Sermorelin: uses, evidence and status

compound file

The answer, first. The first 29 amino acids of human growth hormone-releasing hormone, approved in the United States in 1990 and withdrawn in 2009. The strongest evidence is for linear growth in children with growth hormone deficiency, graded A — approval or replicated trials. The approved treatment indication until 2009 ³.

In 110 prepubertal deficient children, 30 µg/kg nightly raised height velocity from 4.1 to 8.0 cm per year at six months ¹. It was 7.2 at twelve months ¹. The other use — body composition in older adults — grades D or E: animal or mechanism data with no controlled human outcome.

What it is used for

Every use graded on its own evidence, not the compound as a whole. 4 outcomes, ranked by what the human record supports.

#outcome · human · animal · gradewhat the best evidence actually shows

01Linear growth in children with growth hormone deficiencyheld FDA approval, 110-child study · supporting onlygrade AThe approved treatment indication until 2009 ³. In 110 prepubertal deficient children, 30 µg/kg nightly raised height velocity from 4.1 to 8.0 cm per year at six months ¹. It was 7.2 at twelve months ¹.

02Testing whether the pituitary can secrete growth hormoneheld FDA approval 1990 to 2009 · nonegrade AThe approved diagnostic indication for the 0.05 mg ampoule ³. A 1 µg/kg intravenous dose gives fewer false positives in children without deficiency than other provocative tests ². A normal response cannot rule deficiency out ².

03Raising growth hormone and IGF-1 in older adults1 crossover trial, 10 men · nonegrade CIn 10 healthy old men, 1 mg twice daily for 14 days restored 24-hour growth hormone output ⁴. IGF-I reached levels not different from young men ⁴. Ten men, 14 days, hormones only.

04Body composition in older adultsno sermorelin trial · nonegrade DThe nearest trial used a modified GHRH 1-29 analog, not sermorelin ⁵. Sixteen weeks in 19 adults aged 55 to 71 raised lean mass in men only, with no change in fat or weight ⁵.

gradewhat it means

ARegulatory approval, or multiple adequately-powered trials agreeing with each other

BAt least one well-powered human randomised trial, with the direction replicated

CSmall or open-label human trials only

DAnimal or mechanism data only, with no controlled human outcome

EA claim the human trials have already killed

How it works

The proposed mechanism, in three steps. A mechanism is a reason to run a trial, never a substitute for one.

1targetBinds pituitary growth hormone-releasing hormone receptors. It is the shortest fragment of human GHRH with full biological activity ².

2signalA short burst per dose. The peptide clears fast after intravenous injection, while growth hormone stays elevated for about three hours ⁶.

3effectIn deficient children, nightly dosing roughly doubled height velocity, and bone age advanced in step with height age ¹.

What it does not do

Claims the current record does not support. Worth knowing before you set expectations.

not supported by the evidence

An approved anti-ageing treatment. The two approvals were paediatric growth failure and a pituitary test. Both were withdrawn in 2009 and neither covered adults ³.
As effective as growth hormone. Height-velocity gains on 30 µg/kg daily were smaller than on the same daily dose of somatropin ².
Withdrawn because it was unsafe. FDA determined in 2013 that neither Geref product was withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness ³.
Builds muscle in adults. No sermorelin trial measured it. With growth hormone itself, fat-free mass rose while muscle protein synthesis and strength matched placebo ⁷.

How it is used

What published protocols administered, and what the community reports doing. Descriptive on both counts, and never a recommendation.

routeSubcutaneous injection at bedtime in the treatment use. A single intravenous injection for the diagnostic test ².

formatLyophilised powder. The approved products were 0.5 and 1.0 mg vials and a 0.05 mg ampoule ³.

published dosesThe treatment label dosed 30 µg/kg subcutaneously once daily at bedtime ¹². The diagnostic dose was 1 µg/kg intravenously, given once ². Ageing studies used 0.5 or 1 mg subcutaneously twice daily for 14 days ⁴. Nothing is approved today ³.

human pharmacokineticsCleared rapidly after intravenous injection, with growth hormone elevated about three hours. Intranasal bioavailability 3 to 5% ⁶.

reported conventionsAs reported on bodybuilding forums and catalogued in a 2026 clinical review, 2025 to 2026: 200 to 300 µg subcutaneously once daily ⁸. Before bed on an empty stomach ⁸. For an 80 kg adult that is roughly a tenth of the weight-based paediatric dose. Convention, not guidance.

commonly paired withIpamorelin

This site does not publish protocols to follow. The doses above are what studies administered or what users report, stated as facts about the literature and the market. How protocols are structured, mixing and storage and the reconstitution calculator cover the arithmetic.

