Brain, Mood and Sleep Compounds: The Full Category
Peptides sold for focus, anxiety, mood and sleep, several of them developed and approved in Russia rather than the US.
Which of these has the most human evidence? See Best Peptides for Brain and Focus, Ranked by Human Evidence. Also: Peptides for sleep.
aka N-acetyl semax · ACTH(4-10) analogue
Sold as a nootropic for focus, memory and mood. Used clinically within Russian medicine.
Limited human dataResearch use only
aka N-acetyl selank · Tuftsin analogue
Sold as a nootropic for focus, memory and mood. Used clinically within Russian medicine.
Limited human dataResearch use only
aka Adamax Peptide
Sold as a nootropic, marketed as a longer-acting, more potent successor to Semax, aimed at the same cognitive-enhancement buyers.
No meaningful evidenceUnapproved drug
aka Cerebrolysin Injection · FPF-1070
A prescription drug in Russia, China, several Eastern European and other markets for acute ischaemic stroke, traumatic brain injury and vascular dementia. Also sold outside those markets, including to US buyers, as an unregulated "research" or grey-market vial for self-injection, which is not how it is used where it is actually approved.
Limited human dataUnapproved drug
aka PE 22-28 · Shortened spadin analogue
Studied only in mice as a candidate fast-acting antidepressant. Never tested in a single published human trial, and sold to consumers as an unregulated research-chemical mood/depression product.
Animal / lab onlyUnapproved drug
aka N-hexanoic-Tyr-Ile-(6) aminohexanoic amide · Dihexa acetate · PNB-0408
Sold online as a research chemical for cognition and memory. FDA has not identified any human exposure data on drug products containing dihexa acetate by any route.
Animal / lab onlyResearch use only
aka Delta sleep-inducing peptide · Emideltide
Sold for sleep. Named in the 1970s after a proposed role in promoting delta-wave sleep.
Limited human dataResearch use only
Side by side
Doses for unapproved compounds are common practice, not trial-established.
| Compound | Main use | Evidence | Usual dose | US status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semax | Sold as a nootropic for focus, memory and mood. Used clinically within Russian medicine. | Limited human data | 100-600 mcg, once daily for a fixed telehealth-prescribed protocol, up to twice daily in a wider clinic-published range | Research use only |
| Selank | Sold as a nootropic for focus, memory and mood. Used clinically within Russian medicine. | Limited human data | 250-900 mcg, 1-3 times daily, spaced through waking hours; the published Russian GAD clinical-trial protocol used a fixed 3 times daily schedule (900 mcg per dose, 2.7 mg/day total) for a 14-day course | Research use only |
| Adamax | Sold as a nootropic, marketed as a longer-acting, more potent successor to Semax, aimed at the same cognitive-enhancement buyers. | No meaningful evidence | No consistent protocol | Unapproved drug |
| Cerebrolysin | A prescription drug in Russia, China, several Eastern European and other markets for acute ischaemic stroke, traumatic brain injury and vascular dementia. Also sold outside those markets, including to US buyers, as an unregulated "research" or grey-market vial for self-injection, which is not how it is used where it is actually approved. | Limited human data | No consistent protocol | Unapproved drug |
| PE-22-28 | Studied only in mice as a candidate fast-acting antidepressant. Never tested in a single published human trial, and sold to consumers as an unregulated research-chemical mood/depression product. | Animal / lab only | No consistent protocol | Unapproved drug |
| Dihexa | Sold online as a research chemical for cognition and memory. FDA has not identified any human exposure data on drug products containing dihexa acetate by any route. | Animal / lab only | 10-100 mg, 1 to 3 times a week, not daily; sources describe starting around 10-20 mg and titrating up to 50-100 mg as tolerated | Research use only |
| DSIP | Sold for sleep. Named in the 1970s after a proposed role in promoting delta-wave sleep. | Limited human data | 100-500 mcg, once nightly, 30-60 minutes before intended sleep onset; anywhere from 5-14 nights a month to nightly use depending on the protocol | Research use only |