Sermorelin
GHRH(1-29) — growth hormone-releasing hormone fragment
The shortest active fragment of growth hormone-releasing hormone. It raises overnight growth hormone in small studies, but has no approved product and little outcome data.
- Category
- Growth & Performance
- Half-life
- Very short — the peptide is degraded within minutes
- Cycle length
- Not standardised — clinical use is usually continuous under supervision
- Level
- intermediate
Overview
Sermorelin is the shortest active fragment of growth hormone-releasing hormone and the oldest of the GHRH peptides still in circulation. It was used clinically to test pituitary function and was formerly available as an approved product for growth-hormone deficiency in children, a status it lost decades ago as other options took over. It persists in anti-ageing practice and on supplier lists because its logic is appealing: stimulate the body's own growth hormone rhythm rather than replace it. The evidence behind it, however, is small and mostly concerns hormone levels rather than whether anyone's body composition or health actually changed.
How it works
Sermorelin is the first 29 amino acids of growth hormone-releasing hormone, the fragment that retains full receptor activity. It binds GHRH receptors on pituitary somatotrophs and triggers growth hormone release, but is degraded quickly enough that the pituitary's own feedback and pulsatility remain largely intact — the opposite of injecting growth hormone directly.
Reported benefits
- Increases overnight growth hormone secretion in small studies
- Used clinically to test pituitary growth hormone reserve
- Short action leaves the natural pulse pattern largely intact
- Long history of clinical and compounded use
Reported benefits describe what the published literature and user reports suggest — not a promise of outcome for any individual.
Dosing reference
Clinical and compounded practice has used roughly 100 to 300 mcg by subcutaneous injection at bedtime. Diagnostic testing has used about 1 mcg/kg intravenously. There is no FDA-approved sermorelin product.
Because sermorelin is given at night, its rationale is to amplify the body's largest natural GH pulse rather than to add a fixed dose. Individual responses vary widely, and there is no validated schedule for non-clinical use.
Clinic and community reporting: 100–300 mcg before sleep (200 mcg is the most common figure), three to five nights per week, for three months or more.
These figures are what people report using in public communities. They have not been studied, verified or checked against certificates of analysis, and they are not a recommendation, a prescription or a target to aim for.
Where the reported amounts come from
Amounts are reproduced for education only. Doses from trials cannot be assumed to suit anyone else, and community-reported amounts are frequently wrong. Self-administering unapproved compounds carries serious risk.
The research picture
Studies in older adults have shown that bedtime sermorelin increases the size of the overnight growth hormone pulse and raises IGF-1 modestly, and the peptide is well established as a diagnostic agent for pituitary reserve. What is largely missing is outcome data: trials reporting changes in body composition, strength or function in healthy adults are small, short and few. It has a better documented safety and regulatory history than most compounds here — it is a fragment of a natural hormone rather than a synthetic design — but the gap between 'raises growth hormone' and 'improves health' is where most of the marketing lives, and it has not been closed.
Preclinical & non-clinical data
The shortest-lived GHRH analogue in common use. Animal and small human studies show a pulse of growth hormone without the sustained IGF-1 elevation of longer-acting analogues — the trade-off that makes it popular with people who want to avoid rising IGF-1.
Non-clinical data comes from cells and animals unless stated otherwise. It answers whether a compound is worth studying in people — not whether it is safe or effective in them.
What users report
A long-standing clinic staple for sleep and 'anti-ageing' goals, and the reports read accordingly: better sleep quality in the first weeks, slow body-composition change over three to six months, and a large group reporting nothing they can attribute to it. Injection-site reactions and occasional flushing recur, and users who dose later at night frequently mention more vivid dreams. Because the effect is subtle, these accounts are unusually vulnerable to expectation.
Where these reports come from
These are unverified personal accounts collected from public sources. They are not evidence of effectiveness or safety, they have not been independently checked, and they are not a recommendation to use anything described.
Possible side effects
- Injection-site redness or irritation
- Headache
- Flushing and warmth shortly after injection
- Hyperactivity or difficulty sleeping if dosed too close to waking
Safety notes
Generally reported as well tolerated, with injection-site reactions being most common. Because it stimulates growth hormone release, it is inappropriate in people with active malignancy or pituitary disease, and its use in pregnancy has not been established. Long-term effects of sustained IGF-1 elevation are unknown.
Stacking
Sometimes combined with ghrelin-receptor secretagogues such as ipamorelin to layer two different triggers of growth hormone release. The combination is widely described and essentially unstudied.
Related compounds
CJC-1295
Modified GRF 1-29, CJC-1295 without DAC
Growth & Performance
A GHRH analogue built for a sharp, short pulse.
Kisspeptin-10
KISS1-derived decapeptide — GnRH pathway activator
Growth & Performance
The peptide that controls the pulse generator behind the reproductive axis.
Tesamorelin
GHRH(1-44) analogue — Egrifta
Growth & Performance
The GHRH analogue with an approval and a narrow indication.