Alexamorelin

Ala-hexarelin, Ala-His-D-2-methyl-Trp-Ala-Trp-D-Phe-Lys-NH2

Growth hormone axis

Awaiting medical reviewEN ES DE FR PT ZH+ Follow for updates

Summary

Class: Synthetic heptapeptide (7 amino acids) growth hormone secretagogue of the hexarelin/GHRP family; ghrelin receptor (GHS-R1a) agonist
Mechanism: Mimics ghrelin to release a pulse of growth hormone from the pituitary; like hexarelin it also produces small rises in prolactin, ACTH and cortisol
Routes studied: Intravenous and subcutaneous in small human studies; in vitro binding studies in human tissue
Dose range reported: Human pharmacology studies used single doses in the range of ~1–2 µg/kg IV, in line with hexarelin †. No approved dose; community use is uncommon and borrows hexarelin dosing (100–200 µg subcutaneous)
Half-life: Not well published; short, likely under an hour as for hexarelin
Storage: Lyophilised: refrigerate, protect from light. Reconstituted: refrigerate, use within ~4 weeks (community practice)
Regulatory status: Never approved; development discontinued

Doses are as reported in studies or by the community — never recommendations.

1What it is

Alexamorelin was developed in the 1990s by the Italian company Mediolanum Farmaceutici as a close relative of hexarelin, which the same company had taken into clinical studies. Structurally it is hexarelin with an extra alanine on the front, and it shares hexarelin's 2-methyl-tryptophan modification, which gives these compounds chemical stability. It was studied by the Turin group of Ezio Ghigo and Emanuela Arvat, who ran much of the European human research on GH in that decade, and in receptor-binding work by Giampiero Muccioli and colleagues.

Development did not go beyond early clinical pharmacology. Today alexamorelin is mostly notable as a name on the WADA list and as a reminder that the GHRP family was larger than the handful of compounds that circulate online. The literature is thin and this profile reflects that.

2How it's thought to work

Alexamorelin binds the ghrelin receptor () in the pituitary and hypothalamus, triggering GH release through the phospholipase C pathway and amplifying the effect of endogenous GHRH. Like hexarelin, it also binds a second class of sites in human heart tissue that are not the GHS-R1a and are now thought to include CD36. Hexarelin's reported cardiac effects in animals (protection from ischaemia, improved contractility) have been attributed to these sites; alexamorelin was used in some of the binding studies that mapped them, but its own cardiac effects were not characterised in humans.

A synthetic ghrelin receptor agonist from the GHRP series, studied little in humans and best known from anti-doping assays.Schematic — not to scale

3What the research shows

GH release in humans

Small studies in healthy adults from the Turin group reported that alexamorelin released GH dose-dependently with the usual GHRP profile — a peak within 15–30 minutes, larger than GHRH alone, with modest increases in prolactin, ACTH and cortisol — broadly matching hexarelin (summarised in Ghigo 1997, Eur J Endocrinol, and Camanni 1998, Front Neuroendocrinol). Primary reports are few and some data appeared in abstracts; specific figures should be checked against the originals before publication. [1][2]

Receptor binding in human tissue

Radioligand studies using hexarelin-family peptides, including alexamorelin, identified high-affinity binding sites in human pituitary, hypothalamus and heart, with the cardiac sites distinct from the pituitary GH receptor (Muccioli 1998, J Endocrinol; Papotti 2000, J Clin Endocrinol Metab — the latter mainly with hexarelin). This is the mechanistic basis for later interest in "cardioprotective GHRPs". [3][4]

Body composition, cardioprotection, recovery

No human data for alexamorelin. Hexarelin has animal cardiac data (grade C) that is sometimes borrowed; it does not transfer.

4Reported side effects and interactions

Literature-reported

transient flushing and mild sweating after IV dosing; small rises in cortisol and prolactin. No repeated-dose or long-term human data.

Community-reported

very little; the compound is rarely used. Where discussed, hexarelin-type effects are described — flushing, hunger, water retention.

Theoretical. class concerns — IGF-1 rise with repeated use, reduced insulin sensitivity, fluid retention, caution in active malignancy. Hexarelin showed desensitisation (declining GH response) with repeated dosing over weeks in humans; alexamorelin would be expected to behave similarly.

Interactions. additive or synergistic with GHRH analogues; glucose-lowering medicines may need monitoring if IGF-1 rises.

Markers researchers commonly monitor

Based on GHRP class physiology; nothing alexamorelin-specific is established:

Marker	Why it's watched
IGF-1	the marker of cumulative GH exposure.
Fasting glucose, insulin, HbA1c	GH reduces insulin sensitivity.
Morning cortisol and prolactin	the hexarelin family raises both slightly; a baseline is informative.
Blood pressure and weight	fluid retention is a class effect.
CBC and CMP	general baseline given the lack of long-term data.

Free for everyone. Safety information is never behind a paywall.

5Reconstitution and handling

Seldom offered; vial sizes vary. with , swirl gently.

Open in calculator, pre-loaded →

6Commonly studied alongside

Hexarelin (its parent), GHRP-2, GHRP-6, GHRH analogues (sermorelin, mod GRF 1-29) for synergy.

Informational cross-links. Not stack recommendations.

7Regulatory status by region

Region	Status (checked —)
United States	Not FDA-approved; not named explicitly in the FDA's 2023 Category 2 compounding list †
European Union	Not authorised
United Kingdom	Not licensed
Australia	Not approved
South Africa	Not registered
Sport	Prohibited by WADA (S2 — alexamorelin is named as an example of a GH-releasing peptide)

8Open questions

Whether the cardiac binding sites shared with hexarelin translate to any functional effect in humans.
Repeated-dose pharmacology, desensitisation and safety — never published.

9References

1Ghigo E, Arvat E, Muccioli G, Camanni F (1997). Growth hormone-releasing peptides. Eur J Endocrinol. PubMed · DOI
2Camanni F, Ghigo E, Arvat E (1998). Growth hormone-releasing peptides and their analogs. Front Neuroendocrinol. PubMed · DOI
3Muccioli G et al. (1998). Specific receptors for synthetic GH secretagogues in the human brain and pituitary gland. J Endocrinol. PubMed · DOI
4Papotti M et al. (2000). Growth hormone secretagogue binding sites in peripheral human tissues. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. PubMed · DOI
5Bodart V et al. (2002). CD36 mediates the cardiovascular action of growth hormone-releasing peptides in the heart. Circ Res. PubMed · DOI

† Being confirmed by our reviewers against current sources.

10Community

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Self-reported side effects Phase 2

Not enough data yet. 0 of the 50 members needed have logged this compound for 4+ weeks. We don't show anything below 50, so no one can be identified.

11Page history

26 Oct 2026Profile published — awaiting medical review

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