Hexarelin

Status

No approved product. No FDA-approved labeling exists. Not an approved medicine in the United States.

What it is

A potent GH secretagogue that also raises cortisol and prolactin in studies.

What published research measured

A hexapeptide growth hormone secretagogue, structurally close to GHRP-6 but more potent at the ghrelin receptor. Two findings recur across the human and animal literature and are worth knowing before the potency is read as an advantage. First, the growth hormone response attenuates with continued administration — tachyphylaxis is described in published studies rather than being a community observation. Second, hexarelin raises cortisol and prolactin more than the more selective secretagogues do. It has also been studied for effects on cardiac tissue that appear to be independent of growth hormone, mediated through the CD36 receptor, which is an interesting line of research but not evidence of benefit in healthy people.

Source

Frontiers in Endocrinology 2026 review — GH secretagogues and the GH–IGF-1 axis

Sources

• Primary source
• Primary source
• Primary human endocrine study
• CDC handling principles