HomePeptide dosagesSermorelin
Sermorelin dosage: chart, reported range and vial math
The range reported for sermorelin is 200 to 500 mcg a day at bedtime, by injection under the skin. The dose studied in children was set by body weight: 30 mcg per kg at bedtime. The approved product, Geref, was discontinued in 2008, so no approved sermorelin is on sale.
Sermorelin 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 200 mcg | 0.06 mL | 6 units |
| 300 mcg | 0.09 mL | 9 units |
| 500 mcg | 0.15 mL | 15 units |
Source Reported range, not a label dose. Reports describe 5 nights on and 2 off. The approved product, Geref, was discontinued in 2008. Vial math is arithmetic.
Which syringe fits each dose
For the 10 mg vial at 3.3333 mg/mL.
| Dose | Volume | Units | 0.3 mL syringe | 0.5 mL syringe | 1 mL syringe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 mcg | 0.06 mL | 6 units | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 300 mcg | 0.09 mL | 9 units | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 500 mcg | 0.15 mL | 15 units | Yes | Yes | Yes |
How long a vial lasts
Whole doses in one vial. The row for the size picked above is marked.
| Vial | 200 mcg | 300 mcg | 500 mcg |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg vial | 50 doses | 33 doses | 20 doses |
How to mix a Sermorelin vial
These steps are for the 10 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 3.3333 mg/mL on the vial, then put it in the fridge.
| Vial | Bacteriostatic water | Concentration |
|---|---|---|
| 10 mg vial | 3 mL | 3.3333 mg/mL |
What Sermorelin is
Sermorelin is a synthetic 29 amino acid peptide, GHRH(1-29): the shortest piece of human growth hormone-releasing hormone that keeps its full activity. It makes the pituitary release growth hormone. [1]
Other names: sermorelin acetate, GHRH(1-29)NH2, GRF 1-29, Geref.
How it has been given to people: injection under the skin in treatment studies; intravenous injection for pituitary testing.
What to know before reading a dose
- Geref, the only FDA-approved sermorelin product, was discontinued by its maker in 2008 and the approvals were withdrawn in 2009. FDA determined in 2013 that this was not for reasons of safety or effectiveness [10].
- No FDA-approved or Health Canada-authorized sermorelin product is listed as marketed. Sermorelin offered for sale today is not an approved product.
- The approved uses were both in growth hormone deficiency: treating children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency and growth failure, and testing whether the pituitary can release growth hormone [10].
- The treatment dose studied in children was set by body weight (30 mcg/kg once daily at bedtime). It is not a flat adult dose.
- The adult studies found were small and short: 10 men for 14 days and 11 men for 6 weeks. The 6-week study found no change in IGF-I, weight or DEXA muscle and fat [6], [7].
- Sermorelin is unmodified GHRH(1-29). It is not the same molecule as CJC-1295 or the peptide sold as Mod GRF 1-29, and its doses do not transfer to them.
- Sermorelin is cleared fast: the half-time after an intravenous infusion was about 4 minutes [5], and after an injection under the skin one volunteer's plasma showed a breakdown product rather than intact sermorelin [8].
Doses on record for Sermorelin
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 | Geref International Study Group, multicenter open-label treatment study (phase not stated in the abstract), injection under the skin | 30 mcg/kg | once daily at bedtime | up to 1 year | [2] |
| Human study | Randomized comparison of two sermorelin regimens with growth hormone (phase not stated in the abstract), injection under the skin, low-dose arm | 30 mcg/kg per day | split into three doses a day | 6 months | [3] |
| Human study | Randomized comparison of two sermorelin regimens with growth hormone (phase not stated in the abstract), injection under the skin, high-dose arm | 60 mcg/kg per day | split into three doses a day | 6 months | [3] |
| Human study | Pharmacokinetic and growth hormone response study, intravenous injection, lowest dose tested | 0.25 mcg/kg | single injection | single dose | [4] |
| Human study | Pharmacokinetic and growth hormone response study, intravenous injection, dose giving the maximal response | 1 to 2 mcg/kg | single injection | single dose | [4] |
| Human study | Randomized two-dose crossover study in older men (phase not stated in the abstract), injection under the skin, low dose | 0.5 mg | twice daily | 14 days | [6] |
| Human study | Randomized two-dose crossover study in older men (phase not stated in the abstract), injection under the skin, high dose | 1 mg | twice daily | 14 days | [6] |
| Human study | Before-and-after study in older men (phase not stated in the abstract; no placebo group described), self-injection under the skin | 2 mg | once nightly | 6 weeks | [7] |
What the evidence shows
Each finding is tagged by the kind of study it comes from. Human trials are listed first.
