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Growth & GHPeptideEvidence B3 cited

Hexarelin

Examorelin

aka Examorelin · HEX · Growth Hormone Releasing Hexapeptide

Research describes Hexarelin as the most potent synthetic GHRP, notable for GH release and cardiovascular protective properties.

Molecular wt
887.0g/mol
Formula
C47H58N12O6
CAS
140703-51-1
Half-life
1.5 h
clinical
Tmax
30 min
Route
Subcutaneous injection
PubChem
6918297

Sequence

Read this before quoting the sequence
Synthetic hexapeptide GH-releasing peptide (INN examorelin). No valid one-letter string exists because residue 2 is 2-methyl-D-tryptophan and residues 2 and 5 are D-amino acids. PubChem CID 6918297 systematic name is 'L-Lysinamide, L-histidyl-2-methyl-D-tryptophyl-L-alanyl-L-tryptophyl-D-phenylalanyl-'; the identical sequence is stated in the human dose-response study of Imbimbo et al. 1994 (PMID 7957536).
Source ↗

Mechanism of action

Hexarelin is a synthetic growth hormone-releasing peptide (GHRP) that stimulates the pituitary gland to release growth hormone (GH). It binds to the ghrelin receptor, also known as the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), which triggers a cascade of intracellular events leading to increased GH secretion. This peptide also exhibits cardioprotective effects by modulating cardiac function and reducing myocardial fibrosis.

What the evidence actually shows

Grade B

There are a limited number of human trials on Hexarelin, primarily focusing on its GH-releasing effects and cardiovascular benefits. These studies have shown promising results in increasing GH levels and improving cardiac function. However, more extensive clinical trials are needed to fully understand its long-term safety and efficacy.

Regulatory status

Status
Not approved in any jurisdiction; no marketing authorisation identified. Clinical development discontinued.
Clinical stage
Phase 1/2 human pharmacology studies conducted in the 1990s; no registered ongoing development identified.
WADA
Prohibited at all times (in- and out-of-competition), non-Specified. 2026 Prohibited List S2.2.4 lists 'GH-releasing peptides (GHRPs) [e.g. alexamorelin, examorelin (hexarelin), GHRP-1, GHRP-2 (pralmorelin), GHRP-3, GHRP-4, GHRP-5 and GHRP-6]'.
UK
research_compound

In the UK, Hexarelin is not approved for medical use and is classified as a research compound. It is not licensed for human consumption outside of clinical trials.

Source ↗

Pharmacokinetics

Half-life
1.5 h
Tmax
30 min
Absorption
subcutaneous
Elimination
renal
Washout
2 days
Low-confidence pharmacokinetics
These figures are recorded as clinical rather than measured in a published PK study. Treat them as an order of magnitude. Anything downstream of them — accumulation, steady state, washout — inherits that uncertainty.

Dosing — what backs each figure

Hexarelin has real human data, but only as an acute GH-stimulation agent: 0.5-2 mcg/kg given as a single intravenous bolus in healthy volunteers and in short-stature diagnostic testing. No published human study administers hexarelin subcutaneously at a fixed microgram dose on a repeated daily schedule, and no therapeutic dosing regimen has been established.

ClinicalApproved labelling or a published human trial
Commonly circulatedNot established by any study
Dose
Research literature cites ~100 mcg 1 to 3x/day
Frequency
1-2x daily

Why this isn't evidence
Every published human hexarelin dose is a weight-based intravenous bolus (0.5-2 mcg/kg) given as a one-off GH-provocative stimulus, not a flat ~100 mcg subcutaneous dose repeated one to three times a day, and the dosingNotes claims of evening administration and 4-6 week cycling to prevent desensitisation appear in no clinical source.

This figure is shown because it is what circulates and what people search for — not because it is supported. Cycle lengths in particular tend to be convention copied between compounds rather than anything derived from a compound's own pharmacokinetics.

No established human dose
No approved label or completed human trial establishes a dosing regimen for this compound. Anything presented as a standard protocol for it — anywhere — is someone's convention rather than a finding.

Handling and storage

No compound-specific stability data exists
No compound-specific published stability data (temperature/duration for lyophilised or reconstituted material, light sensitivity, freeze-thaw tolerance) was located in any regulatory label, pharmacopoeial monograph or peer-reviewed source. Only generic lyophilised-peptide handling guidance exists, and generic guidance is not compound-specific; no specific figures are asserted here. Hexarelin was never marketed, so no approved-product storage specification exists. General peptide handling still applies — reconstitute gently, keep it cold, keep it dark — but any specific figure you see quoted for this compound elsewhere is someone's assumption, not a measurement.
→ Reconstitution walkthrough→ Reconstitution calculator

Safety

Commonly reported
  • ·Injection site reactions
  • ·Increased appetite
  • ·Transient fatigue
Rarely reported
  • ·Gynecomastia
  • ·Edema
  • ·"Carpal tunnel syndrome"
Contraindications
  • ·Active cancer
  • ·Pregnancy
  • ·Severe liver or kidney disease
Drug interactions
  • ·Corticosteroids may blunt the GH-releasing effects of Hexarelin by increasing somatostatin release.

Water retention, raised cortisol/prolactin, injection-site reactions

Reported combinations

Reported as synergistic
  • ·GHRP-2
  • ·GHRP-6
  • ·CJC-1295
Reported as antagonistic
  • ·Somatostatin analogs

Combination claims in this dataset are largely unsourced and should be treated as folk knowledge until a citation appears beside them.

References (3)

Data provenance

Chemistry and citations on this page were checked against primary sources on 2026-08-14. Values that could not be verified were left blank rather than filled with a plausible guess.

Could not verify
sequence.oneLetter, storage.lyophilized, storage.reconstituted, storage.lightSensitive, reconstitution.solvent

Research use only
This profile is educational reference material. It is not medical advice, not a prescription, and not an endorsement of self-administration. Compounds discussed here are research chemicals and most are not approved for human therapeutic use.

Related in Growth & GH

CJC-1295 (No DAC)
A modified GHRH analog with a short half-life. Commonly paired with a GHRP in research protocols to study pulsatile GH release.
CJC-1295 (with DAC)
A long-acting GHRH analogue research describes as sustaining elevated GH levels for up to eight days per dose.
Follistatin 344
A glycoprotein that binds and neutralises myostatin, the protein that naturally limits muscle growth.