HomePeptide dosagesSemax
Semax dosage: chart, reported range and vial math
The range reported for Semax is 100 to 300 mcg, one to three times a day. The human studies that name a route gave it as nose drops, not as an injection, and no human study of injected Semax with a stated dose was found. It is not approved in the US or Canada.
Semax dosage chart
Reported range, not a label dosePick your vial size. Each row shows the dose in milligrams or micrograms, the volume to draw and the mark on a U-100 syringe.
| Dose | Volume | Syringe units |
|---|---|---|
| 100 mcg | 0.06 mL | 6 units |
| 200 mcg | 0.12 mL | 12 units |
| 300 mcg | 0.18 mL | 18 units |
Source Reported range per dose, not a label dose. Reports describe 400 to 900 mcg a day in 3 to 14 day courses. Published human studies that name a route used nose drops. Vial math is arithmetic.
Which syringe fits each dose
For the 5 mg vial at 1.6667 mg/mL.
| Dose | Volume | Units | 0.3 mL syringe | 0.5 mL syringe | 1 mL syringe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 mcg | 0.06 mL | 6 units | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 200 mcg | 0.12 mL | 12 units | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 300 mcg | 0.18 mL | 18 units | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How long a vial lasts
Whole doses in one vial. The row for the size picked above is marked.
| Vial | 100 mcg | 200 mcg | 300 mcg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg vial | 50 doses | 25 doses | 16 doses |
How to mix a Semax vial
These steps are for the 5 mg vial picked in the chart. Change the size there and the amounts here change with it.
- Wash your hands. Wipe the stopper of the peptide vial and the water vial with an alcohol swab.
- Draw 3 mL of bacteriostatic water into a syringe.
- Push the needle through the stopper of the peptide vial and let the water run slowly down the glass, not straight onto the powder.
- Swirl the vial gently until the powder is gone. Do not shake it.
- Write the date and 1.6667 mg/mL on the vial, then put it in the fridge.
| Vial | Bacteriostatic water | Concentration |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mg vial | 3 mL | 1.6667 mg/mL |
What Semax is
Semax is a synthetic seven-amino-acid peptide (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro), an analog of the adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment 4-10. The Russian literature describes it as a nootropic drug given as nasal drops. [1]
Other names: Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro, semax (heptapeptide).
How it has been given to people: into the nose (1% solution as nasal drops) in the human studies that name a route; no human study of injected Semax with a stated dose was found.
What to know before reading a dose
- The human data are for Semax given into the nose as a 1% solution, not injected. No human study of injected Semax with a stated dose was found.
- Not approved in the US or Canada as of the check date. Papers describe it as a Russian drug [1], but the Russian register could not be checked.
- Most of the human studies found are in Russian-language journals, are small or lack a randomized control, and several share co-authors. None is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov.
- A Belgian public health laboratory that identified Semax and Selank in seized products wrote that, to its knowledge, they had not completed any clinical trials, and that they are sold online as powder for injection or in nasal sprays [9].
- Health Canada named Semax among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized from an online seller [11].
- FDA compounding status: on the FDA page current as of 2026-04-22, Semax is not in the table of substances now in category 2. It is in a separate list of substances that were in category 2 and were then withdrawn by their nominators [10].
Doses on record for Semax
Every dose below was given in a human study or printed on an approved label, and each links to its source. Doses set by body weight are left that way.
| From | Where it was used | Dose | How often | For how long | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Human study | Open-label trial in motor neuron disease; 1% solution given into the nose (intranasal) | 12 mg | daily dose | two 10-day courses with a 2-week break | [3] |
| Human study | Peptic ulcer study, added to standard ulcer drugs; 1% solution given into the nose (intranasal). The abstract gives drops, not mg | 2 to 4 drops of 1% solution | 3 times a day | 10 days | [2] |
| Human study | Acute hemispheric ischemic stroke, added to intensive therapy; route not stated in the abstract. Dose for strokes of moderate severity | 12 mg | daily dose | 5 or 10 days | [4] |
| Human study | Acute hemispheric ischemic stroke, added to intensive therapy; route not stated in the abstract. Dose for severe strokes | 18 mg | daily dose | 5 or 10 days | [4] |
| Human study | Rehabilitation after ischemic stroke; route not stated in the abstract | 6000 mcg | per day | 2 courses of 10 days with a 20-day interval | [5] |
What the evidence shows
Each finding is tagged by the kind of study it comes from. Human trials are listed first.