What to expect

Where a trial measured it, the trial. Where only the community reports it, that is said out loud.

onsetIn deficient children, height velocity was measured every three to six months and had roughly doubled by six months ¹. In older men, growth hormone and IGF-I rose within the 14-day dosing window ⁴. No trial has measured what an adult notices, or when.

most common reportThe documented result is a nightly growth hormone pulse ⁶. In children with deficiency that translated into faster growth ¹.

adverse effectsTransient facial flushing and injection-site pain were the most commonly reported events across the paediatric and diagnostic programmes ². In the 110-child treatment study no adverse biochemical, fasting glucose or IGF-1 changes were recorded ¹. As reported for the class: fluid retention ⁸.

the stop signalThe literature names no stop rule for adult use. The paediatric programme tracked bone age against height age and general biochemistry every three to six months ¹.

Approval and status

What regulators and sport bodies have actually said, separately from what the evidence shows.

approvalApproved 1990 as a diagnostic and 1997 for paediatric growth failure. Both withdrawn 2009 ³.

FDAApprovals withdrawn effective 18 June 2009 at the sponsor's request. FDA determined the withdrawal was not for reasons of safety or effectiveness ³.

sport [WADA]Prohibited at all times, class S2.2.4 ⁹.

sold asresearch chemical

Check the vial

The grade above describes a molecule studied under controlled conditions. It says nothing about the powder in a particular vial.

That gap is the one part of this market a reader can actually close. How to read a certificate of analysis covers the five measures in five minutes, and the 2026 audit grades vendors on the documents they publish against a rubric printed in full.

Questions we get

What is Sermorelin used for?

It held two US approvals ³. A 1 µg/kg intravenous test of whether the pituitary can release growth hormone ³.

A 30 µg/kg nightly treatment for children with growth hormone deficiency ³. In 110 such children, height velocity rose from 4.1 to 8.0 cm per year by six months ¹. It is now sold to adults for goals no trial has tested.

How is Sermorelin used?

Descriptively. The paediatric label dosed 30 µg/kg subcutaneously once daily at bedtime, and the diagnostic dose was 1 µg/kg intravenously, given once ¹². As reported on forums and catalogued in a 2026 review, 200 to 300 µg subcutaneously once daily before bed on an empty stomach ⁸. Convention, not guidance.

How long does Sermorelin take to work?

It depends entirely on what is being measured. Growth hormone rises within minutes of a dose and stays elevated about three hours ⁶. Height velocity in deficient children was assessed at three-to-six-month intervals and had roughly doubled by six months ¹. For adult goals there is no trial and therefore no timeline.

Why was Sermorelin taken off the market?

Commercially, not for cause. EMD Serono told FDA in 2008 that both Geref products were being discontinued, and FDA withdrew the approvals effective 18 June 2009.

In 2013 FDA determined, on petition, that neither product was withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness ³. What is sold now is a research chemical, not the withdrawn drug.

Is Sermorelin the same as growth hormone?

No. Growth hormone is the hormone itself. Sermorelin is the first 29 amino acids of the hypothalamic signal that tells the pituitary to release it ².

It needs a working pituitary to do anything. It is also weaker where the two were compared: height-velocity gains were smaller than on the same dose of somatropin ².

References

Thorner M, Rochiccioli P, Colle M, et al. Once daily subcutaneous growth hormone-releasing hormone therapy accelerates growth in growth hormone-deficient children during the first year of therapy. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996;81:1189-1196. PMID 8772599
Prakash A, Goa KL. Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. BioDrugs. 1999;12:139-157. PMID 18031173
US Food and Drug Administration. Determination that GEREF [sermorelin acetate] injection was not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness. Fed Regist. 2013;78:14095-14096. federalregister.gov
Corpas E, Harman SM, Pineyro MA, et al. Growth hormone-releasing hormone 1-29 twice daily reverses the decreased GH and insulin-like growth factor-I levels in old men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1992;75:530-535. PMID 1379256
Khorram O, Laughlin GA, Yen SS. Endocrine and metabolic effects of long-term administration of a modified growth hormone-releasing hormone 1-29 analog in age-advanced men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1997;82:1472-1479. PMID 9141536
Wilton P, Chardet Y, Danielson K, et al. Pharmacokinetics of growth hormone-releasing hormone 1-29 NH2 and stimulation of growth hormone secretion in healthy subjects. Acta Paediatr Suppl. 1993;388:10-15. PMID 8329825
Yarasheski KE, Zachwieja JJ, Campbell JA, Bier DM. Effect of growth hormone and resistance exercise on muscle growth and strength in older men. Am J Physiol. 1995;268:E268-E276. PMID 7864103
Dominikowski A, Rekos Z, Olejarz M, et al. The emerging landscape of performance-enhancing peptides modulating the GH-IGF1 axis. Front Endocrinol. 2026;17:1822475. PMID 42395176
World Anti-Doping Agency. The Prohibited List, 2026. Section S2.2.4, growth hormone releasing factors. wada-ama.org

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