The Peptide Desk The Peptide Desk

This information is for research and educational purposes only. No medical recommendations. Products are not approved for human use. For health questions, consult a doctor.

Lexicon
Hormones & growth

Sermorelin

A classic GHRH analogue. Stimulates the body's own growth-hormone release, short and close to the natural rhythm.

3 min read 9 sources

To the product To the calculator
Sermorelin vial with white powder and the black TPD label on a white podium, next to a large blue 3D peptide chain in a bright lab
Formerly approved · first in 1990

Summary

At a glance

Sources checked on 26 Oct 2026

Length of Sermorelin
29 amino acids

the active start of the body's own growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH)9

Growth in children with GH deficiency
8.0 cm per year

after 6 months, before 4.1 cm per year, 110 children2

Good response after 6 months
74 %

Share of children in the same study, without a comparison group2

GH raised after one dose
~3 hours

after an intravenous dose in healthy men, Sermorelin itself is broken down quickly3

  • Sermorelin consists of the first 29 amino acids of the body's own growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH). It binds to the GHRH receptor of the pituitary gland, which then releases growth hormone (GH) itself.98
  • In healthy men GH stayed raised for about 3 hours after an intravenous dose, although Sermorelin itself was broken down quickly. Via the nose only 3 to 5 percent reached the blood.3
  • In a study with 110 children with GH deficiency growth rose with a daily dose in the evening from 4.1 to 8.0 cm per year after 6 months.2
  • In older men Sermorelin raised GH and IGF-1 again in small studies. Whether this clearly improves body composition or strength remained open.45
  • ChEMBL lists Sermorelin with a first approval in 1990. In the USA it has not been on the market for years, according to the FDA not for safety reasons. Everything here is the state of research, not a recommendation.86
Profile

Updated May 2026

Class
GHRH analogue

GHRH 1-29

Route
Subcutaneous
Frequency
Daily

often before sleep

Form
Lyophilised powder

reconstituted with BAC water

Sizes
2 to 15 mg

4 sizes in the shop

Contents 16 sections
  1. At a glance
  2. What is Sermorelin?
  3. How it works
  4. What you need
  5. Reconstitution
  6. Injection
  7. Dosing
  8. What the research shows
  9. Research status
  10. Side effects
  11. Practice
  12. Storage
  13. Related compounds
  14. FAQ
  15. Glossary
  16. Sources

What is Sermorelin?

Sermorelin is the active beginning of growth-hormone-releasing hormone (the first 29 amino acids of GHRH). It is the classic, longest-known GHRH analogue and was even used in medicine as a diagnostic tool for growth-hormone deficiency.

Like the other GHRH agents, sermorelin nudges the pituitary to release the body's own GH. It is short-acting and therefore close to the natural rhythm. It is used subcutaneously, often before sleep, as a freeze-dried powder you dissolve in bacteriostatic water.

Comparison

GHRH, ghrelin or the hormone itself

Where each compound acts, as stated in the TPD lexicon. Tap a card to open its entry.

GHRH analogue, short Sermorelin GHRH
GHRH analogue, stabilised Tesamorelin GHRH GHRH analogue, short CJC-1295 without DAC GHRH GHRH analogue, long CJC-1295 with DAC GHRH Ghrelin mimetic Ipamorelin Ghrelin Growth hormone itself HGH 191AA (Somatropin) GH

How it works

Sermorelin binds the GHRH receptors on the pituitary and triggers a GH pulse. Because it is short-acting, the release stays pulsatile, close to what the body does on its own, especially in deep sleep. The released GH raises IGF-1 in the liver, through which a large part of the effects run.

Compared to CJC-1295 with DAC, sermorelin is much shorter-acting, which is why it is dosed daily rather than weekly.

Where it acts

Where Sermorelin acts

Tap a point or a card. Colour = receptor, grey = effect seen in trials.