Randomized human trial
In a randomized 6-month comparison in children, growth was slowest on 30 mcg/kg a day of sermorelin; 60 mcg/kg a day gave height velocity comparable to growth hormone. [3]
Small human study
In growth hormone-deficient children, mean height velocity rose from 4.1 cm a year at baseline to 8.0 cm a year at 6 months and 7.2 cm a year at 12 months. The study was open label with no control group. [2]
Small human study
At 6 months, 74% of the children were counted as good responders, so about one in four were not. [2]
Small human study
After an intravenous injection sermorelin itself was cleared quickly, but growth hormone stayed raised for about 3 hours. [4]
Small human study
Very little is absorbed through the nose: bioavailability by that route was 3 to 5%. [4]
Small human study
In 10 older men, 1 mg twice daily for 14 days raised 24-hour growth hormone and IGF-I to levels no different from those of young men; 0.5 mg twice daily did not produce significant changes. [6]
Small human study
In 11 older men, 2 mg once nightly for 6 weeks increased night-time growth hormone release but did not change IGF-I. [7]
Small human study
The same 6-week study found no change in weight, waist to hip ratio or DEXA measures of muscle and fat. Two of six strength measures improved. [7]
Small human study
After an injection under the skin in one healthy volunteer, the plasma sample contained the breakdown product GHRH(3-29) rather than intact sermorelin. [8]
Side effects and warnings
Reported in human studies or on a label:
- A 1999 review of the clinical data found single intravenous doses and repeated once-daily injections under the skin well tolerated; facial flushing that passed and pain at the injection site were the most common complaints. [1]
- In the one-year study in children, fasting glucose did not change and IGF-I was not pushed too high. [2]
- In the 6-week study in 11 older men no significant adverse effects were seen. [7]
Sermorelin 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.
Sermorelin dosage questions
How many units is 300 mcg of Sermorelin from a 10 mg vial?
Mixed with 3 mL of bacteriostatic water, a 10 mg vial is 3.3333 mg/mL. 300 mcg is 0.09 mL, which is 9 units on a U-100 syringe.
How much water goes in a 10 mg Sermorelin vial?
3 mL gives 3.3333 mg/mL. At that strength the doses in the chart sit at 6, 9, 15 units on a U-100 syringe.
How many doses are in a 10 mg vial?
Whole doses in one vial: 50 at 200 mcg, 33 at 300 mcg, 20 at 500 mcg.
Is Sermorelin approved in the US?
Formerly FDA approved as Geref; the maker discontinued it in 2008, FDA withdrew the approvals effective June 18, 2009, and FDA later determined it was not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness.
Is Sermorelin authorized in Canada?
No sermorelin product, current or cancelled, is in Health Canada's Drug Product Database, and Health Canada has listed sermorelin among unauthorized injectable peptide drugs sold online.
What is the half-life of Sermorelin?
Disappearance half-time of about 4.3 minutes after a 90-minute intravenous infusion in 10 healthy men. No human half-life after injection under the skin was found in the abstracts read.
What human dosing data is there for Sermorelin?
Geref, the only FDA-approved sermorelin product, was discontinued by its maker in 2008 and the approvals were withdrawn in 2009. FDA determined in 2013 that this was not for reasons of safety or effectiveness.
