginners to GH-axis peptides
  • →Older adults with declining GH output
  • →Users wanting a gentle, sustainable GH support tool

What to expect

  1. Week 1

    Sleep deepens. Vivid dreams.

  2. Week 4

    Recovery improvements. IGF-1 climbing modestly.

  3. Week 8

    Body comp and skin changes for users in a clean diet.

Looking at Sermorelin? Your next 3 steps

  1. 1Work out your exact dose

    Vial size + BAC water turns into the exact units to draw for Sermorelin.

    Open calculator →
  2. 2See what to stack & monitor

    The companion supplements and the bloodwork worth tracking on this kind of protocol.

    Bloodwork guide →
  3. 3Save it & ask the Coach

    A free account saves your stack; membership adds the stack-aware AI Coach.

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How it works (mechanism)

Truncated form of GHRH (first 29 amino acids). Binds the GHRH receptor on the pituitary to trigger GH release. Shorter and less stable than Tesamorelin or CJC, requiring nightly dosing.

Dosing protocol

Members only

Stacks well with

Members only

Stack essentials

Members only

Side effects

01Head-rush at injection
02Hunger pulse 30-60 min post-dose
03Mild flushing

When NOT to use

  • ⚠Active malignancy
  • ⚠Pituitary disorders
  • ⚠Pregnancy / nursing

Bloodwork to monitor

  • • IGF-1 baseline + week 8

Common mistakes

  • • Eating within 30 min of injection (food blunts the GH pulse)
  • • Underdosing, sub-200mcg often produces no measurable change
  • • Skipping the cycle break

Drug & supplement interactions

  • ⚠Glucocorticoids may reduce response
  • ⚠Eating before bedtime dose blunts pulse

The Pepdex take

Most underdosed peptide on the market. The standard 100-200 mcg pre-bed dose floats around old clinical protocols where it was dosed against pediatric thresholds. Most adult users see real signal at 300 mcg. The grandfather of GH-axis peptides, boring compared to CJC+Ipa but cleaner regulatory status (FDA-approved compounded prescription) and a more forgiving side effect curve.

Community patterns

Members only
Free, no account needed

New to Sermorelin? Grab the starter checklist.

Drop your email and we'll send the one-page first-cycle starter checklist, plus a heads-up if Sermorelin changes legal status. No account needed.

No spam. No selling your email. Just the checklist and the occasional reclassification alert.

AI Coach, live sample
Members only
is 250mcg of bpc enough for a knee injury?
For a knee, 250 mcg sub-q daily is the standard working dose and a solid place to start. The trick with BPC is consistency, give it weeks, not days. Inject close to the joint, run it 4-6 weeks, and don't drop below 200 mcg, it tends to stop cracking the threshold reliably down there. If it hasn't moved at all by week 3, that's when adding TB-500 earns its place.
how much bac water for a 10mg reta vial?
3 mL is the standard play for a 10 mg reta vial. That's 3,333 mcg/mL, clean unit math across the titration: 2 mg = 60 units, 4 mg = 120 units, 6 mg = 180 units on a 100-unit insulin syringe. Run 2 mL instead if you want fewer, more concentrated shots (5,000 mcg/mL, so 2 mg = 40 units). Since most people titrate up over ~12 weeks, 3 mL keeps the numbers cleanest.
what should i track on bloodwork for tirzepatide?
Lipid panel, ALT/AST (liver enzymes), and an A1C, baseline before you start then every 3 months. If you've got metabolic-syndrome history, add fasting glucose and insulin so you can actually watch insulin sensitivity improve. You don't need a big hormone panel for a GLP-1.

Ask the Coach anything about Sermorelin or your own stack. This is it working.

Trained only on Pepdex content. Does the dose math, flags interactions, knows your stack. Won't push vendors, won't pretend to be a doctor.

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Frequently asked

What is Sermorelin?+
Sermorelin is the older, gentler cousin in the GH-axis family. Approved decades ago. Often used by anti-aging clinics for adults with declining GH output. Daily injection at bedtime.
Is Sermorelin FDA approved?+
Approved as Geref (1997) for treatment of pediatric growth hormone deficiency. Discontinued by the manufacturer around 2008 for commercial reasons (the FDA's 2013 determination explicitly states it was not withdrawn for safety or effectiveness). Now compounded-only, not FDA-approved as a finished product.
Is Sermorelin legal?+
Sermorelin is not FDA-approved. It is sold by compounding pharmacies (with a prescription) and as "research only" by peptide vendors. Possession is generally not criminalized but distribution without authorization may be. Verify local laws.
Is Sermorelin banned by WADA?+
Sermorelin is on the WADA prohibited list under Banned (S2).
Are you still natty after taking Sermorelin?+
No. Sermorelin is a performance-enhancing peptide and would disqualify a strict natty claim.
Do doctors prescribe Sermorelin?+
Some longevity / anti-aging clinics prescribe via compounding pharmacies, off-label.
What's the typical dose of Sermorelin?+
200-500 mcg sub-q nightly, on an empty stomach. Some protocols use 100-300 mcg twice daily.
What are the side effects of Sermorelin?+
Common side effects include: Head-rush at injection; Hunger pulse 30-60 min post-dose; Mild flushing. Less common effects and full safety details are on the entry page.
How long until Sermorelin starts working?+
Sleep deepens. Vivid dreams.
What can you stack with Sermorelin?+
Common pairings: Ipamorelin for synergistic GH pulse; GHK-Cu for skin / connective-tissue support. Full stacking protocol and timing on the entry page.
Where do people get Sermorelin?+
Sermorelin is most commonly sold by research-only peptide vendors and by compounding pharmacies (the latter requires a prescription). Pepdex is not a vendor, see /coa for how to verify a Certificate of Analysis before buying from any source, and /guides/scam-vendor-spotting for vendor red flags.
Sermorelin vs HGH (Somatropin), which is better?+
HGH vs Sermorelin: replacing GH directly versus stimulating natural production. Legal and risk differences. Full head-to-head comparison: https://pepdex.co/compare/hgh-vs-sermorelin
Sermorelin vs Tesamorelin, which is better?+
Tesamorelin vs Sermorelin: two GHRH analogs head-to-head on potency, FDA status, cost, and dosing protocol. Full head-to-head comparison: https://pepdex.co/compare/tesamorelin-vs-sermorelin
Sermorelin vs CJC-1295 (no DAC), which is better?+
CJC-1295 (no DAC) vs Sermorelin: modified vs unmodified GHRH analogs. Half-life, dosing frequency, real-world use. Full head-to-head comparison: https://pepdex.co/compare/cjc-1295-vs-sermorelin

Head-to-head with Sermorelin

Compare
Sermorelin vs HGH (Somatropin) →
Compare
Sermorelin vs Tesamorelin →
Compare
Sermorelin vs CJC-1295 (no DAC) →

More in GH-axis

№ 021
HGH (Somatropin)

Recombinant human growth hormone, the protein itself, not a peptide that nudges your body to make more. Highest legal-risk compound in this catalog.

№ 011
MK-677 (Ibutamoren)

Oral ghrelin mimetic. Bumps GH and IGF-1 without injections. Strong appetite stimulation is the trade-off.

№ 006
Ipamorelin

Bumps your natural growth-hormone pulses without hitting cortisol or prolactin. A selective GH secretagogue.

№ 007
CJC-1295 (no DAC)

Pairs with Ipamorelin to amplify your natural growth-hormone pulses. A GHRH analog whose 'no-DAC' version stays short-acting on purpose.