Hexarelin

A lab-made peptide that raises growth hormone for a few hours. It is not approved for any use, and it is banned in sports.

FDA statusNot approved

Not approved in the US for anything. Not on the regular-pharmacy ingredient list.

Proof it works in people for muscle and fat lossEarly

Small, short studies. The one longer adult study found no body changes.

Safety data in peopleVery little

Small groups, mostly single shots.

Three separate grades: the law (not approved), proof (no muscle benefit found), and safety data (very little). A fading effect is about proof, not safety.

By the Peptide Science Desk Editorial TeamFact-checked against FDA and official sources · Oct 28, 2026Not yet reviewed by a licensed clinician. How we check facts

What is it?

Hexarelin (other name examorelin) is a lab-made chain of 6 building blocks, studied mostly by Italian teams in the 1990s. It is a close cousin of GHRP-6. In rat heart studies, it also sticks to a spot on heart cells called CD36.

Why do people use it?

Gym users hope it builds muscle or burns fat. Scientists also studied its heart effects. In small tests, one shot made the heart pump harder for about an hour, even in people who could not make growth hormone.

Does it really work?

Not for muscle or fat. In 8 short children, a nose spray sped growth for up to 8 months. In adults, 16 weeks of shots did not change fat, lean mass or bone, and the hormone boost faded. Single shots made the heart pump a bit harder for about an hour.

Studies in people

We found 7 small studies in people. The only longer adult study found no change in fat, muscle or bone.

Study design	People	What they measured	What they found	Year	Journal	PubMed
Randomized, placebo, rising single shots	12 healthy men	Growth hormone	Rose fast and was back to normal in about 4 hours.	1994	Eur J Clin Pharmacol	PMID 7957536
Small study, no comparison group, nose spray	8 short children	Growth speed for up to 8 months	Growth sped up from 5.3 to 8.3 cm a year.	1995	Clin Endocrinol (Oxf)	PMID 8548949
16-week study of repeated shots	Adults (number not given in the summary)	Hormone response, body makeup, bone	The growth hormone boost got weaker, then came back after stopping. Fat, muscle and bone did not change.	1998	J Clin Endocrinol Metab	PMID 9589671
Small study, single shot	7 healthy men	Heart pumping (ejection fraction)	Pumping rose from 64% to 70.7%. Real growth hormone did not do this.	1999	J Endocrinol Invest	PMID 10342360
Small study, single shot	7 men with no growth hormone and 9 healthy men	Heart pumping	Pumping went up in both groups, so the effect does not need growth hormone.	1999	Eur J Pharmacol	PMID 10528131
Randomized, during heart bypass surgery	24 men with heart disease	Heart pumping and output	Both went up after hexarelin, but not after placebo.	2002	Eur J Pharmacol	PMID 12144941
Small study, single shot	13 people with weak hearts	Heart pumping	Went up when the weak heart came from blocked arteries, not in the other type.	2002	Eur J Heart Fail	PMID 11959048

We read each of these 7 papers on PubMed on October 28, 2026.

Is it safe? Side effects

With daily use, the growth hormone response got weaker. It came back after stopping.
It also raises prolactin and cortisol.
A 2026 review of growth-hormone peptides lists blood sugar changes, swelling, joint pain and shot-site reactions as reported problems.
No one checks what is inside vials sold online.

Is it legal in the US?

Hexarelin is not an FDA-approved medicine. It is not on the list of ingredients regular pharmacies may use. WADA bans it in sports at all times.

What this means for Hexarelin

Not being on the pharmacy list means regular pharmacies may not mix it. (FDA)
Vials sold "for research" are not medicine. The FDA has warned sellers of such products. (FDA)
Bringing it into the US for yourself is, in most cases, illegal, the FDA says. (FDA)

Banned in sports? Drug tests

Banned in sports.

Yes. WADA bans hexarelin at all times, in and out of competition. It is in section S2.2.4 of the 2026 list: GH-releasing peptides, "examorelin (hexarelin)".

Check work, NCAA, and military rules for Hexarelin

Talk to your doctor

If you have a heart problem, do not experiment with hexarelin. Its heart effects were only tested once, in a hospital, under close watch. We never share doses or tell you where to buy. Print our doctor questions sheet.

Check any peptide in 1 secondFree FDA Status Checker: approved, being tested, or not proven.

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Not medical advice. Medical disclaimer.