How many mL of sermorelin should I take?

Last updated 2026-07-24

Why can't sermorelin dosing just be given in mL?

Because mL is a volume, not a dose. Sermorelin is dispensed as a freeze-dried powder that a pharmacy or the patient reconstitutes with bacteriostatic water, and the concentration after mixing depends entirely on how much water goes into the vial. A vial with 5 mg of sermorelin reconstituted with 2 mL of water gives you 2.5 mg/mL. Reconstituted with 5 mL instead, it gives you 1 mg/mL. The same 0.2 mL injection means a completely different dose depending on which vial you're holding. This is why any answer that just says "take 0.3 mL" without specifying the concentration is useless, or worse, dangerous. The real question isn't how many mL, it's how many micrograms, and then what volume delivers that on your particular vial's label. Sermorelin has an actual regulatory history that most peptides sold online don't. It was previously marketed in the United States under the brand name Geref for diagnostic and therapeutic use in growth hormone deficiency. Geref was discontinued as a commercial product, not pulled for a safety problem, and the FDA's own drug database still lets you look up its approval history [source noted below]. That history is part of why prescribers treat sermorelin differently from a lot of newer, unapproved peptides on the market.

What is the typical sermorelin dose in micrograms?

Adult protocols for growth hormone insufficiency generally use doses in the range of 200 to 300 mcg per day, given as a single subcutaneous injection at night, timed to work with the body's natural nocturnal growth hormone pulse. Pediatric dosing for the original approved indication (diagnosing and treating growth hormone deficiency in children) was weight-based, typically around 30 mcg per kg of body weight, reflecting how the drug was studied and labeled decades ago ^[1]. A 2006 review of sermorelin's role in adult-onset growth hormone insufficiency describes it as a physiologic approach: instead of replacing growth hormone directly, sermorelin stimulates the pituitary to make and release its own GH, which keeps the body's negative feedback loops intact ^[2]. That's a meaningfully different mechanism than injecting HGH itself, and it's the reason dosing philosophy differs too. You're not force-feeding a fixed external dose, you're nudging a system that still has its own brakes. Nightly dosing in the 200 to 300 mcg range is what shows up across compounding pharmacy protocols and clinical descriptions, but your prescriber may adjust based on your age, baseline IGF-1 levels, and response after follow-up labs. Nobody should be scaling their own dose up because a friend takes more.

How do I convert my dose in mcg to a volume in mL?

Once you know your target dose in micrograms and your vial's concentration in mg/mL, the math is straightforward. Divide your target dose by the concentration, converting units carefully. Example: if your vial is reconstituted to 2 mg/mL (which is 2000 mcg/mL) and your prescribed dose is 300 mcg, you'd inject 300 divided by 2000, which is 0.15 mL. Here's a reference table for common reconstitution concentrations and a 300 mcg target dose:

What syringe do most people use, and how do I read it?

Most sermorelin protocols use a small insulin-style syringe marked in units (a standard U-100 syringe), not a mL-marked syringe, because the volumes involved are so small that unit markings are easier to read accurately. On a U-100 syringe, 100 units equals 1 mL, so 10 units equals 0.1 mL. If your dose works out to 0.15 mL, that's 15 units on a standard insulin syringe. If it's 0.3 mL, that's 30 units. This is usually far easier and more accurate than trying to eyeball a fraction of a milliliter on a syringe barrel that isn't finely marked for it. Ask your pharmacy which syringe size they recommend for your specific concentration, since a 0.15 mL dose on a 1 mL syringe is much harder to measure precisely than the same dose on a 0.3 mL or 0.5 mL insulin syringe.

How does sermorelin dosing compare to HGH dosing?

This is really the question underneath the question, and it deserves an honest answer. HGH (somatropin) is dosed in milligrams or IU of the hormone itself, injected directly, with adult replacement doses commonly starting low (often under 0.2 mg/day) and titrated up based on IGF-1 response. Sermorelin doses look larger in raw microgram terms because it's a releasing hormone working upstream, not the hormone itself, and the body still has to do the work of manufacturing and secreting its own GH in response. Here's where sermorelin is genuinely the weaker choice: if you have a pituitary that can't respond, sermorelin does very little, because it depends entirely on functioning pituitary somatotroph cells. HGH bypasses that requirement entirely. A 2020 review on growth hormone secretagogues in hypogonadal men body composition management notes that secretagogue therapy works through the body's own axis rather than direct replacement, which is a real mechanistic constraint, not a marketing detail ^[3]. If your pituitary reserve is severely limited, a prescriber may reasonably tell you sermorelin isn't the right tool. Where sermorelin has an argument in its favor: a small 2017 study in hypogonadal men found that growth hormone secretagogue treatment raised serum IGF-1 levels, suggesting a measurable physiologic effect on the GH axis in that population ^[4]. That's a modest, specific finding, not proof of broad benefit, and it doesn't extend to anti-aging or performance claims that have no real evidence behind them. For a fuller side-by-side, see our sermorelin overview page, which covers the mechanism in more depth.

Is sermorelin FDA approved, and does that affect how it's dosed today?

