Strong human trialsFDA approved as Scenesse

Melanotan 1 side effects

Also known as: Afamelanotide · Scenesse · MT-1 · MT1 · Melanotan I · [Nle4, D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH · NDP-MSH

Updated Oct 24, 202628 sources

10 side effects reported for Melanotan 1: 8 from studies and labels, 2 from users and guides. 3 come with the ways people manage them.

Skin & hair

Melanotan 1 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 regulators8

Clinical studies and regulatory documents.

Implant site reaction
21% on Scenesse vs 10% on a dummy implant in the EPP trials; discoloration at the site was the most common (10%).
Nausea
19% on Scenesse vs 14% on a dummy implant (EPP trials, through month 6).
Sore throat and cough
Oropharyngeal pain 7% vs 5%; cough 6% vs 3% (Scenesse vs dummy implant).
Fatigue, dizziness, sleepiness
Fatigue 6% vs 3%, dizziness 4% vs 3%, somnolence 2% vs 1% (Scenesse vs dummy implant).
Darker skin, moles and freckles
Skin hyperpigmentation 4% vs 0% and new or changing moles (melanocytic nevus) 4% vs 2% in the EPP trials. Darkening of existing moles and freckles is an expected effect.
How people manage it
- The label recommends a full body skin exam twice a year to check existing and new pigmented spots.
Allergic reactions
Serious hypersensitivity, including hives, angioedema and anaphylaxis, reported after approval; rate unknown.
How people manage it
- The label says to treat it, remove the implant if needed, and give no further Scenesse.
Stomach upset and facial flushing (trial injections)
Minor in the early daily-injection trials: occasional gut upset, nausea and brief facial flushing.
Mole changes with unregulated melanotan
Case reports link unregulated melanotan I and II to changes in existing moles, new atypical moles and four melanomas; no causal link is proven.

Side effects users and guides report

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

From users and guides2

Community reports, competitor and vendor guides, media.

Flushing and mild nausea (community)
r/Melanotan2 users on 250 to 500 mcg describe flushing for about an hour and brief, mild nausea, mostly in the first weeks; some report no side effects at all.
How people manage it
- One user who started at 0.25 mg a day says symptoms stopped after the two-week loading phase.
Freckles darken, fewer new moles than MT2 (community)
Users report darker freckles and few or no new moles, compared with a burst of new dark moles on MT2.

Who should avoid it, and what not to combine

Allergy to afamelanotide or the implant's ingredientsCondition
The label's only contraindication: a history of severe hypersensitivity to afamelanotide or its excipients.
PregnancyCondition
The label has no data on use in pregnant women, so the risk to a pregnancy is unknown.
Other melanocortin agonists such as MT2 or PT-141Substance
Same receptor family; one guide lists other melanocortin agonists as a combination to avoid.

How much is known

Strong human trials

Strong for EPP: two phase 3 randomized trials (US 94, EU 74 patients) and a 244-patient label safety pool, plus up to 8 years of follow-up in 115 patients. Smaller trials showed tanning and less UV damage at 0.08 to 0.16 mg/kg daily, and better vitiligo repigmentation with light therapy. The 0.25 to 1 mg vial doses people use for tanning were never trialled.