Sermorelin
Sermorelin is a synthetic fragment (amino acids 1–29) of human GHRH that stimulates the pituitary to release growth hormone, historically used in paediatric growth-hormone-deficiency testing and treatment.
Regulatory status: Was FDA-approved in the United States as Geref for diagnosis and treatment of growth-hormone deficiency in children, but the branded product was discontinued and sermorelin is no longer marketed as an FDA-approved drug. Present-day use is off-label and typically via compounding pharmacies.
Default vial
5 mg
Default mix
2 mL
Reported range
200–300 mcg
Draw (U-100)
10 u
Dosed at bedtime to align with the natural nocturnal GH pulse.
What it is
- A 29-amino-acid peptide corresponding to the biologically active N-terminal fragment of GHRH.
- A GHRH-receptor agonist — the same receptor class as tesamorelin, not a ghrelin-receptor agonist.
- Historically dosed by subcutaneous injection; intranasal delivery was also studied in paediatric trials.
- Has a short circulating half-life, consistent with native GHRH fragments.
How it is described to act
- 1
Administered by subcutaneous injection, or intranasally in some paediatric studies.
- 2
Reported to act primarily at the hypothalamic-pituitary axis.
- 3
Binds the GHRH receptor on somatotrophs in the same way as endogenous GHRH, per review literature.
- 4
Reported to stimulate pulsatile GH secretion with downstream IGF-1 increases in paediatric deficiency trials.
What the research has looked at
Paediatric growth-hormone-deficiency trials
- Researchers reported that GHRH(1-29) improved growth velocity in short children with growth-hormone insufficiency over multi-year treatment (1995).
- A separate study reported effects of intranasal GHRH(1-29)-NH2 on GH secretion and growth in children with GH deficiency (1993).
Review literature
- A 1999 review in BioDrugs summarised sermorelin's diagnostic and therapeutic use in idiopathic growth-hormone deficiency in children and described it as generally well tolerated.
Strength of evidence: Limited human evidence
Sermorelin has genuine published paediatric human trial data and a past FDA approval, but the approved product is discontinued and there is little contemporary evidence for the compounded formulations now in circulation.
Some human data exist, but they are small, short, or not designed to answer the questions people ask online.
Reported cautions and unknowns
- Paediatric trials described it as generally well tolerated, with injection-site discomfort among the reported adverse events.
- Flushing and headache were reported in some GHRH-analogue studies.
- As with other GH-axis peptides, IGF-1 was monitored in trials because raising IGF-1 is the intended pharmacodynamic effect.
References
Handling this vial
- Lyophilized vials are generally stored at 2–8 °C and kept out of light; once reconstituted with bacteriostatic water they are refrigerated and commonly discarded after 28 days.
- Mix by aiming water down the vial wall and rolling gently — do not shake — and never re-freeze a reconstituted vial.
- Pep-Tidy cannot verify what is in your vial. Ask your supplier for a current Certificate of Analysis (HPLC/MS).
Sermorelin questions people ask
How do you reconstitute Sermorelin?
A common starting point for a 5 mg vial of Sermorelin is 2 mL of bacteriostatic water, which gives 2.5 mg per mL. Aim the water down the inside wall of the vial, let it dissolve on its own, and roll gently instead of shaking. Pep-Tidy's reconstitution calculator will recalculate the numbers for any other vial size or water volume you use.
How many units of Sermorelin is one dose?
At 2.5 mg per mL, that works out to about 10 units on a U-100 insulin syringe for a 250 mcg dose. Change the vial size, water volume, or target dose in the calculator and the syringe reading updates with it. This is arithmetic, not a dosing recommendation.
What dosing schedule is reported for Sermorelin?
Published and community sources describe 200–300 mcg, subcutaneous, every day, typically run 12 weeks on and 4 weeks off. These figures describe what has been reported, not what anyone should take — talk to a licensed clinician first.
How should Sermorelin be stored?
Lyophilized Sermorelin vials are generally kept at 2–8 °C and out of light. Once reconstituted with bacteriostatic water they are refrigerated and commonly discarded after about 28 days. Never re-freeze a reconstituted vial and never shake it.
Read this before you act on anything above
Everything on this page is a summary of what other people have published — it is not medical advice, not a recommendation, and not a dosing instruction. Reported dose ranges describe what appears in the literature or in community protocols, not what anyone should take. Talk to a licensed clinician before using any peptide.