Oxytocin is a neuropeptide hormone used for bonding & mood. Oxytocin is a natural 9-amino-acid hormone made in the brain, released during touch, closeness, and childbirth. In plain terms: known as the 'bonding hormone,' it is used as a nasal spray or tablet for connection, mood, and sometimes libido, with subtle, short-lived effects.

How much water do I add to Oxytocin?

You can reconstitute Oxytocin with 0.5, 1, or 2 mL of bacteriostatic water. Each option produces a different concentration and syringe draw for the same dose. Use the calculator to see which is easiest to measure.

What does Oxytocin cost per dose?

Cost per dose depends on vial size, price paid, and your dose. Enter your vendor's price in the Oxytocin calculator to see cost per dose and monthly cost.

What is the reference dose for Oxytocin?

The commonly referenced range is 18 up to 40 IU per dose, taken as needed. This is reference information, not a recommendation. Talk to a licensed clinician.

What are the side effects of Oxytocin?

Reported side effects of Oxytocin include: Generally well tolerated and short-acting.. Severity and frequency vary by person and dose.

Who should not take Oxytocin?

Oxytocin is generally not appropriate for: Any obstetric situation where labour should not be induced, which is a decision for a clinician only; Never appropriate for self-administration in pregnancy. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting.

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Decoding

Oxytocin_Dosage, benefits & legal status

Also known as Pitocin, Syntocinon

By the Peptide Decoding Editorial Team

Published July 22, 2026 · Updated July 25, 2026

The bonding hormone, used for connection, mood, and sometimes libido.

Bonding & moodNeuropeptide hormoneClinical use

InSexual and hormonalTaken without a needle

Common vial size5 mg

Dose18 up to 40 IU per dose

FrequencyAs needed

RouteNasal spray or under the tongue

StatusPrescription/compounded

MixYour choice, calculate it

CycledUsually spaced rather than daily. Trials have deliberately dosed every other day

Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.

What is Oxytocin?

Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.

Overview

It is known as the bonding hormone. People use a nasal spray or tablet for connection, mood and sometimes libido. The effects are subtle and short-lived.

The technical version

Oxytocin is a natural 9-amino-acid hormone made in the brain, released during touch, closeness, and childbirth.

What it's used for

The bonding hormone, used as a nasal spray or under-the-tongue tablet for connection, mood, trust, and sometimes libido. The effects are subtle and short.

How does Oxytocin work?

What it does in the body, and where.

Oxytocin is nine amino acids and does two very different jobs: it drives labour contractions and it shapes social bonding.

01
It binds oxytocin receptors in the brain and uterus
The same molecule, entirely different consequences depending on where it lands.
02
Sensitivity depends on hormonal state
Uterine oxytocin receptors multiply enormously toward the end of pregnancy, which is why the same dose does almost nothing earlier.
03
Whether nasal oxytocin reaches the brain is contested
Studies disagree on how much crosses. The bonding and trust findings from the 2010s have also replicated poorly.
04
It is a hospital drug for its approved use
Labour induction is done with monitoring, because too much causes dangerously strong contractions.

Where it acts

Brain

Where this compound is thought to act.

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.

Starting or strengthening labour contractions and controlling heavy bleeding after childbirth, which are its approved hospital usesFDA-approved
Social connection, mood, and anxiety using a nasal spray, where results have been mixed and no use is approvedEarly research

The published record

Research index

2,378

Records indexed for Oxytocin400 papers and 100 trials indexed in detail.

323 in humans, 180 of them original studies.

272 registered trials, 36 with posted results among the 100 indexed.

FDA: Category 1, component of an FDA-approved drug.

Browse the records

In animalsPro

In the labPro

ReviewsPro

Senior author sharePro

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 11 September 2026.

Compound field notes

At a glance

Four things to know about Oxytocin

Evidence

Clinical use

How much, and do you cycle it?

The range, and whether you take breaks.

