Hexarelin
What it’s used for
Hexarelin is a peptide that triggers growth-hormone release through the ghrelin receptor. People use it to raise GH and for recovery, body composition and heart protection. Human data is limited to small hormone studies; in a 16-week trial the GH response faded and fat and lean mass didn't change significantly.
- Growth hormone release Small human studies In a small placebo-controlled study, GH peaked about 30 minutes after an IV dose.
- Recovery & body composition Community reports Used for recovery and physique goals; a 16-week study found no significant change in fat or lean mass.
- Heart protection Lab & animal research Preserved heart function and reduced scarring in animal models of heart attack and fibrosis.
- Brain protection Lab & animal research Explored for nerve-cell protection in cell models, including ALS research.
What to expect
- Days 1–7
Changes in sleep, flushing and appetite reported
- Weeks 2–8
Recovery and body-composition changes reported
- Weeks 8–16
Response tends to weaken with continued use
- 4 weeks off
GH response recovers
Side effects & safety
Side effects
- Raises ACTH and cortisol as well as GH
- Higher prolactin, water retention (edema) and blood-sugar disruption
- Possible lowering of sex hormones (hypogonadism)
- Tolerance: the GH response weakens with repeated use and recovers after time off
Stop and get help if
- Hand numbness or joint pain
- Swelling that doesn't go away
- Breast symptoms
- Fatigue or high blood sugar
- Headache or vision changes
- Signs of an allergic reaction
Which symptoms mean call 911 or see a doctor
What regulators say
- It's investigational; no FDA-approved hexarelin product exists.
Why most peptides aren’t FDA-approved What’s really in “research use only” vials
Avoid or check first if
- Active cancer — calls for particular caution
- Competing in tested sports — hexarelin is prohibited by WADA
In sport
Banned at all times. Named in S2.2.4 under its official name, examorelin, with hexarelin in brackets.
Which peptides are banned in sport
How much people take
For every goal: Under the skin
- GH optimization 3× daily (morning, midday, evening) 100 mcg
- Cardioprotection research 2× daily 100–200 mcg
- Recovery & anti-aging 2× daily (morning and bedtime) 100 mcg
- With GHRH (synergistic) 2–3× daily 100 mcg hexarelin + 100 mcg CJC‑1295
Similar doses appear in 2 other sources
In studies & labels
- Assess sustained GH-axis effects Twice daily · under the skin · 16 weeks, with reassessment 4 weeks after stopping GH response attenuated during treatment and recovered after withdrawal. 1.5 mcg/kg
How to mix and store it
How many units do I draw?
Open the full calculator
How to mix 5 steps with bacteriostatic water
How to mix
- 1 Wipe both tops Wash your hands, then swab the rubber tops of the peptide vial and the water vial with alcohol. Let them dry.
- 2 Draw the water Use bacteriostatic (BAC) water — sterile water with a preservative, sold for mixing peptides . With a new sterile syringe, draw the amount you entered in the calculator. A 1 mL syringe filled twice is 2 mL.
- 3 Run it down the wall Push the needle into the peptide vial at an angle and let the liquid trickle down the glass, not onto the powder.
- 4 Swirl, don’t shake Gently swirl or roll the vial until the liquid is completely clear. Give it a few minutes if needed.
- 5 Label the vial Write the date and what you mixed (for example 5 mg + 2 mL) on the vial.
This is general practice. If your product came with its own diluent or instructions, follow those. Not sure what to buy? See the supplies checklist .
Injecting under the skin Where, rotating sites, which syringe
- Where: belly (at least 2 in / 5 cm from the navel), front of the thigh, or back of the upper arm.
- Rotate sites each time and skip bruised, scarred or sore skin.
- Syringe: most people use a U-100 insulin syringe with a short, thin needle (29–31 gauge, 8 mm or shorter).
- How: wipe with alcohol and let it dry, pinch the skin, go in at 45–90°, push slowly. Use each syringe once.
General practice for under-the-skin injections, not specific to Hexarelin.
The full guide: how to inject safely
Storage
Fridge · 4 weeks Reported shelf life, not lab-tested. Refrigerate at 2–8°C (35.6–46.4°F) right after mixing; use within 4 weeks
Combining it with others
AI assessment Based on how each compound works, not on studies of the combination. How we assess
Don’t combine 4
- Ipamorelin Both act on the ghrelin receptor. Taking them together adds hunger, water retention and side effects, not results.
- GHRP-6 Both act on the ghrelin receptor. Taking them together adds hunger, water retention and side effects, not results.
- MK-677 Both act on the ghrelin receptor. Taking them together adds hunger, water retention and side effects, not results.
- CJC-1295 / Ipamorelin This protocol already combines a GHRH analog with ipamorelin; adding it doubles one of them.
Use caution 2
Often taken together 4
- CJC-1295 (no DAC) A classic pairing: the two pathways release more growth hormone together than either alone.
- CJC-1295 with DAC A classic pairing: the two pathways release more growth hormone together than either alone.
- Sermorelin A classic pairing: the two pathways release more growth hormone together than either alone.
- Tesamorelin A classic pairing: the two pathways release more growth hormone together than either alone.
Can be combined 5
What the research says
Few human studies
- Human data comes from small, short hormone studies and one 16-week trial.
- Heart, brain and recovery uses are still largely experimental.
- Long-term effects of community dosing schedules are unknown.
What studies found
- The GH response waned during repeated treatment After 16 weeks of twice-daily administration, the GH response to a challenge was lower and recovered after four weeks off. IGF-I, total fat, lean mass, and bone mineral density did not significantly change.
- Effects extend beyond growth hormone A human endocrine study found increases in ACTH and cortisol after intravenous hexarelin. The compound is not exclusively a GH signal.
- Recent analytical evidence has a different purpose A 2025 hepatocyte study identified hexarelin as an alexamorelin metabolite. It informs analytical detection, not hexarelin effectiveness or a human dosing schedule.
How long it stays in your body
Half-life is how fast the level in your body halves — not how long effects last or how often to dose.
- Half-life
- 1 hour
- Mostly cleared
- 5 hours ≈97% gone after 5 half-lives
Reported estimate Injectable · Original source not checked.
50% left in the body
1 h after a dose
Drag to see how much is left over time.
What it’s made of
- Length
- 6 amino acids
- Molecular weight
- 887.0 Da
- Formula
- C 47 H 58 N 12 O 6
Sequence 6 · N → C
- H
- dMeW
- A
- W
- dF
- K
dMeW = D‑2-methyltryptophan; dF = D-phenylalanine. C-terminal amide.
Amidated hexapeptide; parent mass excludes salt counterions.
Sources
Sources 19
How this page was made
How it may work: GHS-R1a stimulation plus CD36-related cardiac signaling; nasal exposure is less predictable than injection.
Other names: Examorelin · HEX · Hexarelin (Examorelin)
Preparation in studies: No formulation-specific human reconstitution instructions were verified for this research powder.
WADA prohibition and desensitization claims do not make community cycles clinically established. Interaction labels are source claims.
Research last checked: Oct 12, 2026 (a targeted search, not a full review).
Community doses, how long people take it, timing and storage are compiled with AI from public peptide guides, clinics and forums, cross-checked against other sources where we could, and rewritten in plain language. “Combining it with others” is an AI assessment of how the compounds work. Study notes are written from each paper’s abstract where one exists. How we source
Original source guide