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Limited human dataNot FDA approved

Hexarelin side effects

Also known as: Examorelin · Hexarelin acetate · EP-23905 · MF-6003

Updated 26 sources

10 side effects reported for Hexarelin: 3 from studies and labels, 7 from users and guides. 3 come with the ways people manage them.

Hexarelin overview

Side effects reported in studies and labels

Rates as each trial or label states them. A rate from one trial does not carry over to research-grade vials or other doses.

From trials and regulators3

Clinical studies 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

Side effects users and guides report

What people post and what dosing guides list. These are reports, not measured rates.

From users and guides7

Community reports, competitor and vendor guides, media.

  • 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.

  • Vivid dreams

    Common with bedtime dosing, per one guide

Who should avoid it, and what not to combine

  • 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.

How much is known

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.

Sources for these side effects

9 sources, each checked by date. Record updated Oct 24, 2026. Numbers are restated in our own words and labelled by where they came from.

Competitor guide2

  1. HexarelinPeptidesExplorer · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. Hexarelin dosage guideBodyHackGuide · checked Oct 24, 2026

Community-reported2

  1. Hexarelin (self-logged doses)PeptIQ, via a competitor guide · checked Oct 24, 2026
  2. Hexarelin: community protocols and reportsPeptide Protocol Wiki, via a competitor guide · checked Oct 24, 2026

Back to the full Hexarelin page for dosing, the vial chart and storage.