Sermorelin
A 29-amino-acid analog of growth-hormone-releasing hormone. It was FDA-approved as Geref for children, and FDA has said it was not withdrawn for safety or effectiveness. Compounded sermorelin is not FDA-approved.
How it is offered
Priced With Your Plan
Pricing
Your clinician sets the plan. Pricing is shown before you authorize any charge.
Sermorelin requires a written prescription from a licensed clinician and is prepared by a licensed pharmacy for an individual patient. Compounded medications are not FDA-approved or evaluated for safety, effectiveness or quality. Evidence standards.
Start Your Assessment →What Is Sermorelin?
Sermorelin is the shortest synthetic peptide with the full activity of growth-hormone-releasing hormone. As Geref it was FDA-approved to help diagnose growth hormone deficiency in children and to treat some of them. FDA later determined the brand was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness.
Its published use in older adults is thin: one small trial found nighttime growth hormone rose, with limited functional change. Compounded sermorelin is a different, unapproved product, and we say so.
Good to Know
- Prescribed only after a clinician reviews your history.
- Dose and course are set by your clinician, not by you.
- Results vary, and we do not promise outcomes.
Who It Is For
Eligibility
Competitive Athletes
Growth-hormone-releasing peptides and secretagogues are on the WADA Prohibited List at all times. A prescription does not establish sporting eligibility, so we ask about anti-doping rules before presenting any option.
Often a Good Fit If
- ✓Adults with a documented low IGF-1 and symptoms your clinician wants to investigate
- ✓Comfortable with limited evidence for adult use
- ✓Willing to complete baseline labs and repeat them
- ✓Open to a defined course with a clinician-reviewed endpoint
Not Prescribed If
- —Pregnancy, breastfeeding, or actively trying to conceive
- —Active or recent cancer diagnosis, or a history your clinician judges to carry risk
- —Expecting a guaranteed or fast outcome rather than a considered trial
- —Uncontrolled diabetes or significant glucose intolerance
- —A pituitary or hypothalamic disorder, unless directed by a specialist
- —Subject to anti-doping rules that prohibit it
Read Before You Decide
Key Risks, Stated Plainly
In the 6-week trial in older men, no significant adverse effects were observed, though the trial was small (11 men) and short. Because growth hormone and IGF-I affect fluid balance and glucose handling, we monitor both. Raising IGF-I also warrants caution for anyone with a cancer history.
Contact care the same day for
Significant swelling, signs of allergic reaction, symptoms of high blood sugar such as marked thirst or frequent urination, or any new or unexplained symptom during a course.
What Is Measured
IGF-1
Measured at baseline and during the course.
Fasting Glucose and HbA1c
Reviewed at baseline and at each scheduled review.
Strength and Function
Your own reports and simple measures, compared with baseline.
Sleep
Your reports and, if you connect one, wearable trends.
Anti-Doping Check
Competitive athletes are screened against current sport rules first.
A Clearer Path Forward
How Clinicians Review Your Response
You and Your Clinician Look at the Same Data
Symptoms you report, laboratory results and, if you connect one, wearable trends are reviewed together before any change.
A Physician-Led Review Every 90 Days
Included in your monthly price. Your clinician decides whether to continue, adjust the dose, change course or stop.
Clinical Judgment Decides
Measurements inform the decision. They do not make it, and no dashboard changes your dose on its own.
Your Care Sequence
01
Questionnaire
Share your goals, history and any sport or work rules in about ten minutes. No card required.
02
Video Visit
Your clinician reviews your history and medications, explains the evidence plainly, and decides whether this fits you.
03
Delivery
If prescribed, medication ships from a licensed pharmacy with supplies and written instructions.
04
Reassessment
A scheduled review decides whether to stop, extend or change course. Courses are not renewed by default.
Common Questions About Sermorelin
Was Sermorelin Ever FDA-Approved?+
Yes. Geref (sermorelin acetate) was FDA-approved, and FDA determined in 2013 that it was not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness. The brand is no longer marketed, and compounded sermorelin is not FDA-approved.
