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_

Q: What is Oxytocin?

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.

Also known as Pitocin, Syntocinon

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

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.

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

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 cycling across compounds →

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.

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

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Cost per dose

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Typical dose

18 mg–40 mg / doseTrial dose

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

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.

Clinical use

Yes. Approved for clinical use.

A regulator has cleared it for specific uses in a clinical setting.

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 PT-141 (Bremelanotide), Kisspeptin, and Gonadorelin (GnRH) 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

PT-141 (Bremelanotide)

An approved shot that boosts sexual desire through the brain.

FDA-approved

Dose: 1.75 mg per dose
How often: As needed, before activity

Kisspeptin

A peptide that switches on natural sex-hormone signaling for libido and fertility.

Research only

Dose: Varies (research)
How often: As studied

Gonadorelin (GnRH)

A shot that keeps your own testosterone and fertility hormones going.

Clinical use

Dose: 0.1 up to 0.2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
How often: 2-3x per week or more

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

What these words mean

Show glossary +

Titrate: Starting at a low dose and increasing it slowly over time so your body adjusts and side effects stay mild.
Subcutaneous: An injection just under the skin, into the fat layer, usually with a short, thin insulin needle.
Intramuscular (IM): An injection into a muscle, using a longer needle.
Reconstitution: Mixing a powdered peptide with liquid (bacteriostatic water) so it can be drawn into a syringe.
Bacteriostatic water: Sterile water with a tiny amount of preservative, used to mix powdered peptides.
Concentration: How strong the mixed peptide is, in milligrams per milliliter (mg/mL). More water makes it weaker; less water makes it stronger.
Units (on the syringe): The marks on an insulin syringe. 100 units equals 1 mL. They measure how much liquid you draw, not the dose in milligrams.
mcg and mg: Units of dose. 1 milligram (mg) equals 1,000 micrograms (mcg).
GLP-1: A natural gut hormone that lowers appetite and blood sugar. Drugs that copy it, like semaglutide, are used for weight loss.
Growth hormone secretagogue: A compound that nudges your body to release more of its own growth hormone, rather than injecting the hormone itself.
Half-life: How long a compound stays active in your body. A longer half-life means you inject less often.
Peptide vs small molecule: A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. A few items here (like MK-677 or methylene blue) are small molecules, not true peptides, but people use them the same way.
Research only: No approved dose or use in people. Sold for research and not reviewed by the FDA for safety or quality.
Investigational: Still being tested in clinical trials and not yet approved or legally sold for general use.
Banned in drug-tested sport: Prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA); using it can disqualify a competing athlete.

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