Weight loss, phase 2b oral trial (METAOD006)
Timing and details
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Limited human dataNot FDA approved
AOD-9604
Also known as: AOD9604 · AOD 9604 · Advanced Obesity Drug · AOD-9604 acetate · AOD 9064
Updated 42 sources
AOD-9604 is a 16 amino acid fragment of the tail end of human growth hormone, built to keep GH's fat-burning signal without its growth effects. It was developed as an oral obesity drug, and its biggest trial failed to beat placebo. Today people inject it under the skin, usually next to a GLP-1, at doses no trial ever tested. It is not FDA approved, has no lawful 503A compounding route, and is banned in sport.
Quick facts
- Half-life
- About 3 minutes after an IV bolus in pigs and about 4 minutes in rat blood in vitro. No human subcutaneous data.
- Routes
- Oral
- Subcutaneous injection
- Reported dose ranges
- 0.25 to 30 mg (oral)
- 250 to 500 mcg (subcutaneous injection)
- 1 to 2 mg (subcutaneous injection)
- Vial sizes
- 2 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg
- FDA status
- Not FDA approved
- WADA
- Prohibited
What people use AOD-9604 for
- Stubborn or belly fat, usually added to retatrutide or tirzepatide (the most common use on Reddit)
- Recomposition while lean, paired with CJC-1295/ipamorelin or tesamorelin
- Joints and cartilage, based on one rabbit knee study and clinic marketing; few users report it
- Clinic-marketed uses with no human data: osteoporosis, cholesterol, diabetes, anti-aging, skin and muscle building
How it is thought to work. AOD-9604 is residues 177 to 191 of human growth hormone with an extra tyrosine at the front and a disulfide bridge between its two cysteines. In obese mice it cut body weight and fat and raised beta-3 adrenergic receptor expression, but the effect did not run directly through that receptor. It did not raise IGF-1 in human trials and showed no appetite, glucose or insulin effect in animals. FDA wrote in 2024 that its molecular target is still unknown.
AOD-9604 dosing
12 protocols from studies, guides and community reports, grouped by goal. Tap a source badge to see where a number came from.
Weight loss2
Weight loss, phase 2a oral trial (METAOD005)
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Fat loss8
Fat loss, most common start (dosing guides and community)
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Fat loss, 300 to 500 mcg ramp (dosing guides)
Titration (2 steps) and details
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Fat loss, weight-tiered, under 150 lb (dosing guide)
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Fat loss, weight-tiered, over 150 lb (dosing guide)
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Fat loss, split dose (dosing guide)
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Fat loss, community cheat-sheet range
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Fat loss, workout mornings only, with retatrutide (community)
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Fat loss, 500 mcg before fasted cardio (community)
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Other protocols: injected2
Recomp, 5 days on and 2 off (community)
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High-dose outliers (community)
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Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.
Full AOD-9604 dosage guideEvery titration step in syringe units, missed doses and how to mix.Vial strengths and syringe units
Every AOD-9604 vial size with the water volumes sources use. Units are what to draw on a U-100 insulin syringe, worked out exactly.
| Water | Strength | 250 mcgdose, units | 300 mcgdose, units | 500 mcgdose, units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mg vial | ||||
| 3 mLCompetitor guide | 0.667 mg/mL | 37.50.375 mL | 450.45 mL | 750.75 mL |
| 5 mg vial | ||||
| 1 mLCompetitor guide | 5 mg/mL | 50.05 mL | 60.06 mL | 100.1 mL |
| 2 mLCompetitor guide | 2.5 mg/mL | 100.1 mL | 120.12 mL | 200.2 mL |
| 3 mLCommunity-reported | 1.667 mg/mL | 150.15 mL | 180.18 mL | 300.3 mL |
| 10 mg vial | ||||
| 1 mLCompetitor guide† | 10 mg/mL | 2.50.025 mL | 30.03 mL | 50.05 mL |
| 2 mLCompetitor guide† | 5 mg/mL | 50.05 mL | 60.06 mL | 100.1 mL |
| 3 mLCommunity-reported† | 3.333 mg/mL | 7.50.075 mL | 90.09 mL | 150.15 mL |
Units are on a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL). U-50 and U-30 barrels read the same units.† Water volume sourced for a different vial size. The math is exact either way.Water volumes from
Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.
Calculate with this peptideYour vial, your water, your dose: AOD-9604 in syringe units, with the math shown.What people report
What AOD-9604 users write on Reddit, counted post by post. These are reports, not measured rates or advice.