Small human study
Acute ischemic stroke: adding Semax to intensive therapy was reported to speed recovery of neurological function, especially movement. The comparison group was not randomized. [4]
Small human study
After ischemic stroke: Semax raised plasma BDNF, and the authors linked this to faster functional recovery. [5]
Small human study
Motor neuron disease: intranasal Semax did not change the course of denervation or the clinical ratings. A quality-of-life score improved. [3]
Small human study
Refractory peptic ulcer: with intranasal Semax added to usual drugs, 89.5% of ulcers had healed at day 14 against 30.8% in the control group. [2]
Small human study
Healthy volunteers: brain scans taken 5 and 20 minutes after intranasal 1% Semax (14 people) or placebo (10 people) showed a difference in one part of the default mode network. [7]
Small human study
Chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency (187 patients): the authors reported clinical improvement and a lower risk of stroke and transient ischemic attacks. The abstract does not describe a control group or the dose. [6]
Small human study
Optic nerve disease: Semax was given as nasal drops or by endonasal electrophoresis alongside standard therapy, with a third group as control. The authors reported a favorable effect on the speed of recovery and on vision. No dose in the abstract. [1]
Side effects and warnings
Reported in human studies or on a label:
- In the 187-patient cerebrovascular study the authors reported few side effects and good tolerance, including in older patients. No figures are given in the abstract. [6]
- In 73 patients with brain damage after oxygen deprivation, EEG in some cases showed episodes of paroxysmal activity after a Semax dose, and the authors advised EEG monitoring at the first dose. The abstract calls the dose an injection and gives no route or amount. [8]
- FDA says it has no, or limited, safety information for the proposed routes and names immune reactions from aggregation and peptide impurities as possible risks of compounded product. [10]
Semax has no approved label in the US or Canada for this use, so there is no official list of who should not use it, no interaction list and no missed-dose rule.
Storage
Keep an unmixed vial the way its label says. Once it is mixed, keep it in the fridge, do not freeze it, and write the mixing date on the vial.
Semax dosage questions
How many units is 200 mcg of Semax from a 5 mg vial?
Mixed with 3 mL of bacteriostatic water, a 5 mg vial is 1.6667 mg/mL. 200 mcg is 0.12 mL, which is 12 units on a U-100 syringe.
How much water goes in a 5 mg Semax vial?
3 mL gives 1.6667 mg/mL. At that strength the doses in the chart sit at 6, 12, 18 units on a U-100 syringe.
How many doses are in a 5 mg vial?
Whole doses in one vial: 50 at 100 mcg, 25 at 200 mcg, 16 at 300 mcg.
Is Semax approved in the US?
Not FDA approved. FDA lists semax (heptapeptide) among bulk substances that were in compounding category 2 and whose nominations were then withdrawn.
Is Semax authorized in Canada?
No Semax product in the Health Canada Drug Product Database. Health Canada named Semax among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized from an online seller.
What human dosing data is there for Semax?
The human data are for Semax given into the nose as a 1% solution, not injected. No human study of injected Semax with a stated dose was found.
Sources
Each one was opened on 10 Oct 2026 and matched to the line it supports.
- Polunin GS et al. [Evaluation of therapeutic effect of new Russian drug semax in optic nerve disease]. Vestn Oftalmol 2000. PubMed 10741256.
- Ivanikov IO et al. Therapy of peptic ulcer with semax peptide. Bull Exp Biol Med 2002. PubMed 12459874.
- Serdiuk AV et al. [The study of chronic partial denervation and quality of life in patients with motor neuron disease treated with semax]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2007. PubMed 18379501.
- Gusev EI et al. [Effectiveness of semax in acute period of hemispheric ischemic stroke (a clinical and electrophysiological study)]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 1997. PubMed 11517472.
- Gusev EI et al. [The efficacy of semax in the tretament of patients at different stages of ischemic stroke]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2018. PubMed 29798983.
- Gusev EI et al. [Semax in prevention of disease progress and development of exacerbations in patients with cerebrovascular insufficiency]. Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova 2005. PubMed 15792140.
- Lebedeva IS et al. Effects of Semax on the Default Mode Network of the Brain. Bull Exp Biol Med 2018. PubMed 30225715.
- Alekseeva GV et al. [Use of semax at a follow-up of patients with posthypoxic encephalopathy]. Anesteziol Reanimatol 1999. PubMed 10199046.
- Vanhee C et al. The occurrence of putative cognitive enhancing research peptides in seized pharmaceutical preparations: An incentive for controlling agencies to prepare for future encounters of the kind. Drug Test Anal 2020. PubMed 31667971.
- US Food and Drug Administration Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks 2026. fda.gov.
- Health Canada Unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized and sold by Canada Peptide may pose serious health risks 2025. recalls-rappels.canada.ca.
- Health Canada Health Canada Drug Product Database, active ingredient search: semax 2026. health-products.canada.ca.
- World Anti-Doping Agency The Prohibited List 2026. wada-ama.org.
Looked for and not found
- No human study of Semax injected under the skin or into muscle with a stated dose.
- Route for the two stroke studies [4], [5]: not stated in their abstracts, in English or in the Russian publisher abstract.
- No human half-life or pharmacokinetic figure. A PubMed search for semax with pharmacokinetics, half-life or bioavailability returned only rat and test-tube studies.
- No label was retrieved. The Russian state register of medicines responded, but its search needs a captcha, so the Russian registration, strengths and label dose are not recorded here and the products list is empty.
- No trial registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: a search for semax as the intervention returned no studies.
- Not named on the WADA Prohibited List (page checked 2026-10-10, [13]). The list also has an open class, S0, for substances with no current approval by any governmental health authority for human therapeutic use; whether it applies to this compound was not determined here.
Change log
10 Oct 2026Page published. 13 sources checked. Vial math added for the 5 mg vial.
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