Trial: twice daily for 16 weeks
Timing and details
Loading…
Limited human dataNot FDA approved
Hexarelin
Also known as: Examorelin · Hexarelin acetate · EP-23905 · MF-6003
Updated 26 sources
Hexarelin is a six-amino-acid peptide built from GHRP-6, and guides rank it the strongest GH releaser in the GHRP family; in head-to-head IV tests it matched GHRP-2. The catch: each dose also lifts prolactin and cortisol, and the GH response fades with daily use, then recovers after a few weeks off. People run it in short blocks, usually with a GHRH analog. It was never marketed.
Quick facts
- Half-life
- About 55 minutes, per a 2026 review. The 1994 study it cites gave 55 minutes for the fall in blood GH after a dose, so the figure describes the GH response more than the peptide itself.
- About 70 minutes in plasma, per guides.
- Duration of effect
- GH peaks about 30 minutes after an IV dose and is back to baseline within 240 minutes.
- Routes
- Subcutaneous injection
- Intravenous (IV)
- Nasal
- Forms
- Vial (powder)
- Reported dose ranges
- 50 to 300 mcg (subcutaneous injection)
- 1.5 mcg/kg (subcutaneous injection)
- 0.5 to 2 mcg/kg (intravenous (iv))
- 60 mcg/kg (nasal)
- Vial sizes
- 2 mg, 5 mg
- Chemistry
- 887.059 g/mol · C47H58N12O6 · CAS 140703-51-1
- FDA status
- Not FDA approved
- WADA
- Prohibited
What people use Hexarelin for
- A strong, short GH pulse for recovery, sleep and recomposition, usually paired with CJC-1295 no DAC or sermorelin
- Short 4 to 8 week blocks before switching to ipamorelin for longer use
- Interest in heart protection, which rests mostly on animal studies
- Research: GH stimulation tests and 1990s growth studies in short children
How it is thought to work. Hexarelin binds the ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a) on the pituitary and hypothalamus and triggers GH release. With a GHRH analog the pulse is far larger than either alone. Like GHRP-2 and GHRP-6, it also nudges prolactin, ACTH and cortisol. It binds CD36 on heart cells too, which studies tie to GH-independent heart effects.
Hexarelin dosing
16 protocols from studies, guides and community reports, grouped by goal. Tap a source badge to see where a number came from.
Trial4
Trial: 2 or 3 shots in one day
Timing and details
Loading…
Trial: single IV test dose
Timing and details
Loading…
Trial: nasal spray in short children
Timing and details
Loading…
Other protocols: injected12
Forum convention
Timing and details
Loading…
Community standard
Community starting dose
Timing and details
Loading…
Self-logged doses
Timing and details
Loading…
Beginner
Timing and details
Loading…
Intermediate
Timing and details
Loading…
Conservative
Standard
5 days a week
Timing and details
Loading…
Research table: start to maximum
Low split dosing
With CJC-1295 no DAC (hexarelin amount; CJC 100 mcg)
Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.
Full Hexarelin dosage guideEvery titration step in syringe units, missed doses and how to mix.Vial strengths and syringe units
Every Hexarelin vial size with the water volumes sources use. Units are what to draw on a U-100 insulin syringe, worked out exactly.
| Water | Strength | 100 mcgdose, units | 150 mcgdose, units | 200 mcgdose, units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mg vial | ||||
| 2 mLCompetitor guide | 1 mg/mL | 100.1 mL | 150.15 mL | 200.2 mL |
| 5 mg vial | ||||
| 1 mLCommunity-reported | 5 mg/mL | 20.02 mL | 30.03 mL | 40.04 mL |
| 2 mLCompetitor guide | 2.5 mg/mL | 40.04 mL | 60.06 mL | 80.08 mL |
Units are on a U-100 insulin syringe (100 units = 1 mL). U-50 and U-30 barrels read the same units.Water volumes from
Doses shown are what sources report, labelled by origin. Not medical advice.
Calculate with this peptideYour vial, your water, your dose: Hexarelin in syringe units, with the math shown.Hexarelin 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 labels3
From clinical trials and regulatory documents.
Cortisol, ACTH and prolactin rise after a dose
Dose-dependent in healthy men: prolactin peaked at a 180% rise at 1 mcg/kg IV and cortisol stepped up about 40% at 0.5 mcg/kg. After 16 weeks of twice-daily use there was no over-stimulation
GH response fades with daily use
In 12 elderly adults on twice-daily shots, GH output fell by week 4 and stayed lower at week 16. In children on nasal hexarelin, it dropped within 7 days, then held
How people manage it
- The response returned to baseline 4 weeks after stopping in the 16-week study.