Community-reportedFrom 868 Reddit posts and comments, last mined Oct 23, 2026r/Retatrutide, r/Peptides, r/Peptidesource, r/PeptideDiscussion
Doses people report for AOD-9604
Weight loss15 mentions
| Reported | Mentions |
|---|---|
| 300 mcg | 6 |
| 1 mg | 2 |
Goal not stated13 mentions
| Reported | Mentions |
|---|---|
| 3 mg | 2 |
| 5 mg | 2 |
| 250 mcg | 2 |
| 500 mcg | 2 |
How often
| Reported | Mentions |
|---|---|
| Once a day | 13 |
| 5 days on, 2 off | 4 |
Most mentioned alongside
Side effects people mention
Gelling13 mentions
Most common fixes: dilute with more bacteriostatic water (3), discontinue use (2)
Injection site burning or stinging4 mentions
Most common fix: dilute with more bacteriostatic water (2)
Headache2 mentions
Injection site redness2 mentions
Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.
AOD-9604 side effects
What trials and labels report, kept apart from what users and guides report. Frequencies are worded as each source states them.
Reported in studies and labels6
From clinical trials and regulatory documents.
Headache
Most common adverse event in IV studies (6 of 15 in one, 16 of 23 in another). Also reported in oral trials, more often at 54 mg.
Fatigue
Reported in IV studies summarized by FDA and the company authors. No rate given.
Low blood sugar
Unspecified hypoglycemia reported in IV studies summarized by FDA and the company authors. No rate given.
Dizziness
Reported in IV studies summarized by FDA and the company authors. No rate given.
Mild euphoria
5 people on AOD-9604 vs 0 on placebo in an IV study, judged possibly related.
Chest tightness
One severe event in an IV study, judged possibly related.
Reported by users and guides4
From community reports and dosing guides. Not measured rates.
No noticeable effect
The most common community complaint. Posters describe it as mild and say it does little without a GLP-1 or a calorie deficit.
How people manage it
- Most positive reports come from people running it alongside a GLP-1 and a calorie deficit, so judge it in that context.
Injection-site irritation
Listed in dosing-guide summaries. One report in app user logs summarized on a guide page.
Headache (guide and user-log reports)
Listed in dosing-guide summaries. Two reports in app user logs summarized on a guide page.
Gelled or cloudy vial after mixing
A recurring community complaint, with plain bacteriostatic water and sometimes even with acetic acid added.
How people manage it
- Reconstitute with 0.6% acetic acid, or a mix of acetic acid and bacteriostatic water.
Storage
Powder (before mixing)
- Temperature
- -20 °C
Freeze at -20 °C for long-term storage. A manufacturer safety sheet cited by FDA says 2 to 8 °C is fine for under 6 months; dosing guides use the fridge for short-term storage and shipping.
Mixed vial
- Temperature
- 2 to 8 °C
- Use within
- 28 days
Keep at 2 to 8 °C, away from light, and do not freeze and thaw. Guides give use-within windows from 21 to 45 days; about 4 weeks fits all of them. No stability study backs any window. Discard if cloudy, gelled, discolored or full of particles.
Mixed with: Bacteriostatic water, or 0.6% acetic acid for vials that gel
Mixing. AOD-9604 often gels, clumps or turns cloudy after mixing. FDA links its disulfide bridge to degradation and aggregation. Community fixes: 0.6% acetic acid alone or mixed with bacteriostatic water (one poster used 1 mL acetic acid plus 2 mL water in a 10 mg vial, another 0.5 mL plus 2.5 mL), and rolling instead of shaking. Some still gel with acid. Discard vials that stay cloudy. Clinics sell 600 mcg/mL 10 mL vials, 1 mg capsules and 250 mcg dissolving tablets.
Stacks people report
Combinations from guides and community posts, with the reason given.
The most common pairing on Reddit. Retatrutide handles appetite and AOD is added in hope of extra fat mobilization. No interaction data exists.
Same logic as with retatrutide: the GLP-1 drives appetite control and AOD is added for fat mobilization. Posters say AOD does little alone but helps alongside a GLP-1. No interaction data exists.
Run alongside semaglutide for the same reason as other GLP-1 stacks. Guides describe it as a belt-and-suspenders approach without citing interaction data.
Recomp stack: CJC-1295/ipamorelin before bed, AOD in the morning fasted. Premixed AOD plus CJC plus ipamorelin blends are also sold.
Usually paired with CJC-1295 at night, with AOD taken the next morning fasted, for recomposition.
Belly-fat stacks, sometimes with MOTS-c and a GLP-1 on top.
Run together in metabolic or belly-fat stacks, often with retatrutide.
Joint stacks, following a rabbit cartilage study and clinic marketing that pairs the two. Posters run BPC-157 for a knee alongside AOD.
Sometimes added to the BPC-157 joint stack; AOD plus BPC-157/TB-500 blends are discussed on Reddit.
- Hgh frag 176 191
Some posters stack both. At least one dosing guide advises against it because both act on the same pathway.
Compare AOD-9604
Evidence and legal status
Evidence: limited human data
Six small to mid-size company-funded human trials, oral and IV, with about 900 people, including single IV doses of 25 to 400 mcg/kg. Most report safety only; no antibodies formed and IGF-1 did not change. The one efficacy trial failed. None used the subcutaneous route people use today. Joint claims rest on one rabbit study.