Sources
Each one was opened on 10 Oct 2026 and matched to the line it supports.
- Prakash A et al. Sermorelin: a review of its use in the diagnosis and treatment of children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency. BioDrugs 1999. PubMed 18031173.
- Thorner M et al. Once daily subcutaneous growth hormone-releasing hormone therapy accelerates growth in growth hormone-deficient children during the first year of therapy. Geref International Study Group. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996. PubMed 8772599.
- Neyzi O et al. Growth response to growth hormone-releasing hormone(1-29)-NH2 compared with growth hormone. Acta Paediatr Suppl 1993. PubMed 8329826.
- Wilton P et al. Pharmacokinetics of growth hormone-releasing hormone(1-29)-NH2 and stimulation of growth hormone secretion in healthy subjects after intravenous or intranasal administration. Acta Paediatr Suppl 1993. PubMed 8329825.
- Soule S et al. Incorporation of D-Ala2 in growth hormone-releasing hormone-(1-29)-NH2 increases the half-life and decreases metabolic clearance in normal men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1994. PubMed 7962295.
- Corpas E et al. Growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone-(1-29) twice daily reverses the decreased GH and insulin-like growth factor-I levels in old men. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1992. PubMed 1379256.
- Vittone J et al. Effects of single nightly injections of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) in healthy elderly men. Metabolism 1997. PubMed 9005976.
- Knoop A et al. Qualitative identification of growth hormone-releasing hormones in human plasma by means of immunoaffinity purification and LC-HRMS/MS. Anal Bioanal Chem 2016. PubMed 26879649.
- Health Canada Drug Product Database: active ingredient search for sermorelin (0 records) Health Canada. health-products.canada.ca.
- Determination That GEREF (Sermorelin Acetate) Injection, 0.5 Milligrams Base/Vial and 1.0 Milligrams Base/Vial, and GEREF (Sermorelin Acetate) Injection, 0.05 Milligrams Base/Amp, Were Not Withdrawn From Sale for Reasons of Safety or Effectiveness US Food and Drug Administration, Federal Register 78 FR 14095 2013-03-04. federalregister.gov.
- Drugs@FDA application records for GEREF: NDA 019863 and NDA 020443 (via openFDA) US Food and Drug Administration. api.fda.gov.
- Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act US Food and Drug Administration 2026-05-14. fda.gov.
- Unauthorized injectable peptide drugs seized and sold by Canada Peptide may pose serious health risks Health Canada 2025-08-01. recalls-rappels.canada.ca.
- The Prohibited List (2026 list as shown on the WADA website) World Anti-Doping Agency. wada-ama.org.
Looked for and not found
- The Geref prescribing information (label dose, contraindications, warnings, storage): Drugs@FDA says 'Label is not available on this site', and openFDA and DailyMed hold no sermorelin label. No label dose is recorded here for that reason.
- An FDA statement on whether sermorelin acetate may be used in compounding under section 503A: none found. It is absent from the 503A nomination categories [12] and from FDA's page on bulk substances with safety risks.
- Human half-life after injection under the skin. The 4.3 minute figure is from an intravenous infusion [5].
- Effect of long-term treatment on final adult height: the 1999 review says it 'is yet to be determined' [1].
- Any controlled trial in adults lasting longer than 6 weeks that used sermorelin itself. A 16-week study in older adults (PMID 9141536) used a different analog, [Nle27]GHRH(1-29)-NH2, and is not counted here.
- A registered treatment trial of sermorelin on ClinicalTrials.gov: the search returns 27 studies through the GHRH synonym; only two name sermorelin or Geref (NCT00324064, NCT03018886), both studies of the GHRH plus arginine diagnostic test.
- Any Health Canada authorization, past or present [9].
Change log
10 Oct 2026Page published. 14 sources checked. Vial math added for the 10 mg vial.
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