Hexarelin is a synthetic growth hormone secretagogue from the same family as GHRP-2, GHRP-6 and ipamorelin. In human studies it raises growth hormone, and prolactin and cortisol rise with it. Our shop stocks it in 10 mg vials from three brands, priced from 45 to 55 EUR. Below is what has been measured with it, and what nobody has measured yet.
Where hexarelin sits among growth hormone peptides
Hexarelin is a hexapeptide, a chain of six amino acids. It stimulates the growth hormone secretagogue receptor GHS-R1a. Ghrelin and the other GHRP peptides act through the same receptor. The second family, sermorelin, Mod GRF 1-29 and CJC-1295, targets a different receptor and works on the pituitary from another side. The split between the two families is laid out in the guide to growth hormone peptides.
In scientific papers and on the anti-doping list the same molecule appears as examorelin. It is not a different compound, only a second name for the same one.
What the 1996 dose-response study measured
The study was published in December 1996 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. It covered healthy adult men and tested the hormonal response to rising doses of hexarelin given intravenously. Growth hormone, prolactin and cortisol all rose, and each rise depended on the size of the dose. The growth hormone curve reached a plateau, a level above which a larger dose added nothing. Prolactin rose by about 180 per cent.
The same study produced a finding more important than the numbers. Giving growth hormone releasing hormone together with a small dose of hexarelin produced a large growth hormone release with a moderate rise in prolactin and no rise in cortisol. The cortisol rise is therefore tied to the dose of hexarelin alone, not a feature that cannot be separated from the molecule.
What hexarelin does to sleep
In 2004 Psychoneuroendocrinology published a study with EEG sleep recordings. Seven young healthy volunteers received four intravenous doses of 50 micrograms of hexarelin or placebo, at 10 pm, 11 pm, midnight and 1 am. After hexarelin there was less stage four sleep in the first half of the night, and delta wave power fell across the whole night. Growth hormone and prolactin rose throughout the night, ACTH and cortisol in the first half. Leptin and markers of the inflammatory response did not change.
The authors state plainly that hexarelin releases growth hormone more strongly than GHRH and GHRP-6. They explain the sleep result by a shift in the balance between growth hormone releasing hormone and corticotropin releasing hormone in favour of the latter. Five sleep studies on different peptides from this group are compared in the guide to growth hormone peptides and sleep.
A second receptor the other GHRPs do not have
A paper in Circulation Research from 2002 showed that hexarelin also binds to the protein CD36. This protein is found in heart muscle cells and in the lining of blood vessels. In perfused hearts hexarelin raised coronary perfusion pressure in a dose-dependent way, and in mice lacking CD36 the effect did not appear. This is a second route of action, independent of the GHS-R1a receptor.
That work was done in animals and in isolated hearts. It cannot be used to infer a therapeutic effect in humans, and we do not do so.
Three studies side by side
| Study | Subjects | What was measured |
|---|---|---|
| JCEM, December 1996 | healthy adult men | dose-dependent rise in growth hormone, prolactin and cortisol; no cortisol rise after a small dose with GHRH |
| Circulation Research, 2002 | isolated hearts, mice | binding to CD36 and a rise in coronary perfusion pressure |
| Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2004 | seven healthy volunteers | less stage four sleep, lower delta power, higher GH, prolactin, ACTH and cortisol |
What is not known about hexarelin
No study has compared the strength of hexarelin with GHRP-2 in humans within one protocol. So we will not say it is the strongest in its group, even though that claim circulates on forums. What is known about the other peptides in the family is set out in the guide to GHRP-2, GHRP-6, ipamorelin and hexarelin.
All the human studies described above used intravenous administration in a hospital setting, over single days. They do not describe what happens with longer use. Hexarelin is not a registered medicine in any country.
Legal status and sport
We sell hexarelin as material for laboratory research and give no protocol of use with it. The reasons are explained in the guide to the legal status of peptides.
On the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list for 2026, hexarelin appears in section S2.2.4 under the name examorelin, together with the peptides GHRP-1 to GHRP-6 and ipamorelin. The ban applies all year round, in and out of competition. For an athlete bound by anti-doping rules the answer here is simple.
What is in the vial and what it costs
All three brands pack hexarelin the same way: 10 mg of lyophilised powder in one vial. Genheal costs 45 EUR, Bio-Peptide 50 EUR and Nouveaux Ltd. 55 EUR, which works out at 4.50 to 5.50 EUR per milligram. Prices, availability and buy buttons are on the hexarelin page, and the full range is on the price list.
The vial arrives as powder and has to be dissolved before use. The steps are described in the guide to reconstitution with bacteriostatic water, and the shelf life after dissolving in the guide to storing peptides.
Frequently asked questions
Are hexarelin and examorelin the same thing?
Yes. Examorelin is a second name for the same molecule, used in scientific papers and on the anti-doping list.
Does hexarelin raise cortisol?
In the 1996 study it raised cortisol in a dose-dependent way. After a small dose given together with GHRH there was no cortisol rise.
Does hexarelin affect sleep?
In the 2004 study there was less stage four sleep in the first half of the night after hexarelin, and delta wave power fell.
Is hexarelin stronger than GHRP-2?
Nobody knows. No one has compared the two molecules in humans in one study, so we do not make that claim.
Is hexarelin banned in sport?
Yes. The 2026 prohibited list names it in section S2.2.4 as examorelin, all year round.
Sources
- Massoud AF, Hindmarsh PC, Brook CG. Hexarelin-induced growth hormone, cortisol, and prolactin release: a dose-response study. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 1996, 81(12): 4338-4341. https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.81.12.8954038
- Frieboes RM, Antonijevic IA, Held K et al. Hexarelin decreases slow-wave sleep and stimulates the secretion of GH, ACTH, cortisol and prolactin during sleep in healthy volunteers. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 2004, 29(7): 851-860. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4530(03)00152-5
- Bodart V, Febbraio M, Demers A et al. CD36 mediates the cardiovascular action of growth hormone-releasing peptides in the heart. Circulation Research, 2002, 90(8): 844-849. https://doi.org/10.1161/01.res.0000016164.02525.b4
- WADA Prohibited List 2026, Polish translation, Polish Anti-Doping Agency (POLADA), class S2.2.4. https://antydoping.pl/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/2026_Lista-zabroniona.pdf