FDA and WADA
Not FDA approved
An approval withdrawn, or removed from FDA's compounding lists.
Not FDA approved and not part of any approved drug. Not on the 503A bulks list: the PCAC voted 12 to 0 against listing it in December 2024, and FDA's May 2026 category list places it in no category, so there is no lawful 503A compounding route.
Placed in 503A Category 2 in Sept 2023, removed in Sept 2024 after nominators withdrew. FDA's safety-risk page still warns of significant immunogenicity risk. Compounders have sued FDA over Category 2 placements. A food-ingredient GRAS self-determination (2012, up to 1 mg a day per a 2014 report) exists; no FDA no-questions letter was found. Manufacturer certificates in the nominations lacked impurity, endotoxin and sterility testing. Australia lists it as a performance and image enhancing drug. WADA bans it at all times under S2.2.3.
WADA: Prohibited
AOD-9604 questions
What dose of AOD-9604 is typical?
250 to 300 mcg injected once daily, fasted, is the most common community dose, and some go up to 500 mcg. None of that has been tested in a trial. The human trials used oral doses from 0.25 mg to 30 mg a day.
When should I inject AOD-9604?
Sources agree on the morning, fasted, with water only, then 30 to 60 minutes before food. Many do cardio in that window. Clinic sites tell patients to inject 30 minutes before a meal.
How much bacteriostatic water do I add to a 5 mg vial?
Dosing guides use 1, 2 or 3 mL. More water makes each dose a bigger, easier-to-measure draw. Use the calculator for the exact syringe units.
Why did my AOD-9604 gel or go cloudy?
It is a common report. FDA notes the peptide's disulfide bridge can drive aggregation. Users switch to 0.6% acetic acid or an acid and water mix, roll the vial instead of shaking, and throw out vials that never clear.
Does AOD-9604 work?
Its only large human efficacy trial failed against placebo, and ClinicalTrials.gov lists no registered studies. For scale, semaglutide's STEP 1 trial showed 14.9% weight loss. Reddit reports are mixed, and most positive ones come from people also on a GLP-1.
What do AOD-9604 before and after results look like?
Almost all come from stacked protocols. One poster credited AOD with an extra half pound a week on top of retatrutide. That cannot be separated from the GLP-1, so treat it as an anecdote.
What is the difference between AOD-9604 and HGH Frag 176-191?
They are near-identical growth hormone tail fragments. AOD-9604 adds a tyrosine at the front of residues 177 to 191 and has a human safety dataset of about 900 people. Frag 176-191 has no controlled human trial.
Can I stack AOD-9604 with semaglutide or retatrutide?
People do, and it is the most common way it is used. No study has looked at the interaction.
Is AOD-9604 legal to compound?
No lawful 503A route exists. It is not on the bulks list, the FDA advisory committee voted 12 to 0 against adding it in December 2024, and FDA's 2026 category list places it in no category.
Is AOD-9604 banned in sport?
Yes. WADA prohibits it at all times under S2.2.3, which names AOD-9604 as a growth hormone fragment.
How long is an AOD-9604 cycle?
Guides and community cheat sheets quote 8 to 16 weeks on with 2 to 6 weeks off. Neither number comes from data.
Ask about AOD-9604
Answers come from this site's pages only, with a link to each source.
Sources
42 sources, each checked by date. Record updated Oct 23, 2026. Numbers are restated in our own words and labelled by where they came from.
Clinical study3
- Stier, Vos, Kenley 2013, Safety and Tolerability of the Hexadecapeptide AOD9604 in Humans, J Endocrinol Metab 3(1-2):7-15Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Kwon and Park 2015, Intra-articular AOD9604 with or without HA in rabbit OA, Ann Clin Lab SciPubMed · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Wilding et al. 2021, Once-Weekly Semaglutide in Adults with Overweight or Obesity (STEP 1), NEJMNEJM · checked Oct 23, 2026
Regulatory11
- FDA: certain peptide bulk drug substances, Category 2, 503A bulks, PCAC (Oct 2024)Reed Smith · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding May Present Significant Safety RisksFDA · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A (updated May 14, 2026)FDA · checked Oct 23, 2026
Competitor guide6
- AOD-9604 protocolpeptidedosingprotocols.com · checked Oct 23, 2026
- AOD-9604 (5 mg Vial) Dosage Protocolpeptidedosages.com · checked Oct 23, 2026
- AOD-9604 (2 mg Vial) Dosage Protocolpeptidedosages.com · checked Oct 23, 2026
Community-reported22
- Peptide cheat sheet: dosing, reconstitution (AOD 5 mg/3 mL, 250-500 mcg, 4-12 wk, 2-4 off)r/PeptideGuide · checked Oct 23, 2026
- AOD-9604 help (7 mg vial, 3 mL BAC, cloudy)r/PeptidePathways · checked Oct 23, 2026
- Comment: fasted AOD, nothing for 30-60 min, then cardior/Biohacking · checked Oct 23, 2026