Prescribed in Russia for three decades, unapproved elsewhere. Laboratory and animal work is extensive; human evidence is thin. A nasal dose changes brain activity within minutes, but lasting gains in memory, attention, or brain protection in healthy adults are unestablished. Stroke findings come almost entirely from its developers. Safety over years is unstudied; supply outside Russia is unregulated. (Full Review)
| Marker | Target | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure | 110–120 / 70–78 mmHg | Detects the rises or falls in blood pressure reported on Semax |
| hs-CRP (high-sensitivity C-reactive protein) | < 0.5 mg/L | Baseline inflammatory tone predicts headroom for an anti-inflammatory mechanism |
| Serum BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) | 20–30 ng/mL serum | The direct target of the principal proposed mechanism |
| Morning serum cortisol | 10–15 µg/dL at 08:00 | Confirms the expected absence of adrenal stimulation from an ACTH-derived peptide |
| ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) | 10–30 pg/mL at 08:00 | Detects any unexpected feedback effect on the pituitary-adrenal axis |
| Fasting glucose | 75–85 mg/dL | Detects the mild glucose elevation reported in people with diabetes |
| Homocysteine | 5–7 µmol/L | Vascular risk marker relevant to the cerebrovascular indications |
| INR (international normalized ratio) | 0.9–1.1 | Screens the bleeding risk arising from antithrombotic activity |
| Platelet count | 200–400 × 10⁹/L | Second component of bleeding-risk assessment |
| Serum copper and ceruloplasmin | Copper 80–100 µg/dL; ceruloplasmin 20–35 mg/dL | Semax chelates copper, so prolonged use carries a theoretical depletion risk |
Cadence: Blood pressure daily through the first week of each course and then weekly; bloodwork at baseline, at the end of the first course, and thereafter every 6–12 months for anyone using repeated cycles, with coagulation testing repeated within one week of starting if anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy is in place.