Hexarelin Dosage Guide: Protocols

Dose: 100 mcg per injection Frequency: Once daily, morning fasted or before bed Cycle: 4-6 weeks on, 6-8 weeks off

At 100 mcg, you get roughly 70 to 90% of the maximal GH response while keeping cortisol and prolactin at moderate levels. The lower dose also slows receptor desensitization, potentially extending your useful window by 1 to 2 weeks compared to higher doses.

This is the right starting point if you have never run hexarelin before, if you are over 40 and want general anti-aging GH support, or if you are sensitive to cortisol-related side effects like anxiety or insomnia.

Dose: 200 mcg per injection Frequency: 1-2 times daily (morning fasted and/or before bed) Cycle: 4-6 weeks on, 6-8 weeks off

This is the near-maximal GH dose per injection. Twice-daily dosing at 200 mcg produces two large GH pulses that support fat metabolism, muscle protein synthesis, and recovery from training.

If you are actively cutting fat, building lean muscle, or training hard enough that recovery is a bottleneck, this is your protocol. This is also the ceiling: going above 200 mcg per injection adds side effects without more GH.

Dose: 100-200 mcg hexarelin + 100 mcg Mod GRF 1-29 (CJC-1295 no DAC) per injection Frequency: 2 times daily Cycle: 4 weeks maximum, then transition to ipamorelin + CJC-1295

Combining a GHRP (hexarelin) with a GHRH (CJC-1295) produces synergistic GH release significantly higher than either compound alone. The two mechanisms are complementary: GHRH stimulates GH synthesis and release from your pituitary, while hexarelin amplifies the release signal and suppresses somatostatin (the GH-inhibiting hormone).

Limit this stack to 4 weeks. Higher cumulative receptor exposure accelerates desensitization. After the blast, transition to ipamorelin (which does not desensitize) for sustained GH maintenance.

Build your stack: Peptide Stack Calculator | Interaction Checker

Dose: 100 mcg per injection Frequency: Once daily Cycle: Per research protocol

Hexarelin binds CD36 receptors on cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells), activating anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic pathways through PPARgamma signaling. Preclinical studies demonstrate reduced infarct size, improved cardiac function after ischemia, and decreased atherosclerotic plaque formation (Bhatt et al. 2014, PubMed 25278975; PubMed 11988484).

The key finding: these cardiovascular effects are independent of GH release. They persist even after GH receptor desensitization occurs (PubMed 10465272). Your heart keeps benefiting even when your pituitary has stopped responding. Human clinical data remains limited.

Hexarelin produces a dose-dependent cortisol increase starting at 0.5 mcg/kg (PubMed 8954038). You may notice transient flushing, mild anxiety, or irritability in the 30 to 60 minutes following your injection.

Management: Keep your dosage at 100 to 200 mcg. Morning injection aligns with your natural cortisol peak (cortisol is highest upon waking), minimizing the perceived impact. Evening dosing can disrupt sleep if you are sensitive to cortisol.

The reassuring data: A 16-week chronic administration study found that cortisol and ACTH area-under-the-curve actually *decreased* compared to baseline over time. Hexarelin does not cause sustained HPA axis overstimulation (PubMed 10341859).

Prolactin rises in a dose-dependent manner with an ED50 of 0.39 mcg/kg. That means it reaches significant levels at a *lower* dose than the GH plateau (PubMed 8954038). Potential symptoms include nipple sensitivity and, in rare cases, gynecomastia in predisposed individuals.

Management: Stay at or below 200 mcg per injection. Monitor for symptoms. Discontinue if sensitivity develops. Prolactin elevation from hexarelin is less than from TRH (a diagnostic agent) but meaningfully more than from ipamorelin or GHRP-2.

One thing to watch for: some online sources claim hexarelin causes "no major increases in prolactin." This directly contradicts the clinical data. Be cautious with sources that downplay this effect.

Mild water retention and numbness or tingling in your hands and feet are GH-mediated effects. They indicate the peptide is working. These symptoms typically resolve within the first 2 weeks as your body adjusts to elevated GH levels.

If they are severe, reduce your dose by 50 mcg and reassess after a week.

Not a side effect in the traditional sense, but the primary practical limitation you will face. The fix is straightforward: cycle 4 to 6 weeks on, 6 to 8 weeks off. See the desensitization timeline section for the complete data.

The gold standard GHRP + GHRH stack. Hexarelin stimulates GH release from your pituitary somatotrophs (GHRP pathway). CJC-1295 or sermorelin stimulates GH synthesis and release through the GHRH receptor (a completely separate pathway). Together they produce synergistic GH output substantially higher than either alone.

