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Decoding

Pramlintide_Dosage, benefits & legal status

Also known as Symlin

By the Peptide Decoding Editorial Team

Published July 22, 2026 · Updated October 22, 2026

An approved mealtime shot used with insulin to blunt blood-sugar spikes and hunger.

Diabetes / appetiteAmylin analogFDA-approved

InAmylin analogsWeight loss

Common vial size5 mg

Dose0.015 up to 0.12 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)

FrequencyWith meals

RouteUnder the skin (subcutaneous)

StatusFDA-approved (US marketing ended)

MixYour choice, open the Pramlintide calculator

CycledNot cycled

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

See how this dose compares across the library →

What is Pramlintide?

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

Overview

Taken at meals alongside insulin in diabetes, it blunts the post-meal blood-sugar spike and reduces hunger. It is FDA-approved.

The technical version

Pramlintide is a synthetic version of amylin, a hormone released with insulin.

What it's used for

An approved mealtime shot used with insulin in diabetes. It blunts the blood-sugar spike after eating and reduces hunger.

How does Pramlintide work?

What it does in the body, and where.

Pramlintide copies amylin, and it was the first drug in this family, approved back in 2005 for use alongside insulin rather than for weight loss.

01
It replaces amylin, which is missing in type 1 diabetes
Amylin is released with insulin from the same cells, so people who cannot make insulin cannot make amylin either.
02
The after-meal blood sugar spike flattens
Its approved job: slowing stomach emptying and blunting the glucose surge that insulin alone handles poorly.
03
It must be injected separately from insulin
It cannot be mixed in the same syringe, which means extra injections at every meal and is the main reason uptake stayed low.

Anatomical illustration highlighting metabolic organs

WHAT THIS COMPOUND ACTS ON:

amylinFullness from the pancreas

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.

Smoothing out blood sugar spikes after meals, used with insulin in type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This is its approved useFDA-approved
Appetite reduction and weight loss, which is an off-label reason it gets prescribedClinical use

The published record

Research index

555

Papers and trials about Pramlintide

Searched: Pramlintide, Symlin.

352 papers tagged human · 167 not reviews or lab · 77 clinical trial publications

64 registered trials · 15 with posted results

Furthest stage reached: Approved in the US, no longer sold

Compare this against the whole library →

Browse the records

In animals101

In the lab7

Reviews134

Senior author shareSpread across many groups

Evidence summary

Counted from Europe PMC indexing, not read by a person; a human tag can land on reviews, commentary or lab papers; clinical trial publications is the narrower count. 416 papers and 64 trials indexed in detail.

Compound field notes

At a glance

Four things to know about Pramlintide

Evidence

FDA-approved

How much, and do you cycle it?

The range, and whether you take breaks.

0.015 up to 0.12 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly), with meals. Not cycled FDA label

Taken continuously for as long as it is working. Neither the label nor clinical practice describes an on/off schedule.

Compare this against the whole library →

How long does it stay in the body?

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

About 48 minutesFDA label

In healthy individuals. The main metabolite has a similar half-life and is active in vitro.

Source: Symlin label section 12.3, DailyMed setid 4aea30ff-eb0d-45c1-b114-3127966328ff

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.

Your vial size (mg)

Printed on the vial.

What you paid per vial

Used for cost per dose only.

Your dose (mcg)

Commonly referenced range: 15 up to 120 mcgFDA label

Choose your mix

This dose is in micrograms, so these mixes are too strong to measure. Enter a larger volume under your own mL.

Easiest0.5 mL water—units · 10 mg/mL

Half a 100-unit syringe

Easiest1 mL water—units · 5 mg/mL

One full 100-unit syringe

Easiest2 mL water—units · 2.5 mg/mL

Two full 100-unit syringes

Easiestyour own mL

units · —

Enter your own volume

Measuring the water1 mL = one full 100-unit syringe.

How do you store it?

Before mixing, and after.

Follow the label that came with it.

This is an approved product, and its own label sets how long it keeps once mixed. Those windows vary enormously between products, from use-immediately to about a month, so the label is the only thing worth following here. Vials of the same compound sold by peptide vendors arrive with no label and no established holding time.

What are the side effects and cautions?

Known cautions and warnings for this compound.

Solubility, computed: 11% charged residues, 43% hydrophobic. Acid may help.

A first-pass rule from peptide manufacturers' guidance. It does not account for disulfide bridges, salt form or how the powder was dried, and it predicts what should be easy rather than what will happen in your vial.

Who should avoid it

Check these before anything else.

Not being able to feel low blood sugar coming on (hypoglycemia unawareness)
Severe stomach-emptying problems (gastroparesis)
Pregnancy

Stop and get help

These are emergencies. Seek care.

Signs of severe low blood sugar such as confusion, shaking, sweating, or fainting, which is the boxed warning on this drug
Severe or persistent vomiting
Signs of an allergic reaction such as face or throat swelling, hives, or trouble breathing

Common effects

Expected, and usually mild.

Nausea, especially when starting
Reduced appetite
Headache
Injection-site reactions

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

Is Pramlintide approved?

And where the numbers on this page come from.

Approved, but no longer sold in the United States. Pramlintide was approved by the FDA, and the US product has since been discontinued.

Approval status
FDA-approved
Route
Under the skin (subcutaneous)
Checked
22 July 2026
Dose
From the drug label. The manufacturer tested this range and a regulator reviewed it.
Vial size
From what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
Sources
FDA prescribing information, Symlin

What has happened recently

Carries a boxed warning for severe low blood sugar, particularly in type 1 diabetes, when used with insulin. All three Symlin strengths under NDA 021332, approved March 16, 2005, are listed as discontinued on Drugs@FDA, and no generic has been approved, so the approval stands but the product is no longer sold in the United States.

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

What else is like Pramlintide?

Others in Amylin analogs, side by side.

If you're weighing Pramlintide, it's worth reading Cagrilintide, Eloralintide, and CagriSema in the same class.

YOU ARE HERE

Pramlintide

An approved mealtime shot used with insulin to blunt blood-sugar spikes and hunger.

FDA-approved

Dose: 0.015 up to 0.12 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
How often: With meals

CAGRI

Cagrilintide

A weekly fullness-hormone shot, often paired with semaglutide for bigger loss.

Investigational

Dose: 0.3 up to 4.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
How often: Weekly

ELORA

Eloralintide

An experimental weekly fullness-hormone shot for weight loss.

Investigational

Dose: 1 up to 9 mg per week (trial doses)
How often: Weekly

CAGSEM

CagriSema

A weekly two-in-one shot combining cagrilintide and semaglutide for bigger loss.

Investigational

Dose: 2.4 mg cagrilintide plus 2.4 mg semaglutide per week
How often: Weekly

See other amylin analogs

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.
Semaglutide vs Tirzepatide vs Retatrutide
One receptor, two, or three. Mechanism, trial weight loss, side effects, and real cost.

Sources

FDA prescribing information, Symlin(2005)
FDA approval; label carries a boxed warning for severe low blood sugar.

Beyond these, 480 records are indexed. Browse the records