Sermorelin for Health & Longevity - Quick Reference Sheet
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Sermorelin for Health & Longevity

Created on 08/06/2026 – Quick Reference based on Evidence Review created using AI4L / Opus 5 – Audit

A synthetic copy of the body's own growth hormone-releasing signal, acting through the pituitary gland so the rise stays within normal rhythm and brakes. Controlled studies in older adults confirm it raises growth hormone and its main downstream messenger, with reasonable evidence for better mental flexibility. Other claims rest on thin evidence. Safety across months is mild; decades untested. (Full Review)

Protocol

The standard clinic protocol
100-300 mcg nightly
Subcutaneous, five to seven nights weekly. Research doses that moved IGF-1 were higher.
Timing within the day
Bedtime, empty stomach
At least two hours after the last meal, into the largest natural pulse after sleep onset.
Baseline biomarkers as the dosing input
Baseline IGF-1, not weight
Follows baseline IGF-1 against the age-adjusted range, not body weight or symptoms.
Time to effect
IGF-1 shift
2-4 weeks
Measurable biochemical response; the first recheck in most protocols.
Cognitive and body composition change
16-24 weeks
In the trials that found them; a fair trial is at least four to six months.
Subjective sleep change
Within the first month
Where it occurs; the sleep effect is attenuated in older subjects.

Benefits

Contraindications
  • Malignancy, active or treated within five years
  • Known or suspected pituitary tumour
  • Active proliferative diabetic retinopathy
  • Diabetes uncontrolled or HbA1c above 8.0%
  • Untreated moderate-to-severe sleep apnoea (30+/hour)
  • Acromegaly or growth hormone excess
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding
  • Acute critical illness
  • Hypersensitivity to sermorelin
  • Athletes under anti-doping testing
  • Combined use with somatostatin analogues (octreotide)
  • Combined use with recombinant growth hormone (somatropin)
    •
Key Interactions
  • Glucocorticoids (prednisone, dexamethasone)
  • Thyroid hormone status and antithyroid drugs (methimazole)
  • Insulin and glucose-lowering drugs (glipizide)
  • Oral oestrogens (equine oestrogens, oestradiol)
  • Other growth hormone secretagogues (ipamorelin, CJC-1295)
  • Amino acid supplements with additive effects (arginine)
  • Over-the-counter medications (diphenhydramine)
  • Melatonin and cholinergic agents (bethanechol)
  • Carbohydrate and fat intake near dosing (within two hours)
    •

Risk & Side Effects

  • High: Injection-site reactions; higher overall rate of mild adverse events than placebo
  • Medium: Impaired glucose tolerance and rising fasting insulin; fluid retention, joint pain, and nerve compression symptoms; product quality, contamination, and mislabelling
  • Low: Headache, flushing, dizziness, drowsiness, and altered taste; antibody formation against the peptide
  • Speculative: Promotion of occult malignancy through IGF-1 signalling; acromegaly-like soft-tissue and cardiac changes with prolonged use; acceleration of underlying ageing biology

Monitoring

Marker Target Why
IGF-1 50th-75th percentile for age and sex Primary efficacy and safety target for titration
IGFBP-3 Mid to upper reference range for age Confirms real axis activation, not assay drift
Fasting insulin 2-5 mIU/L Detects insulin resistance well before glucose moves
Fasting glucose 75-90 mg/dL (4.2-5.0 mmol/L) Tracks the consequence of insulin antagonism
HbA1c Below 5.4% Confirms glucose shifts are not accumulating
TSH with free T4 TSH 0.5-2.0 mIU/L; free T4 upper half of range Untreated hypothyroidism blunts the response
Fasting lipid panel with apoB apoB below 80 mg/dL Growth hormone alters lipid handling both ways
hs-CRP Below 1.0 mg/L Inflammation suppresses IGF-1 generation
PSA in men over 45 Below 2.5 ng/mL, and stable over time Surveillance for the mitogenic concern of IGF-1
Complete blood count and comprehensive metabolic panel Within reference range Liver, kidney, haematological safety screen
Body composition by DEXA Individual; visceral fat below the 50th percentile for age Only objective measure of body-composition claims

Cadence: Baseline before the first injection; IGF-1 at 4 weeks and after each dose change; full panel at 3 months, then every 6 months; body composition every 6-12 months.

Qualitative Assessment

  • Sleep depth and continuity — awakenings, restedness, wearable-recorded deep sleep
  • Mental flexibility and task-switching — the trial-responsive domain, tracked through a consistent real-world task
  • Daytime energy and its stability across the afternoon
  • Exercise recovery — soreness duration and readiness to repeat a hard session
  • Joint comfort — morning stiffness, hand swelling, tingling
  • Skin and hair texture — the claim with the weakest support
Not medical advice. Educational distillation of a single evidence review. Confirm any decision with a qualified clinician, especially in the presence of prescription drugs or chronic conditions.