Hexarelin_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as examorelin
A strong growth-hormone releaser that the body adapts to quickly.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Hexarelin?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
It sends a strong signal to release growth hormone, and it has even shown heart-protective effects. The body adapts to it quickly, so it stops working well if you keep taking it.
Hexarelin is a potent growth hormone releasing peptide.
What it's used for
A strong growth-hormone releaser also studied for heart protection, but the body adapts to it quickly so it loses effect.
How does Hexarelin work?
What it does in the body, and where.Hexarelin is the most potent of the growth hormone releasing peptides, and it stops working the fastest.
- 01It activates the ghrelin receptor stronglyProducing the largest growth hormone pulse of this group.
- 02It has shown effects on heart tissueIndependent of growth hormone, which is unusual and has been studied separately.
- 03The body adapts within weeksReceptor desensitisation is faster and more pronounced than with the others, so the effect fades with continued use.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
What else is it used for?
Each use below carries its own evidence level. Approved means regulators have cleared it for that purpose. Investigational means it is in trials. Early research means it is being studied and is not established.
- Raising growth hormone to build muscleResearch only
- Protecting the heart after damage, which is the more interesting research angleEarly research
The published record
328
Records indexed for Hexarelin
169 in humans, 138 of them original studies.
Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person. Human means indexed under humans, which includes reviews and work on human cells. Original studies exclude reviews and lab work on human cells.Last updated 12 September 2026.

At a glance
Four things to know about Hexarelin
Evidence
Research only
Category
Growth hormone
Common vial
2 mg
Half-life
About 2 hours in rats
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.0.1 mg per dose, 1-2x daily. Cycled, and the only one here where the break has actually been measuredHuman study
Twelve healthy older adults injected hexarelin twice a day for 16 weeks. The growth hormone response fell steadily: area under the growth hormone curve went from 19.1 at week 0 to 13.1 at week 1, 12.3 at week 4, and 10.5 by week 16. It recovered after four weeks off. That is the strongest evidence behind cycling anything in this family, and it applies to hexarelin specifically rather than to the class.
Source: Rahim & Shalet, Does desensitization to hexarelin occur? (Growth Hormone & IGF Research, 1998)
How long does it stay in the body?
The half-life, and where the figure comes from.About 2 hours in ratsAnimal study
Human studies exist but measured the growth hormone response rather than how fast hexarelin itself clears, so there is no clean human figure.
Source: Roumi M, et al. 2000, rat and dog pharmacokinetics
You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.
How do I dose and price it?
Enter your vial and your dose. Pick a mix. We show the draw and the cost.The vial holds a fixed amount of drug. Adding more water does not make more drug, it just spreads it thinner, so you draw a bigger number on the syringe for the same dose.
Choose your mix
Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.
Your draw
10 / 100 unitsHexarelin starts at $19.99 across 20 vendors, typically $5.91 – $15.92 per mg.
33 listings, last read Sep 5, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Dry powder in the freezer or fridge. Once mixed, fridge, and use within about a month.
Unmixed lyophilized Hexarelin keeps for a long time cold. Once you add water the clock starts: most reconstituted vials hold up for roughly 28 to 30 days at fridge temperature. Keep it out of light, and do not freeze it after mixing.
What are the side effects and cautions?
Known cautions and warnings for this compound.Can cause a histamine flush: temporary flushing, itching, or welts near the injection, usually mild and short-lived. Injecting slowly helps. If it spreads, or you get facial or throat swelling or trouble breathing, treat it as a reaction and get help immediately.
Who should avoid it
- Active cancer
- Pregnancy
- Banned in drug-tested sport
Stop and get help
- Signs of an allergic reaction
- Persistent milky nipple discharge
Common effects
- Raised prolactin and cortisol
- Water retention
- The body adapts quickly, so effects fade with continued use
What actually helps, according to the people doing it
Nobody's running trials on this. What follows is the folk wisdom that keeps surfacing in Reddit, peptide forums, and the Discord groups, sorted from "probably real" to "someone swears by it." Keep in mind, NONE of this is doctor advice.