Less deep sleep with night doses
Repeated night doses cut stage 4 sleep in 7 young volunteers and raised GH, prolactin, ACTH and cortisol
Reported by users and guides6
From community reports and dosing guides. Not measured rates.
Water retention
Often more pronounced than with other GHRPs, per guides; mild and strongest in the first 2 to 3 weeks of daily use. The side effect most logged by app users
Tingling or numbness
Guides list tingling or numbness in the hands and feet, carpal-tunnel-like at higher doses; community reports describe it shortly after a shot
More appetite
Moderate, between ipamorelin and GHRP-6, per guides
Flushing and headache
Facial flushing that fades within 15 to 30 minutes; headache, mostly in the first week, per one guide
Lower insulin sensitivity
Guides report it with chronic dosing and call raised blood glucose rare
How people manage it
- Guides check fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HbA1c before and during a cycle.
Nipple sensitivity (prolactin)
Less common, in people prone to prolactin effects, per guides
How people manage it
- Guides say to stop and switch to ipamorelin if it appears.
Who should avoid it
Prolactin-sensitive conditionsCondition
Hexarelin raises prolactin more than ipamorelin. Guides say people with prolactinoma or existing gynecomastia should avoid it.
Active cancerCondition
Raising GH and IGF-1 carries a theoretical tumour-growth risk, so guides list it as a reason to avoid.
Pregnancy and breastfeedingCondition
No safety data.
Glucocorticoids such as prednisoneSubstance
Guides say they add to the cortisol load and blunt the GH response.
Other ghrelin agonists at the same timeSubstance
GHRP-2, GHRP-6, ipamorelin and MK-677 hit the same receptor, so guides call layering them redundant.
Anxiety or mood disordersCondition
Guides flag the cortisol effect as a poor fit for people with anxiety or HPA-axis problems.
Storage
Powder (before mixing)
- Temperature
- 2 to 8 °C
Fridge, 2 to 8 °C, sealed. One guide calls it stable for 2 years; another says room temperature or fridge, away from light.
Powder (before mixing)
- Temperature
- -20 °C
Freezer, -20 °C, for long-term storage.
Mixed vial
- Temperature
- 2 to 8 °C
- Use within
- 21 to 30 days
Fridge, 2 to 8 °C; never freeze. Guides give 21 to 30 days; PeptIQ says 28.
Mixed with: Bacteriostatic water
Mixing. Use bacteriostatic water, not saline, which one guide says can make it precipitate. The solution should be clear; do not use it if cloudy.
Stacks people report
Combinations from guides and community posts, with the reason given.
CJC-1295 no DAC at 100 mcg in the same syringe. GHRP plus GHRH gives a bigger GH pulse than either alone; guides keep the hexarelin part to 4 to 6 weeks.
Sermorelin 200 to 300 mcg with hexarelin before bed for 4 to 6 weeks, then hexarelin is swapped for ipamorelin or GHRP-2.
Used after a hexarelin cycle rather than with it: ipamorelin 200 to 300 mcg 2 to 3 times a day for 12 to 16 weeks as maintenance. Some community users rotate the two.
Tesamorelin 1 mg as the GHRH partner when belly-fat reduction is also a goal.
Paired for recovery phases; different pathways, so guides call it a non-interfering stack.
Added with BPC-157 for soft-tissue recovery during hard training blocks.
Compare Hexarelin
Evidence and legal status
Evidence: limited human data
Many small human studies from the 1990s and 2000s (most with 6 to 13 people), mostly single IV doses. The longest ran 16 weeks under the skin in 12 elderly adults and 6 to 10 months by nasal spray in short children, where growth sped up. No body-composition trials. Heart data in people are short-term LVEF changes; heart protection is animal work. No trials are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.
FDA and WADA
Not FDA approved
No approval, no trial program and not on FDA's compounding lists.
Not FDA approved. Hexarelin is not named on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk substance category lists or its compounding safety-risk page. It reached Phase 2 trials in Europe and was never marketed.
WADA 2026 names examorelin (hexarelin) under S2.2.4 GH-releasing peptides, banned at all times. Development stopped at Phase 2 for GH deficiency and heart failure. No hexarelin trials are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.
WADA: Prohibited
Hexarelin questions
What is hexarelin?
A six-amino-acid peptide built from GHRP-6. It switches on the ghrelin receptor and releases a strong GH pulse, with smaller rises in prolactin, ACTH and cortisol. It reached Phase 2 trials for GH deficiency and heart failure and was never marketed.