  1. Pituitary gland

    Releases growth hormone, raised for about 3 hours after an intravenous dose3

    GHRH
  2. Liver (IGF-1)

    IGF-1 in older men back at the level of young men with the higher dose4

    Observed in trials
  3. Growth

    Faster growth in height in children with GH deficiency2

    Observed in trials
  4. Muscle

    Two of six strength measures better in 11 older men after 6 weeks, muscle mass unchanged5

    Observed in trials

Targets in the ChEMBL database8

Compound CHEMBL1201490: one recorded mechanism, agonist with direct binding to the human receptor.

GHRH receptor
Gene
GHRHR
UniProt
Q02643
ChEMBL
CHEMBL2032
Action
Agonist, direct binding
Glass gland with blue molecule chains in its chambers, next to a cluster of glowing blue cells that a molecule travels towards
Symbolic image.

What you need

For subcutaneous use you need:

Supplies

5 things, numbered as in the picture

Tick off what you already have. Vial and BAC water are our real shop photos at the same size.

Sermorelin vial and bacteriostatic water at the same size with the black TPD label, next to two U-100 insulin syringes, two alcohol swabs and a sharps container with a blue lid

  1. Sermorelin vial

    The Sermorelin vial with the freeze-dried powder

    In the shop

  2. Bacteriostatic water

    Bacteriostatic water to dissolve it

    In the shop

  3. U-100 insulin syringes

    U-100 insulin syringes

    Amazon (opens a new tab)

  4. Alcohol swabs

    Alcohol swabs for the vial cap and the skin

    Amazon (opens a new tab)

  5. Sharps container

    A sealable sharps container for used needles

As an Amazon associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links open Amazon - no extra cost for you.

Reconstitution

The powder is dissolved in bacteriostatic water. How much water you add sets the concentration and therefore how many units you draw for your dose on the insulin syringe.

Use the peptide calculator for this: pick your vial size and the water volume to see the concentration and units per dose.

When dissolving, just add the bac water, it does not matter if it hits the powder directly. Then swirl or shake until everything has dissolved, both are fine.

Step by step

Dissolving the powder

Four steps, the same for every vial size.

  1. 1Wipe the cap

    Clean the rubber stopper with an alcohol swab.

  2. 2Add BAC water

    Just add it, it does not matter if it hits the powder directly.

  3. 3Swirl or shake

    Until everything has dissolved, both are fine.

  4. 4Draw up

    With the U-100 insulin syringe.

Less water higher concentration fewer units on the syringe Example: 5 mg + 2 ml = 2.5 mg/ml

Injection

The injection is subcutaneous, into the fat layer under the skin, classically the abdomen (keep clear of the area around the navel), the front and the inner side of the thigh or the back of the upper arm. Many place the dose before sleep, fitting the natural GH pulse in deep sleep.

Injection

Where and at what angle

Pick a spot or switch the angle. Subcutaneous means: into the fat layer, not the muscle.

Rotate the spot each time, never the same one twice in a row.

90°More fat under the skin

Rule of thumb: where there is more fat under the skin, insert straight at 90 degrees. In lean people with little fat, 45 degrees, so the needle stays in the fat layer. Simplified diagram.

  1. Clean the spot with an alcohol swab and let it dry

  2. Pinch up a small fold of skin

  3. Insert the needle: at 90 degrees where there is more fat under the skin, at 45 degrees in lean people with little fat

  4. Inject slowly, wait a moment, then withdraw

  5. Put the needle straight into the sharps container

Rotate the site.

Dosing

Dosing

Dosing, titration and syringe

Loading the dosing information …

  • Getting started and stepping up, drawn as a staircase
  • Units on the U-100 syringe for every step
  • How long one vial lasts

What the research shows

Sermorelin is well established clinically, even as a diagnostic tool. A review summarises its use in the diagnosis and treatment of growth-hormone deficiency and describes it as well tolerated. For a GH peptide the data base is therefore solid, even if use as an anti-aging or performance agent remains a research context.

The study with a link is in the source block below.

Study results

What the trials measured

Interactive: switch tabs, tap points, show or hide arms. Arms are named relative to each other, no dosing advice.