Change how you inject (this helps most people)
The tip that comes up most on r/peptides is to add more water. Mix your vial with 3 or 4mL of bac water instead of 1 to 2mL. Same dose, spread thinner, so your skin reacts less.
Small habits people swear by
- 1Let it warm to room temperature. Cold stings more.
- 2Let the alcohol dry fully before the needle goes in.
- 3Inject slow, over five to ten seconds.
- 4Move your spot around, at least an inch from last time.
- 5For a hard lump, warm compress after. For a red itchy welt, ice.
Treat the itch
This is where Benadryl and Zyrtec come up constantly on the boards. Most people take one 30 to 60 minutes before the shot if they know they tend to react. Claritin works too. Some skip the pill and use Benadryl cream before, or hydrocortisone cream after. Quercetin gets mentioned a lot as the gentler, natural option.
One heads up you'll also see repeated: taking an allergy pill before every shot can hide a real allergy building underneath. That's why some people don't do it by default.
The deeper end
In the more advanced threads, people keep KPV around and inject it when a reaction flares, and say it clears fast. Others try low-dose naltrexone (LDN) as a longer-term fix, but that's real experimenter territory. And a common reminder on the forums: if your reactions are suddenly bad or started with a new vial, the peptide itself might be the problem, not you.
Redness that spreads past a couple inches, streaks, feels hot, oozes, or comes with a fever means a possible infection. See a doctor. Hives all over, a swollen face or throat, or trouble breathing is a real allergic reaction. Act on that right away.
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Hexarelin approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.No. Hexarelin is not approved for any use, anywhere. It is sold labelled for laboratory research only, and there is no legal route to buy it for human use.
- Approval statusResearch only
- RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)
- CheckedSeptember 2026
What has happened recently
We have not yet written a full regulatory note for this compound. The status above is current as of the date shown.
Banned in drug-tested sport. Most research peptides are prohibited under WADA's S0 category, which covers any substance with no approval from any regulatory authority for human use. That means a compound can be banned without ever being named on the prohibited list. Check with your own anti-doping authority rather than assuming absence from the list means permitted.
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
- DoseFrom research and community reports. No regulator has reviewed this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
- Reviewed8 September 2026
What else is like Hexarelin?
Others in Growth hormone peptides, side by side.If you're weighing Hexarelin, it's worth reading MK-677 (Ibutamoren), HGH (Somatropin), and Tesamorelin + Ipamorelin blend in the same class.
A strong growth-hormone releaser that the body adapts to quickly.
- Dose
- 0.1 mg per dose
- How often
- 1-2x daily
A once-daily pill that raises growth hormone for sleep, appetite, and muscle.
- Dose
- 10 up to 25 mg per day
- How often
- Daily, at night
Real injected growth hormone, the most powerful and priciest option.
- Dose
- 1 up to 3 IU per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily
Two growth-hormone signals in one shot, built around the belly-fat peptide.
- Dose
- 1.28 up to 2 mg tesamorelin per day (the ipamorelin follows your ratio)
- How often
- Daily, often at night
Guides for this compound
- How to Reconstitute a Peptide
Mix peptide powder with bacteriostatic water, step by step.
- How to Read an Insulin Syringe
Read the units, convert to millilitres, and draw the exact dose.
- mcg vs mg: The Peptide Dosing Mistake to Avoid
Your vial says mg and your protocol says mcg. Here is the conversion and how to check it.
- Why Does My Peptide Injection Itch or Welt
Injection-site irritation, a histamine reaction, or a true allergy, and how to tell them apart.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
Sources
- Arvat et al., effects of GHRP-2 and hexarelin on GH, prolactin, ACTH and cortisol in man(1997)Six normal young adults, intravenous dosing. Hexarelin raised GH strongly and also raised prolactin, ACTH and cortisol. Six subjects is the size of the human evidence base most often cited for this compound.
Last reviewed 8 September 2026
Beyond these, 328 records are indexed. Browse the records
