Sermorelin dosing is mostly about timing — pin before sleep so the GH pulse hits the natural overnight window. It's a Category 1 compounded peptide, scripted through licensed US 503A compounding pharmacies, and it ships in standardised vial sizes (3 mg, 5 mg, 9 mg, or 15 mg). The reco math is straightforward, but the optimal pin timing (pre-bed, riding the natural GH pulse) and the typical dose range (200–500 mcg per pin) work different from most other peptides in this set. This page runs the per-vial-size math with a free calculator pre-filled for the standard protocol.
Key Takeaways
- —Sermorelin ships in 3 mg, 5 mg, 9 mg, or 15 mg lyo vials from 503A compounding pharmacies. 2 mL BAC water is the default reco volume.
- —At 5 mg + 2 mL, you're at 2,500 mcg/mL. The standard 300 mcg pre-bed dose = 0.12 mL = 12 units on a U-100 slin pin.
- —Sermorelin gets pinned once daily before sleep so the exogenous stimulus lands inside the natural nocturnal GH pulse. Typical run is 5 nights on, 2 off, across a 3–6 month cycle. Some people split to twice daily (AM + pre-bed).
- —A 5 mg vial yields ~16 pins at 300 mcg; a 15 mg vial yields ~50. Typical 12-week cycle needs 1–3 × 5 mg vials or one 15 mg.
- —Sermorelin's IGF-1 response is capped by your pituitary reserve — see sermorelin vs HGH for the mechanism ceiling and when exogenous HGH actually fits better.
| Vial Size | BAC Water | Concentration | Typical Protocol |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 mg | 1 mL | 3 mg/mL (3,000 mcg/mL) | Small starter vial |
| 3 mg | 2 mL | 1.5 mg/mL (1,500 mcg/mL) | Lower concentration; larger draw volume |
| 5 mg | 2 mL | 2.5 mg/mL (2,500 mcg/mL) | Most common compounded protocol |
| 9 mg | 2 mL | 4.5 mg/mL (4,500 mcg/mL) | Higher-concentration option |
| 15 mg | 3 mL | 5 mg/mL (5,000 mcg/mL) | Long-cycle supply; matches 503A compounding defaults |
The 5 mg + 2 mL reco gets you clean syringe marks for 200–500 mcg doses with no fractional unit weirdness. Another reco people run on the 9 mg vial: 1.5 mL BAC water → 6 mg/mL, and 0.05 mL on a slin pin (5 units) = 300 mcg flat. Swirl don't shake, the lyo dissolves in seconds.
Using 5 mg vial + 2 mL BAC water (2,500 mcg/mL):
| Protocol | Dose | Draw Volume | U-100 Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | 200 mcg | 0.08 mL | 8 units |
| Low-moderate | 250 mcg | 0.10 mL | 10 units |
| Standard | 300 mcg | 0.12 mL | 12 units |
| Moderate-high | 400 mcg | 0.16 mL | 16 units |
| High | 500 mcg | 0.20 mL | 20 units |
For the 15 mg + 3 mL (5,000 mcg/mL) concentration (common for 3-month supply vials), halve every unit count above: 300 mcg = 6 units, 500 mcg = 10 units.
Sermorelin cycles run longer than most research peptides — typically 3–6 months, often continuous, with a 5 nights on / 2 off pattern to keep the receptor from desensitising:
| Cycle Length | Daily Dose | Total mg | 5 mg Vials | 15 mg Vials |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 weeks | 300 mcg | ~25 mg | 5 | 2 |
| 24 weeks | 300 mcg | ~50 mg | 10 | 4 |
| 12 weeks | 500 mcg | ~42 mg | 9 | 3 |
| 24 weeks (twice daily 250 mcg) | 500 mcg/day | ~84 mg | 17 | 6 |
The 15 mg vial wins on cost-per-mg for cycles of 12+ weeks — quarterly-supply vials from a 503A compounding pharmacy typically run $150–400/month.
Open the dosing calculator pre-filled with the standard sermorelin protocol (5 mg vial, 2 mL BAC water, 300 mcg pre-bed dose).
Other presets people run:
Sermorelin from a compounding pharmacy ships with formulation-specific stability labelling (typically 30 days fridged after reco; some preservative-free formulations have shorter windows). Follow the pharmacy's specific label rather than the general 28-day rule — Category 1 compounded products sometimes have batch-specific stability data. Don't freeze reco'd solution. Keep it at 2–8°C.
For a 5 mg vial reco'd with 2 mL BAC water (2,500 mcg/mL): the typical 300 mcg pre-bed dose = 0.12 mL = 12 units on a U-100 slin pin. 200 mcg = 8 units; 500 mcg = 20 units. Different reco, different math — recalculate every time the vial changes.
GHRH-stimulated GH release stacks on top of your natural nocturnal GH pulse. Pin before sleep so the GH pulse hits the natural overnight window — net IGF-1 response is biggest when the exogenous stimulus and the endogenous peak overlap. Morning-only pinning is meaningfully worse per injection.
2 mL is the default, getting you 2,500 mcg/mL — clean syringe marks for 200–500 mcg doses. 1 mL reco doubles concentration to 5,000 mcg/mL; some people run that to shrink draw volume, but below ~4 units the measurement gets imprecise on a standard slin pin. Swirl don't shake either way.
Sermorelin is GHRH(1-29) — binds the GHRH receptor only. The Ipamorelin + CJC-1295 stack hits two independent receptors (ghrelin + GHRH), which is why people call it the GH-pulse stack — bigger combined GH pulse than either compound solo. Sermorelin alone is simpler (one compound, one pin per day); the ipa stack hits harder mechanistically. Full breakdown in the sermorelin vs HGH guide and the ipamorelin + CJC-1295 stack guide.
Sermorelin was previously FDA-approved as Geref (pediatric GH deficiency diagnosis), pulled from the US market in 2008. Currently not FDA-approved for any indication, but accessible via 503A compounding pharmacy with a physician script. Details in the where-to-buy sermorelin guide.
This article is for research and informational purposes only. Sermorelin is a compounded prescription medication in the US and requires a licensed prescriber.
Research Disclaimer. All content on Next Pep is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Consult a licensed healthcare professional before considering any peptide protocol.
CJC-1295 with DAC has a 6-8 DAY half-life; Modified GRF (1-29) clears in ~30 minutes. Same modified GHRH(1-29) backbone, one bolt-on linker, ~1,000x PK difference.
TB-500 is a 7-aa fragment of thymosin beta-4 (43 aa, ~4,963 Da), not the full protein. Cross-COA review: ~67% of "TB-500" vials are actually full Tβ4.