Growth rate in the first year2

Mean in cm per year, 110 prepubertal children with GH deficiency, without a comparison group

0 Month 0Month 6Month 12 +7.2

With Sermorelin: Month 0 +4.1 , Month 6 +8.0 , Month 12 +7.2 .

Values from the abstract: 4.1 before the start, 8.0 after 6 months and 7.2 cm per year after 12 months. 86 of the 110 children were analysed. Bone age did not advance faster than height, blood sugar and IGF-1 stayed within range.

Glass long bone and a clock on a stainless steel clinic trolley in a bright lab
Symbolic image.

Research status

Where the research stands

The clinical studies on Sermorelin date from the 1990s and are not listed on ClinicalTrials.gov. The registry only has studies with GHRH under the skin where the exact form is not stated. As of 26 Oct 2026. 7

  1. Preclinical Derived from the body's own GHRH
  2. Phase 1 no registered trial
  3. Phase 2 3 trials, 1 completed, 2 stopped early
  4. Phase 3 no registered trial
  5. Approval first in 1990
ChEMBL lists Sermorelin with phase 4 as the highest phase and a first approval in 1990. In the USA the medicine was later withdrawn from the market, according to the FDA not for reasons of safety or effectiveness.8
Show all 3 phase 2 trials on a timelineHide timeline 1 completed 0 running 2 stopped early 0 with results
Phase 2

Bar: start to primary endpoint (planned for running trials). Green = completed, blue = progress until 26 Oct 2026, grey = stopped early.

Side effects

Sermorelin is considered well tolerated. Mostly mild things are reported: injection-site reactions, occasionally a brief flush and at higher doses the GH-typical water retention or tingling in the hands. All dose-dependent.

Practice

  1. Dosing before sleep uses the natural GH rhythm.

  2. Inject with some gap from large, carb-heavy meals.

  3. Can be combined with a GH secretagogue like ipamorelin.

White pillow with a light blue sleep mask, a glass of water and a vase of white flowers on the bedside table, the moon through the window

Storage

The undissolved powder is robust, normal room temperature (around 20 to 25 degrees) is fine, ideally kept in the dark. The reconstituted solution goes into the fridge (2 to 8 degrees) and stays stable there for at least 4 to 6 months with barely any loss of potency, in practice considerably longer. The bacteriostatic water brings a preservative that keeps the dissolved form stable for longer.

Shelf life

How long it keeps

Undissolved (powder) Room temperature, around 20 to 25 degrees, dark

Robust, no fridge needed.

Dissolved (mixed) Fridge, 2 to 8 degrees

At least 4 to 6 months with barely any loss of potency. The bacteriostatic water brings a preservative.

  • Keep it dark
  • Dissolved: 2 to 8 degrees
  • Note the mixing date on the vial
Nine vials with white powder and blue caps in the door shelf of a bright fridge
Powder dark at room temperature, once dissolved into the fridge (2 to 8 degrees), stable there for at least 4 to 6 months. Symbolic image.

Related

Related compounds

Same receptors or a different path: all in the TPD lexicon.

Sermorelin
Tesamorelin Modified GHRH, stabilised CJC-1295 without DAC Short-acting GHRH analogue CJC-1295 with DAC Long-acting GHRH analogue Ipamorelin Different path: ghrelin receptor GHRP-2 Different path: ghrelin receptor HGH 191AA (Somatropin) Growth hormone directly instead of via the pituitary

FAQ

Common questions about Sermorelin

Short answers, each backed by the sources below.

Is Sermorelin approved?

It was. ChEMBL lists Sermorelin with a first approval in 1990, it was used to diagnose and treat GH deficiency in children. It is no longer on the market in the USA. In 2013 the FDA determined that it was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness. The information here is not a recommendation for use.816

How does Sermorelin differ from Tesamorelin and CJC-1295?

All act on the GHRH receptor. Sermorelin is the unchanged starting piece of 29 amino acids and is broken down quickly. Tesamorelin and CJC-1295 are modified forms of GHRH meant to stay stable for longer (see their entries). Ipamorelin takes a different path via the ghrelin receptor.938

What did the study in children show?