What Does the Research Show in Older Adults?+
In a 6-week trial of 11 healthy men aged 64 to 76 with low IGF-I, nightly injections raised nighttime growth hormone and improved two of six strength measures, but IGF-I, body composition, glucose and lipids did not change.
How Is It Different From CJC-1295?+
Both act like growth-hormone-releasing hormone. Sermorelin is short-acting, while CJC-1295 was designed to last for days.
Can I Use It If I Compete in Sport?+
Probably not. Growth-hormone-releasing hormone analogs are prohibited by WADA at all times, and a prescription does not change that.
Is It Available Through SOVRYN?+
Sermorelin is prescribed only after a clinician reviews your history and decides it fits. Start with the assessment and your clinician will tell you what is and is not appropriate.
Still unsure? Message the care team before you join. No account needed.
Published Research
What the Published Science Shows
11
Healthy men aged 64 to 76 in the 6-week nightly trial.
2 of 6
Strength measures that improved, with no change in IGF-I, body composition, glucose or lipids.
2013
Year FDA determined Geref was not withdrawn for reasons of safety or effectiveness.
Figures come from the cited trials and reviews. They describe published research, not a forecast for any one person, and not a study of compounded formulations.
The Mechanism
How It Works
GHRH Analog
It stimulates the pituitary to release growth hormone, the same step the body's own hormone triggers.
Short-Acting
It is cleared quickly, which is why timing, often at bedtime, matters.
Diagnostic Use
A single dose has been used as a test of the pituitary's growth hormone response.
For Readers Who Want More
Deeper Evidence
What We Can and Cannot Tell YouEvidence and regulatory status+
What the Evidence Supports
A history as an FDA-approved diagnostic and treatment for children with growth hormone deficiency, and a small adult trial showing nighttime growth hormone increased.
What It Does Not (Yet)
No strong evidence that it changes body composition, glucose or IGF-I in healthy older adults, and compounded sermorelin is not FDA-approved. It is on the WADA Prohibited List.
Badge definitions and FDA category sourcing are on the Science page.
Illustrative Course StructureFinal dose set by your clinician+
Illustrative only and not a prescription. Dose, timing and length are set by your clinician and the compounding pharmacy.
| Phase | Approach | Duration | What We Watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Visit, labs where indicated | Before starting | Symptoms, relevant labs |
| Course | Clinician-set dose, held at the tolerated level | Defined by your clinician | Tolerance, response |
| Reassessment | Extend, stop or change course | At the scheduled review | Whether the goal was met |
Selected Studies
FDA, Federal Register notice, March 4, 2013 (Docket FDA-2012-P-1071)
FDA determined that Geref (sermorelin acetate) injection was not withdrawn from sale for reasons of safety or effectiveness. The brand product is no longer marketed, and compounded sermorelin is not FDA-approved.
Read the Source ↗Prakash and Goa, BioDrugs, 1999 (review of sermorelin)
Reviews sermorelin, a 29-amino-acid GHRH analog, as a diagnostic test for growth hormone deficiency and as a once-daily treatment that sustained increases in height velocity in some children with idiopathic growth hormone deficiency.
Read the Source ↗Vittone et al., Metabolism, 1997 (6-week trial in older men)
Eleven healthy men aged 64 to 76 injected GHRH nightly for 6 weeks. Nighttime growth hormone release rose and two of six strength measures improved, but IGF-I, body composition, glucose and lipids did not change. The authors concluded single nightly doses were less effective than multiple daily doses.
Read the Source ↗Walker, Clinical Interventions in Aging, 2006 (review)
A review asking whether sermorelin is a better approach to adult-onset growth hormone insufficiency.
Read the Source ↗Often Considered Together
Paired With
Start Your Assessment for Growth Hormone Pathway Options
Ten minutes, no card, reviewed by a clinician.