Side by side

1. 1.Binds GHRH receptors on the pituitary, prompting growth-hormone release.
2. 2.Its 29-amino-acid length gives it a half-life of only about ten to twenty minutes, so it produces a brief pulse.
3. 3.The pulse mimics the body's own nocturnal release pattern, which is why dosing is usually discussed for bedtime.
4. 4.Increases IGF-1 secondarily with repeated use; that is the marker older studies measured.
5. 5.Frequently paired with a ghrelin-receptor secretagogue because the two act at different points of the same axis.

• Growth-hormone reserve testing (its original approved use)
• Body composition and 'anti-ageing' claims, without controlled trials
• Sleep quality claims
• Combination with ghrelin-receptor secretagogues in laboratory work

• A measurable growth-hormone pulse within 15–30 minutes of injection
• Modest IGF-1 rise with repeated nightly use
• Reported better sleep and recovery, from user accounts rather than trials
• Fluid retention and joint stiffness, as with the growth-hormone class

• Injection-site reactions
• Headache, flushing, dizziness
• Water retention and joint aches
• Increased appetite in some users
• Unknown long-term effects of sustained IGF-1 elevation

Research context only — sermorelin had a licensed diagnostic product in the past, given at around 1 microgram per kilogram intravenously for testing growth-hormone reserve. Compounded 'anti-ageing' regimens using nightly subcutaneous doses in the hundreds of micrograms were never approved on the strength of controlled outcome trials, and the numbers circulated online are not clinical evidence.

Research context only