110 prepubertal children with GH deficiency received Sermorelin under the skin once a day in the evening for one year. Growth rose from 4.1 to 8.0 cm per year after 6 months and was 7.2 cm after 12 months. 74 percent responded well. There was no comparison group.2

What is known in older adults?

Little, from small studies. In 10 older men the higher of two doses, given twice a day, raised GH and IGF-1 to the level of young men. In 11 older men with one dose per night GH rose at night but IGF-1 did not, two of six strength measures improved. The authors conclude that one dose per night does less than several a day.45

How long does one dose act?

Sermorelin itself is broken down quickly. In healthy men GH nonetheless stayed raised for about 3 hours after an intravenous dose. That fits one dose per day, often in the evening. Via the nasal lining only 3 to 5 percent reached the blood.32

Which side effects are known?

The abstracts give no solid frequencies. In the study in children blood tests, blood sugar and IGF-1 stayed normal and Sermorelin was described as well tolerated. In the older men no significant side effects occurred, blood sugar and blood pressure did not change.254

Glossary

Terms explained briefly

Dotted words in the text open these explanations directly.

Bioavailability
Share of a substance that actually reaches the blood. Via the nose it was very low for Sermorelin.
GHRH
Growth hormone-releasing hormone from the hypothalamus. It signals the pituitary gland to release growth hormone.
Growth hormone (GH)
Pituitary hormone that controls growth, metabolism and body composition. It is released in pulses, mainly in deep sleep.
IGF-1
Insulin-like growth factor 1. The liver makes it under the influence of GH, many effects of GH run through it.
Lyophilisate
Freeze-dried powder. Without water a peptide keeps much longer.
Pituitary gland
Small gland below the brain (hypophysis) that controls many of the body's hormones, including growth hormone.
Pulsatile
In pulses rather than evenly. This is how the body releases growth hormone on its own.
Receptor
Protein on the cell surface that a messenger docks onto. Only then does the cell respond.
Secretagogue
A substance that prompts a gland to release a hormone. Ipamorelin works this way via the ghrelin receptor, not the GHRH receptor.
Subcutaneous
Into the fat layer just under the skin.

Evidence

Sources

Show all 9 sourcesHide sources 5 Studies1 Trial registry3 Database checked 26 Oct 2026

Studies

  1. Review of Sermorelin in diagnosing and treating GH deficiency

    Prakash und Goa, BioDrugs, 1999

    DOI 10.2165/00063030-199912020-00007 PMID 18031173
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  2. One year of daily dosing in 110 children with GH deficiency

    Thorner et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1996

    DOI 10.1210/jcem.81.3.8772599 PMID 8772599
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  3. Blood levels after intravenous and nasal dosing, 30 healthy men

    Wilton et al., Acta Paediatrica, 1993

    DOI 10.1111/j.1651-2227.1993.tb12827.x PMID 8329825
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  4. Twice-daily dosing in older men, GH and IGF-1

    Corpas et al., Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 1992

    DOI 10.1210/jcem.75.2.1379256 PMID 1379256
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed
  5. One dose per night in 11 older men, 6 weeks

    Vittone et al., Metabolism, 1997

    DOI 10.1016/s0026-0495(97)90174-8 PMID 9005976
    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via doi.org, Crossref, PubMed

Trial registry

  1. Search on ClinicalTrials.gov

    ClinicalTrials.gov, U.S. National Library of Medicine

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2

Database

  1. FDA: withdrawal from the market not for reasons of safety or effectiveness

    Federal Register, Food and Drug Administration, 04.03.2013 (2013-04827)

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via Federal Register API
  2. Mechanism, target and approval status in ChEMBL

    ChEMBL, EMBL-EBI (CHEMBL1201490, Sermorelinacetat)

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via ChEMBL
  3. Structure of Sermorelin in PubChem

    PubChem, U.S. National Library of Medicine (CID 16132413)

    Checked 26 Oct 2026 via PubChem

In the shop

Sermorelin in the catalog

Sizes, prices and shipping times are on the product page.

To the product