Semax_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as ACTH 4-10
A peptide used for sharper focus, memory, and mental clarity.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Semax?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
It raises BDNF, a chemical that helps brain cells grow and connect. That is why people use it for focus and memory, and why it is used in Russia after strokes.
Semax is a 7-amino-acid peptide based on a fragment of ACTH, a brain-signaling hormone, given as a nasal spray.
What it's used for
Sharpens focus, memory, and mental clarity by raising a brain-growth signal. It works within about half an hour and is used in Russia for stroke recovery and attention.
How does Semax work?
What it does in the body, and where.Semax is seven amino acids based on a fragment of ACTH, a brain-signalling hormone, with the hormonal part removed. It is a nasal spray, and it is a registered medicine in Russia.
- 01It reaches the brain through the noseThe nasal route bypasses the blood-brain barrier, which is why it is usually sprayed rather than injected.
- 02BDNF risesBDNF is a protein that supports the growth and connection of brain cells, and raising it is the main proposed mechanism.
- 03Almost all research is Russian-languageIt has been used clinically there for decades for stroke and cognitive complaints, but the studies are largely not replicated or published in Western journals.
What else is it used for?
Each group 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.
Stroke recovery
Clinical use- RegulatoryIt is a registered prescription medicine in Russia for stroke, brain injury, and optic nerve disease.
- Human trialIn a study of 110 post-stroke patients, nasal Semax raised a brain-growth protein and improved daily-function and motor scores over about five months. The study had no randomization, no placebo group, and reported no statistics.
Focus and brain signaling
Early research- Animal studyA single nasal dose raised BDNF protein about 1.4-fold and its gene activity 3-fold in rat brain within hours.
- No dataNo Western randomized controlled trial exists for any use.
The published record
Papers and trials about Semax
Searched: Semax, ACTH 4-10.
107 papers tagged human · 80 not reviews or lab · 26 clinical trial publications
Furthest stage reached: Approved outside the US, Russia
Compare this against the whole library →
Nominated but withdrawn; previously category 2RegulatorsCounted 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.
At a glance
Four things to know about Semax
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.0.2 up to 0.6 mg per day, 1-2x daily. Taken in courses, usually 10 to 14 days, with breaks between Community practice
The Russian clinical literature uses course dosing rather than continuous use, and users report the effect fading if it is taken every day without a break. No controlled study has compared courses against continuous use.
MinutesHuman study
Refers to the nasal route. The underlying work is in Russian-language journals.
Not yet traced to a primary source.
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.
Semax starts at $10.00 across 157 vendors, typically $2.47 – $8.00 per mg.
240 listings, last read Oct 24, 2026. Shipping and card fees are not included.
How do you store it?
Before mixing, and after.Fridge after opening. Use within about 30 days.
Store sealed Semax 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.Solubility, computed: 43% charged residues, 57% hydrophobic. Water usually sufficient.
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
- No formal contraindications established outside Russia
- Pregnancy
Stop and get help
- No serious adverse events have been reported at studied doses
- Signs of an allergic reaction
Common effects
- Mild nasal irritation, from nasal use
- Occasional short-lived headache
- Possible difficulty sleeping if taken late in the day
- No tolerance, dependence, or withdrawal has been documented
- Nothing is documented about injecting it
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Semax approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not in the United States. Semax has no FDA approval and is sold there labeled for laboratory research only, so there is no legal route to buy it for human use. It is approved in Russia.
- Approval statusResearch only
- RouteNasal spray, or injected under the skin
- Checked9 October 2026
- Approved outside the USRussia: Registered in Russia as prescription nasal drops, 0.1 percent and 1 percent, made by Peptogen. Current registrations LP-(009449)-(RG-RU) and LP-(010596)-(RG-RU) replace earlier ones dating to the 1990s. Not approved in the US.This does not change the United States position above.
- DoseFrom published human studies. Not approved by a regulator for this dose.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
What has happened recently
Semax is approved and prescribed in Russia. It has never been approved in the United States. Not eligible for compounding under Section 503A: no monograph, not a component of an approved drug, not on the Bulks List. Previously in Category 2; the nomination was withdrawn. An FDA advisory committee recommended inclusion on July 23-24, 2026; that recommendation is non-binding and no rule has taken effect. The use the FDA evaluated: Cerebral ischemia, migraine and trigeminal neuralgia. Evaluation is not approval; if listed, the listed use would define what a pharmacy could compound it for.
What regulators say
From official documentsBriefing package prepared for the July 24, 2026 session
Checked 22 September 2026FDA: FDA Briefing Document, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting of July 23 to 24, 2026: introduction and FDA proposalsConsidered at the July 24, 2026 session
Checked 22 September 2026FDA: July 23 to 24, 2026 meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee: meeting materialsNominated but withdrawn; previously category 2
Listed as Semax (heptapeptide)
Checked 11 September 2026FDA: Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks (category 2 and withdrawn nominations), current as of April 22, 2026
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Semax?
Others in Brain, mood and sleep, side by side.If you're weighing Semax, it's worth reading DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide), Pinealon, and Dihexa in the same class.
A peptide used for sharper focus, memory, and mental clarity.
- Dose
- 0.2 up to 0.6 mg per day
- How often
- 1-2x daily
A before-bed peptide used to deepen sleep.
- Dose
- 0.1 up to 0.2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Nightly
A short bioregulator taken in courses for brain and sleep, with thin evidence.
- Dose
- 1 up to 10 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 10-20 day courses
A very potent experimental peptide studied for memory and brain connections.
- Dose
- 5 up to 20 mg per day (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily
Also sold in a blend: Semax + Selank blend
Compared with
Two Russian medicines no Western regulator has assessed. Semax is a seven amino acid peptide; Noopept is not a peptide at all.
Read comparison →Same Russian lab, same seven amino acids, built for different problems: Semax for alertness, Selank for anxiety.
Read comparison →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.
- How to Read a Peptide COA
What the purity number does and does not tell you, and how to spot an edited report.
- How to Vet a Peptide Vendor
Independent COAs, HPLC purity, and the red flags that mean walk away.
Sources
- Semax research review, Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation
- FDA, Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee meeting, July 23-24, 2026(2026)FDA meeting page listing the bulk drug substances reviewed and the uses considered.
Beyond these, 404 records are indexed. Browse the records