What Is Hexarelin? Dosage, Half-Life & How to Track It
Also known as: Examorelin · Hexarelin Acetate
Hexarelin is a synthetic six-amino-acid GHRP widely considered the most potent growth-hormone secretagogue in its class — but that strength comes with trade-offs the more selective peptides like ipamorelin do not have. Typical protocols run 100 mcg subcutaneously, one to three times daily, with a half-life of roughly 1–2 hours. Because it meaningfully raises cortisol and prolactin alongside GH, and desensitizes (tachyphylaxis) with continuous use faster than milder GHRPs, most protocols keep it short and cycled rather than run indefinitely. Educational information only.
What Hexarelin is and how it works
Hexarelin is a synthetic hexapeptide in the same GHRP family as GHRP-2 and GHRP-6, activating the same ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a) to trigger a pulse of pituitary GH release. Where it stands apart is potency: gram for gram, Hexarelin produces one of the largest GH pulses of any GHRP studied, which is exactly why it earned a reputation as the strongest tool in this family.
That strength is not free. Unlike ipamorelin, which was specifically selected for selectivity, Hexarelin meaningfully raises cortisol and prolactin alongside GH — the same hormonal noise ipamorelin was designed to avoid. It has also been studied for a genuinely separate, non-GH mechanism: binding to CD36 receptors in cardiac tissue, producing measurable cardioprotective effects in animal models independent of growth-hormone release — a research interest distinct from its use as a secretagogue.
The other defining trait is tachyphylaxis — with continuous daily use, the pituitary’s GH response to Hexarelin blunts faster than it does with milder GHRPs, which is the main reason protocols favor short cycles or rotation with a different secretagogue over indefinite daily use.
Typical dosing & reconstitution
Hexarelin ships as a lyophilized powder reconstituted with bacteriostatic water. A common protocol is 100 mcg subcutaneously, one to three times daily, though because of the desensitization issue many people cap continuous use at a few weeks rather than running it for months the way ipamorelin often is.
| Vial | BAC water | Concentration | 1 unit (U-100) ≈ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 mg | 2 mL | 1.0 mg/mL | 10 mcg |
| 5 mg | 3 mL | 1.67 mg/mL | 16.7 mcg |
At 1.0 mg/mL, a 100 mcg dose is a clean 10 units on a standard U-100 insulin syringe — part of why the 2 mg-in-2-mL setup is common. The reconstitution calculator handles any vial size the same way.
Half-life & what it means for frequency
Hexarelin clears quickly — roughly 1 to 2 hours — similar to the rest of the GHRP family, which is why it is dosed multiple times a day rather than once. Each injection produces its own discrete pulse rather than a sustained elevation.
The short half-life is not the limiting factor on frequency, though — tachyphylaxis is. Because the GH response measurably drops with repeated daily dosing over as little as a couple of weeks, more doses per day does not translate to proportionally more GH release the way it might early in a cycle; it is a separate desensitization mechanism, not a pharmacokinetic one.
What to track & common side effects
Beyond the injection-site reactions common to any subcutaneous peptide, Hexarelin’s more distinctive side effects trace to its lack of selectivity: facial flushing, water retention, increased hunger, and — the two worth actually watching — elevated cortisol and prolactin, which can show up as mood changes, fatigue, or libido changes if run long enough at higher doses.
Because tachyphylaxis is real, the most useful thing to track is not just the daily dose but the length of the current run — knowing you are on week 2 versus week 6 of continuous use is the difference between an effective protocol and one quietly producing less GH than it did on day one.
How to track Hexarelin in Stackeddd
Log each Hexarelin dose and let the app total how many consecutive days you have been running it — tachyphylaxis makes cycle length the one variable that matters more here than with most GHRPs. Reconstitution math is worth locking in early, since a 100 mcg dose looks completely different in units depending on your vial and water.
Model it yourself · free, no account
Reconstitution Calculator
Model it yourself: enter your vial size and BAC water and the Peptides tab returns concentration and exact insulin-syringe units for any dose — the same math built into the Stackeddd app.
Related compounds
Related reading: What peptides can you mix in the same syringe? · Peptide reconstitution math: how much BAC water to add
Frequently asked questions
What is Hexarelin used for?
It is a GHRP studied for raising growth hormone via the ghrelin receptor — considered the most potent peptide in its class. It has also been separately studied for cardioprotective effects through CD36 receptor binding, independent of its GH-releasing action.
What is the half-life of Hexarelin?
Roughly 1 to 2 hours, similar to other GHRPs, which is why it is dosed multiple times a day rather than once. Frequency is limited less by half-life and more by tachyphylaxis with continuous use.
Why does Hexarelin cause tachyphylaxis?
With continuous daily dosing, the pituitary’s GH response to Hexarelin blunts measurably faster than it does with more selective GHRPs like ipamorelin — a desensitization effect, not a pharmacokinetic one. It is the main reason protocols favor shorter cycles.
Is Hexarelin stronger than Ipamorelin?
In terms of raw GH release per dose, yes — Hexarelin is generally considered the most potent GHRP. The trade-off is it also raises cortisol and prolactin more, and desensitizes faster, which is why ipamorelin’s selectivity makes it the more common daily long-term choice.
This is educational information, not medical advice. Doses and protocols above reflect published references and community practice — protocol decisions belong with your prescribing physician. Generic names used throughout. How this reference is built & how the AI is tested →
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