You can inject both compounds at the same time. They can be combined in the same syringe.

Protocol: 100 to 200 mcg hexarelin + 100 mcg CJC-1295 (no DAC), 1 to 2x daily. Limit the combined stack to 4 weeks before transitioning.

This is the most widely used long-term GH optimization strategy. You run hexarelin for a 4 to 6 week blast to achieve rapid GH elevation, then transition to ipamorelin for 12 to 16 weeks of sustained maintenance.

Ipamorelin produces cleaner GH release with no cortisol or prolactin elevation and virtually no desensitization. It is less potent per injection but can be used indefinitely.

Transition protocol: Complete your hexarelin cycle. Start ipamorelin (200 to 300 mcg, 1 to 2x daily) on the first day of your hexarelin off-cycle. Ipamorelin uses the same GHS-R1a receptor but with lower affinity, allowing the receptor to recover from hexarelin's intense stimulation while still producing moderate GH output.

Use our CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin calculator for the maintenance phase dosing.

For injury recovery, hexarelin provides a systemic GH boost that supports tissue repair throughout your body. BPC-157 and TB-500 target local tissue repair: BPC-157 through angiogenesis and VEGF upregulation, TB-500 through actin regulation and scar tissue reduction.

This combination approaches healing from two directions: systemic GH elevation (hexarelin) plus localized repair (BPC-157/TB-500). They use completely different receptors and pathways, so there is no competition or interference.

See best peptides for tendon repair for detailed injury recovery protocols.

100 mcg once daily, subcutaneously, on an empty stomach. Morning fasted is the simplest timing. At this dose you get roughly 70 to 90% of the maximal GH response while keeping cortisol and prolactin moderate. Run for 4 to 6 weeks, then take 6 to 8 weeks off before repeating. There is no reason to start higher; you capture nearly all the benefit at 100 mcg.

Your GH response drops 31% after just 1 week and reaches a floor of 55% after 16 weeks of continuous use. The decline is partial, never total. After 4 weeks off, your response returns to 100% (PubMed 9589671). Most protocols recommend 4 to 6 week cycles because the first month captures the majority of your cumulative GH benefit. After that, you are fighting diminishing returns.

Yes, both in a dose-dependent manner. At 1.0 mcg/kg (roughly 80 mcg for an 80 kg person), cortisol shows a moderate increase and prolactin reaches near-plateau levels. The good news: chronic administration over 16 weeks does not cause sustained HPA axis overstimulation. ACTH and cortisol area-under-the-curve actually decreased compared to baseline in one long-term study (PubMed 10341859). Your body adapts.

They solve different problems. Hexarelin produces 2 to 3 times the GH peak of ipamorelin but desensitizes within weeks and elevates cortisol and prolactin. Ipamorelin produces cleaner, more selective GH release with virtually no side effects and no desensitization, making it the better choice for long-term use. The proven strategy is to use hexarelin for a 4 to 6 week blast, then switch to ipamorelin for months of maintenance.

Both routes have been studied. A trial in elderly subjects found that short-term intranasal and oral hexarelin did not desensitize the GH response (PubMed 8921821). Bioavailability through these routes is lower and less consistent than subcutaneous injection. If precise dosing matters to you, injection remains the standard.

Add 2.5 mL of bacteriostatic water to a 5 mg vial. This gives you a concentration of 2 mg/mL (2,000 mcg/mL). For a 100 mcg dose, draw 5 units on a U-100 insulin syringe. For 200 mcg, draw 10 units. Refrigerate after reconstitution and use within 28 days. Use our reconstitution calculator for other vial sizes.

Preclinical evidence strongly supports cardioprotective effects. Hexarelin binds CD36 receptors on cardiac cells, activating anti-apoptotic and anti-fibrotic pathways. Studies show reduced infarct size, improved cardiac function after ischemia, and decreased atherosclerotic plaque formation. These effects operate independently of GH release and persist even when GH desensitization occurs (PubMed 25278975). Human clinical data remains limited.

Hexarelin produces approximately 25% more GH than GHRP-2 per injection but desensitizes faster (4 to 6 weeks vs. 8 to 12 weeks) and causes more cortisol and prolactin elevation. GHRP-2 offers a more balanced profile for longer cycles. Choose hexarelin when you want maximum short-term GH output. Choose GHRP-2 when you need sustained use with moderate potency and fewer hormonal side effects.

No clinical study tests this exact schedule, but the logic is sound: reducing your total weekly receptor exposure should slow GHS-R1a downregulation. It is a reasonable approach if you want to extend a cycle beyond 4 weeks. The hard 4 to 6 week on, 6 to 8 week off protocol has stronger published support, so default to that unless you have a specific reason to experiment.