The branded product Geref was FDA approved and used clinically, primarily for diagnosing and treating growth hormone deficiency, and it was discontinued as a commercial product rather than withdrawn for a safety reason. That's an important distinction: discontinuation often reflects business decisions (low demand, manufacturing costs), not a finding that the drug was unsafe. Today, sermorelin used in most clinics comes from compounding pharmacies rather than an FDA-approved manufactured product. Compounded drugs are regulated differently: under 21 U.S.C. 353a, pharmacies can compound drugs for individual patients under a prescription without going through the full new-drug approval process, provided they meet specific conditions ^[5]. The FDA maintains lists of bulk drug substances that can legally be used in compounding under section 503A and by outsourcing facilities under 503B, and sermorelin's regulatory status on those lists is something worth checking directly on FDA's site if you want the current picture [6, 7]. Because it's compounded rather than mass-manufactured under one fixed label, dosing instructions, concentrations, and even vial sizes vary by pharmacy. That's exactly why the "how many mL" question doesn't have one universal answer, and why you should trust the label on your specific vial over a generic number you found online.

How is sermorelin actually injected, and where?

Sermorelin is given as a subcutaneous injection, meaning it goes into the fatty tissue just under the skin, not into muscle. Common injection sites are the abdomen (avoiding a couple inches around the navel) or the top of the thigh, rotated to avoid irritating the same spot every night. Most protocols call for dosing at night, close to bedtime, because that lines up with the body's largest natural pulse of growth hormone release during early sleep. Taking it at a random time during the day misses that physiological window and may reduce whatever effect it has. Inject slowly, use a new needle each time, and store reconstituted vials refrigerated, since bacteriostatic water mixtures typically remain stable for a limited window (commonly cited as around 20 to 28 days by compounding pharmacies, though you should follow your specific pharmacy's guidance rather than a general rule).

What happens if I take too much or too little?

Taking less than prescribed mostly just means you're under-dosing and won't get whatever benefit the prescribed amount was meant to produce; it's not typically dangerous, just ineffective. Taking meaningfully more than prescribed increases the chance of side effects like injection site redness, flushing, headache, or dizziness, and it doesn't necessarily produce a proportionally bigger effect since the pituitary's response to releasing hormone has its own ceiling. There isn't a large, well-controlled dataset on sermorelin overdose in adults, and dose-ranging data mostly comes from older pediatric growth hormone deficiency studies ^[1]. If you've made a measurement error, the honest answer is to call your prescriber or pharmacist rather than guess. Don't try to "correct" a miscalculated dose by skipping doses or doubling up on your own. For a broader look at what side effects show up with sustained use, see sermorelin long-term side effects.

Do sermorelin doses change over time, or with age?

Yes, dosing is usually adjusted based on follow-up IGF-1 lab values and how you're responding, not left static forever. A prescriber typically checks baseline IGF-1 before starting, then rechecks after a period of consistent use (commonly a few months) to see whether the dose needs to go up, down, or stay put. Age matters because growth hormone secretion naturally declines over adult life, and pituitary responsiveness to releasing hormone can vary by individual regardless of age. There's no universal formula that scales dose by age alone. This is part of why self-directed dosing based on internet charts is a bad idea: the correct number for you depends on labs and clinical judgment, more than a chart matched to your birthday. If you're comparing your own trajectory to what other people report, our sermorelin peptide before and after page walks through what realistic timelines and lab changes tend to look like.

Can I combine sermorelin with other peptides, and does that change the mL calculation?

Some protocols pair sermorelin with other growth hormone axis peptides, and if you're doing that, the volumes are calculated separately for each compound, not combined into one number. Mixing calculations across two different peptides in your head is a common source of dosing errors. A 2026 review in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons on therapeutic peptides notes that combination peptide protocols are an active area of clinical interest but come with added complexity around interactions and monitoring ^[6]. That's a reasonable summary of where the field is: interest is real, but the evidence for specific combination protocols is still developing, and complexity goes up, not down, when you add a second peptide. If you're considering stacking, read can stack tesamorelin and sermorelin before you do anything, and bring it up explicitly with your prescriber so your injection log and volumes stay untangled.

Where should I actually get my dosing instructions from?

From your prescriber and the pharmacy that compounds your specific vial, full stop. Not a bodybuilding forum, not a generic online chart, and not this article as a substitute for your label. Because sermorelin is dispensed through compounding pharmacies with varying concentrations, the safest path is working with a provider who reviews your labs, writes a dose in micrograms, and coordinates with a pharmacy that prints the corresponding mL volume directly on your vial. Sermorelin Co's provider-reviewed process is built around exactly that handoff: a licensed prescriber sets your dose, and it's filled by a compounding pharmacy partner rather than shipped as a mystery vial with a guessed concentration. If you're evaluating where to source from at all, our best place to buy sermorelin page and sermorelin reviews page cover what to look for and what real users report. Counterfeit and falsified injectable products are a documented problem in the broader peptide and biopharmaceutical market, per a 2016 analysis of falsified biopharmaceutical injectables in Europe, which is one more reason to source through a legitimate pharmacy chain rather than an anonymous online seller ^[7].