How much hexarelin per shot?
100 to 200 mcg is the center, 1 to 3 times a day. Forum protocols in a 2026 review run 100 to 200 mcg once or twice daily. Guides treat about 200 mcg as the ceiling because cortisol keeps climbing past it while GH does not.
How many units is 100 mcg of hexarelin?
With a 5 mg vial mixed with 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (2.5 mg/mL), 100 mcg is 0.04 mL, or 4 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. Use the calculator for other mixes.
How much water goes in a hexarelin vial?
2 mL is the usual choice for a 5 mg vial, giving 2.5 mg/mL. For a 2 mg vial, 2 mL gives 1 mg/mL. Community users report 1 to 2 mL per 5 mg vial.
Does hexarelin stop working?
Partly. In 12 healthy elderly adults on twice-daily shots, GH output was clearly lower at week 4 and week 16. Four weeks after stopping, it was back to baseline. The fade is partial and reversible, which is why people cycle it.
How long is a hexarelin cycle?
Guides disagree. Some keep it short, 4 to 6 weeks on and 2 to 4 off. Others, and forum protocols, run 8 to 12 weeks on with about 4 weeks off. The only long human study ran 16 weeks and saw recovery after 4 weeks off.
Does hexarelin raise cortisol and prolactin?
After a single dose, yes, and more as the dose rises. In healthy men, prolactin peaked at a 180% rise and cortisol rose about 40% at moderate IV doses. After 16 weeks of twice-daily shots, a study found no over-stimulation; cortisol output was actually a little lower and prolactin unchanged.
Is hexarelin good for the heart?
Unproven in people. In 7 healthy men, one IV dose raised the heart's pumping fraction (LVEF) from 64.0% to 70.7% for up to an hour, apparently independent of GH. In 13 patients with heart muscle disease, LVEF rose only in the ischemic type. Protection from heart damage comes from animal studies.
Should hexarelin be taken fasted?
Guides say yes: 2 to 3 hours after the last meal, because raised glucose and insulin blunt the GH release. Pre-bed and first thing in the morning are the usual slots.
What is the half-life of hexarelin?
Short. A 2026 review gives about 55 minutes, though the 1994 study behind that number measured how fast GH fell after the dose; guides say about 70 minutes. Either way each shot gives one GH pulse.
Does oral or nasal hexarelin work?
Poorly. In a 1994 study, bioavailability was 77% under the skin, 4.8% through the nose and 0.3% by mouth. Oral doses of 20 to 40 mg still raised GH, but that is milligrams to match a microgram shot.
Hexarelin vs ipamorelin: which one?
Hexarelin gives the bigger GH pulse but brings cortisol and prolactin rises and fades with daily use. Ipamorelin largely spares cortisol and prolactin, so guides use it for long stretches and hexarelin for short blocks.
Is hexarelin FDA approved?
No. It is not approved, and it is not named on FDA's 503A or 503B bulk substance lists or its compounding safety-risk page. No hexarelin trials are registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Is hexarelin banned in sport?
Yes. WADA's 2026 list names examorelin (hexarelin) among the GH-releasing peptides in S2.2.4, banned in and out of competition.
Ask about Hexarelin
Answers come from this site's pages only, with a link to each source.
Sources
26 sources, each checked by date. Record updated Oct 24, 2026. Numbers are restated in our own words and labelled by where they came from.
Clinical study13
- ClinicalTrials.gov search for hexarelinClinicalTrials.gov · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Chronic hexarelin, the pituitary-adrenal axis and prolactin (Rahim 1999)PubMed · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Does desensitization to hexarelin occur? (Rahim 1998)PubMed · checked Oct 24, 2026
Regulatory4
- 503A bulk drug substance categories (May 14, 2026)FDA · checked Oct 24, 2026
- 503B bulk drug substance categories (March 21, 2025)FDA · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Certain bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risksFDA · checked Oct 24, 2026
Reference work2
- ExamorelinWikipedia · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Hexarelin (CID 6918297) propertiesPubChem · checked Oct 24, 2026
Competitor guide4
- HexarelinPeptideDeck · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Hexarelin protocol guidePathToPeptides · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Hexarelin dosage guideBodyHackGuide · checked Oct 24, 2026
Community-reported3
- Hexarelin: community protocols and reportsPeptide Protocol Wiki, via a competitor guide · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Performance-enhancing peptides modulating the GH-IGF-1 axis (Dominikowski 2026)PMC, via a study · checked Oct 24, 2026
- Hexarelin (self-logged doses)PeptIQ, via a competitor guide · checked Oct 24, 2026