Sermorelin_Dosage, benefits & legal status
Also known as GRF 1-29, Geref
A gentle shot that prompts your body to make more of its own growth hormone.
Common vial size is what vendors typically sell, not a recommendation. Enter your own vial in the calculator.
What is Sermorelin?
Plain language first. The technical label stays, but it never stands alone.Overview
What it's used for
Encourages your body to make more of its own growth hormone for better recovery, deeper sleep, more muscle, and slower aging. A gentler route than injecting growth hormone directly.
How does Sermorelin work?
What it does in the body, and where.Sermorelin is a shortened copy of GHRH, containing the first 29 amino acids, which is the smallest piece that still works.
- 01It reaches the GHRH receptor on your pituitaryThe same receptor your own hormone uses, so the pituitary responds the way it normally would.
- 02Your body makes the growth hormone itselfWhich means your own feedback loops still apply, and the pituitary can decline to respond if levels are already high.
- 03It clears within minutesA short, natural-shaped pulse. That is gentler than injected growth hormone, and also far less powerful.
A schematic of the compound's mechanism, not a diagnostic image.
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.
Growth in children
FDA-approved- Human trialIn 110 growth-hormone-deficient children, growth rate rose from 4.1 cm a year to 8.0 cm a year at six months, settling at 7.2 cm a year at twelve months.
- Human trialAbout 74% of those children were good responders.
- RegulatoryIt was approved in 1990 and 1997, then withdrawn from the US market in 2009 for commercial reasons, not safety or effectiveness.
Adult and anti-aging claims
Early research- Human trialIn elderly men, 1 mg twice daily raised IGF-1 toward young-adult levels.
- Human trialResults are inconsistent. One study found lean-mass gain in men only, and another in 11 men found no significant change at all.
- No dataThe adult body-composition claims rest on studies of under 20 people, over a few weeks, measuring blood markers rather than outcomes.
A specific lean-mass gain figure circulates widely online but traces to a secondary peptide website rather than the original study.
The published record
Papers and trials about Sermorelin
Searched: Sermorelin, GRF 1-29, Geref.
107 papers tagged human · 63 not reviews or lab · 13 clinical trial publications
27 registered trials · 11 with posted results
Furthest stage reached: Approved in the US, no longer sold, Geref, approval withdrawn in 2013, not for safety or effectiveness
Compare this against the whole library →
Category 1, component of an FDA-approved drugRegulatorsCounted 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 Sermorelin
Evidence
Clinical use
Category
Growth hormone
Common vial
10 mg
Half-life
10 to 20 minutes
How much, and do you cycle it?
The range, and whether you take breaks.0.2 up to 0.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly), daily/nightly. Not cycled Clinical use
In clinical use it is given nightly and continuously for as long as it is working. The on/off schedules attached to it online come from the research-peptide market, not from how it is prescribed.
10 to 20 minutesDiscontinued label
From the label of Geref, which is no longer marketed. Compounded sermorelin has no label of its own.
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.
Sermorelin starts at $23.99 across 135 vendors, typically $5.00 – $12.50 per mg.
207 listings, last read Oct 24, 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 Sermorelin 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.Solubility, computed: 31% charged residues, 41% 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
- Known allergy to sermorelin
- Active cancer, since it raises growth hormone and IGF-1
- Pregnancy
Stop and get help
- Swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing, or hives
Common effects
- Injection-site redness, irritation, or pain, which is the most common effect
- Flushing
- Headache and occasional dizziness
- Generally mild
Where this page says nothing is established, that means nobody has studied it, not that a compound is safe.
Is Sermorelin approved?
And where the numbers on this page come from.Not approved, but legal to obtain. Sermorelin has no FDA approval, and it can be prescribed or prepared by a compounding pharmacy in the United States.
- Approval statusClinical use
- RouteUnder the skin, at bedtime
- Checked22 July 2026
- DoseFrom product labeling and clinical guidelines.
- Vial sizeFrom what vendors typically list; not a recommendation.
- Sources
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.
What regulators say
From official documentsProhibited at all times, in and out of competition. S2.2.4 Growth hormone releasing factors: GHRH and its analogues (sermorelin named). Non-Specified.
Checked 12 September 2026WADA: The 2026 Prohibited List (in force 1 January 2026)Category 1, component of an FDA-approved drug
Listed as Sermorelin Acetate
Checked 11 September 2026FDA: Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503B (interim categories 1, 2, 3), updated March 21, 2025
You can compare this against the whole library, or read how to check a seller.
What else is like Sermorelin?
Others in Growth hormone peptides, side by side.If you're weighing Sermorelin, it's worth reading Ipamorelin + CJC-1295 (no DAC) blend, CJC-1295 with DAC, and Tesamorelin + Ipamorelin blend in the same class.
A gentle shot that prompts your body to make more of its own growth hormone.
- Dose
- 0.2 up to 0.5 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- Daily/nightly
The popular growth-hormone combo in one shot, for muscle, recovery, and sleep.
- Dose
- ~0.1 mg CJC-1295 per dose, with the ipamorelin fixed at whatever ratio the vial was mixed at
- How often
- Daily, often at night
A once-or-twice-weekly shot that keeps your growth hormone raised for days.
- Dose
- 1 up to 2 mg per dose (start low, increase slowly)
- How often
- 1-2x per week
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
Also sold in a blend: Sermorelin + Ipamorelin blend
Compared with
Distributing HGH for anti-aging is a federal felony carrying five years. Sermorelin lost to it commercially in 2008 and can still be legally compounded.
Read comparison →Two growth hormone peptides sold side by side. One was an approved drug and can still be compounded on prescription. The other was voted down in October 2024.
Read comparison →Three act on the GHRH receptor and one copies ghrelin. Only tesamorelin is approved, and the two with the weakest outcome data were both voted down by the FDA in late 2024.
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.
Sources
- Sermorelin paediatric growth trial, PubMed, 1996
- Geref withdrawal determination, Federal Register, 2013
Beyond these, 239 records are indexed. Browse the records