18 up to 40 IU per dose, as needed. Usually spaced rather than daily. Trials have deliberately dosed every other dayHuman study

Repeated dosing appears to down-regulate the receptor, which is the leading explanation for why daily-for-weeks trials have generally disappointed. Several trials now dose every other day specifically to avoid over-stimulating the receptor. No schedule is established, but daily indefinite use is the pattern with evidence against it.

Source: Chronic intranasal oxytocin alters OXTR methylation (Nature Communications, 2024)

Compare this against the whole library →

How long does it stay in the body?

The half-life, and where the figure comes from.

1 to 6 minutes into a veinFDA label

The approved product is Pitocin, given by drip into a vein or injected into muscle in an obstetric setting. The nasal and sublingual forms people buy are compounded, have no approved label, and no half-life has been published for either. A figure from an intravenous obstetric drug does not carry across to a nasal spray.

Source: Pitocin labelling, clinical pharmacology section

You can compare this against the whole library to see where it sits.

What does it cost?

Typical dose and cost, in plain numbers.

Oxytocin is not injected

It is taken nasal spray or under the tongue. This range is for the intranasal research dose. Hospital use for labour is a titrated intravenous drip measured in milliunits per minute, which is a completely different thing and is not what this range describes.

Cost per month

—

Cost per dose

—

Typical dose

18 mg–40 mg / doseTrial dose

What it costs

Oxytocin starts at $10.00 across 35 vendors, typically $4.50 – $22.50 per mg.

48 listings, last read Sep 5, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.

See all 48 listings →

How do you store it?

Before mixing, and after.

Fridge after opening. Use within about 30 days.

Store sealed Oxytocin in the fridge. Once opened, keep it upright in the fridge and plan to finish it inside roughly 30 days. Keep it out of light and do not freeze the liquid.

What are the side effects and cautions?

Known cautions and warnings for this compound.

Who should avoid it

Check these before anything else.

Any obstetric situation where labour should not be induced, which is a decision for a clinician only
Never appropriate for self-administration in pregnancy

Stop and get help

These are emergencies. Seek care.

In hospital use, this is monitored by staff
For nasal-spray use, signs of an allergic reaction or a severe headache

Common effects

Expected, and usually mild.

Nasal irritation with sprays
Headache
Short-lived effects that fade within an hour or so

What regulators say

FDA: Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503B (interim categories 1, 2, 3), updated March 21, 2025
Category 1, component of an FDA-approved drug
Checked 11 September 2026

Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.

Is Oxytocin approved?

And where the numbers on this page come from.

Not approved, but legal to obtain. Oxytocin has no FDA approval, and it can be prescribed or prepared by a compounding pharmacy in the United States.

Approval status
Clinical use
Route
Nasal spray or under the tongue
Checked
July 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.

You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.

DoseFrom product labeling and clinical guidelines.
Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
Sources
DailyMed, Pitocin prescribing information NIH StatPearls, oxytocin
Reviewed22 July 2026

What else is like Oxytocin?

Others in Sexual and hormonal, side by side.

If you're weighing Oxytocin, it's worth reading Testagen, Prostamax, and Triptorelin in the same class.

YOU ARE HERE

Oxytocin

The bonding hormone, used for connection, mood, and sometimes libido.

Clinical use

Dose: 18 up to 40 IU per dose
How often: As needed

KEDG

Testagen

A lab-made 4 amino acid peptide aimed at the testes.

Research only

Dose: Research only
How often: Daily, in 10-20 day courses

KEDP

Prostamax

A lab-made 4 amino acid peptide aimed at the prostate.

Research only

Dose: Research only
How often: Daily, in 10-20 day courses

TRIPTORELIN

Triptorelin

An FDA-approved hormone drug for prostate cancer, sold by research vendors for something else entirely.

FDA-approved

Dose: Set by an FDA label
How often: Monthly to six-monthly depot

Compare peptides used for libido and hormones See all needle-free options

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.

Sources

DailyMed, Pitocin prescribing information(2026)
Current FDA label for hospital obstetric use.
NIH StatPearls, oxytocin(2023)
NIH clinical reference on oxytocin.

Last reviewed 22 July 2026

Beyond these, 500 records are indexed. Browse the records