Frequently asked questions

How many mL of sermorelin should I inject per night?

It depends on your vial's concentration, not a universal mL number. Most adult protocols target 200 to 300 mcg nightly, which translates to roughly 0.1 to 0.3 mL depending on how the pharmacy reconstituted your specific vial. Check your label, or ask the dispensing pharmacy to confirm the volume for your prescribed dose.

What is a standard starting dose of sermorelin for adults?

Many adult protocols start around 200 to 300 mcg per day, given as one nightly subcutaneous injection. Pediatric dosing for the historically approved indication was weight-based, around 30 mcg per kg ^[1]. Your prescriber may start lower and adjust based on follow-up IGF-1 labs.

How do I convert mcg to mL for sermorelin?

Divide your target dose in mcg by your vial's concentration in mcg/mL. For example, a 2 mg/mL vial equals 2000 mcg/mL, so a 300 mcg dose needs 0.15 mL. Always confirm this math against your pharmacy's printed instructions rather than calculating from memory alone.

Is sermorelin dosed the same as HGH?

No. HGH is dosed in mg or IU of the hormone itself, while sermorelin is a releasing hormone that prompts your pituitary to make its own GH, so the numbers and mechanisms aren't interchangeable. Sermorelin doses look larger in raw mcg terms but work upstream of actual hormone output.

What syringe size should I use for sermorelin injections?

Most people use a standard insulin syringe marked in units, where 100 units equals 1 mL. A 0.15 mL dose equals 15 units. Unit-marked syringes are easier to read accurately at these small volumes than a mL-only syringe barrel.

Why does my sermorelin vial need reconstitution before dosing?

Sermorelin is dispensed as a freeze-dried powder for stability, and it's mixed with bacteriostatic water before injection. The amount of water added determines the final concentration, which is why the same injected volume can represent very different doses depending on how the vial was prepared.

Was sermorelin ever an FDA-approved drug?

Yes, it was marketed in the US as Geref, primarily for diagnosing and treating growth hormone deficiency. Geref was discontinued as a commercial product, which reflects a business decision, not a safety withdrawal. Most sermorelin today comes from compounding pharmacies rather than that original branded product.

Can I safely increase my sermorelin dose on my own?

No. Dose changes should come from your prescriber based on follow-up IGF-1 labs and clinical response, not self-adjustment. Taking more than prescribed raises the chance of side effects like flushing or headache without a guaranteed proportional benefit, since pituitary response to releasing hormone has its own limits.

What happens if my sermorelin dose is measured wrong?

A too-small dose likely just under-delivers benefit with low added risk. A meaningfully larger error can cause injection site irritation, flushing, headache, or dizziness. If you suspect a measurement mistake, call your prescriber or pharmacist rather than trying to self-correct with a skipped or doubled dose.

Does sermorelin dosing change based on age or sex?

There's no fixed formula scaling dose by age or sex alone. Prescribers adjust based on baseline and follow-up IGF-1 levels and individual response, since pituitary responsiveness to releasing hormone varies between people regardless of demographic factors.

Can sermorelin be combined with other peptides like tesamorelin?

Some protocols do combine growth hormone axis peptides, but each compound's dose and mL volume is calculated separately, and combination protocols add complexity around interactions and monitoring. Discuss any stacking plan explicitly with your prescriber rather than combining calculations on your own.

Where should I get accurate sermorelin dosing instructions?

From a licensed prescriber who reviews your labs and a compounding pharmacy that prints your specific concentration and volume on the vial label. Generic mL numbers from forums or unaffiliated websites don't account for your actual vial's concentration and shouldn't be used to dose yourself.

Sources

1. BioDrugs, 1999 (PMID 18031173): Sermorelin's historical use and weight-based pediatric dosing approach in diagnosing and treating idiopathic growth hormone deficiency in children
2. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 2006 (PMID 18046908): Sermorelin works through a physiologic mechanism, stimulating the pituitary to release the body's own growth hormone in adult-onset GH insufficiency
3. Translational Andrology and Urology, 2020 (PMID 32257855): Growth hormone secretagogues work through the body's own GH axis in hypogonadal men, a mechanistic difference from direct HGH replacement
4. American Journal of Men's Health, 2017 (PMID 28830317): Growth hormone secretagogue treatment in hypogonadal men raised serum IGF-1 levels
5. Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute, 21 U.S.C. 353a: Pharmacy compounding for individual patients under prescription is permitted without full new-drug approval under specific statutory conditions
6. FDA, Bulk Drug Substances Used in Compounding Under Section 503A: FDA maintains a list of bulk drug substances eligible for use in compounding under section 503A
7. eCFR, 21 CFR 216.24 (503B Bulks List): Federal regulation establishes the bulk drug substances list applicable to outsourcing facilities under section 503B
8. Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Global Research & Reviews, 2026 (PMID 41490200): Combination peptide protocols are an active area of clinical interest with added complexity around interactions and monitoring
9. Drug Testing and Analysis, 2016 (PMID 26456392): Falsified biopharmaceutical injectables have been documented as a real problem in the European drug market