Evidence strength for the context described on this page.
PEPTIDE ATLAS / COGNITION & SLEEP / SEMAX
Not FDA-approvedInsufficient
Semax
ALSO KNOWN ASACTH(4–7)-PGP analog
A neuroactive peptide marketed for focus and brain recovery without an FDA-approved indication.
01CATEGORYCognition & sleep
02REGULATORY STATUSNot FDA-approved
03COMMON ROUTEPrimarily intranasal in international/clinic use; injectable products are also marketed
04DOSE BASISInternational / reported clinic use
HOW TO USE THIS PAGE
Read the profile in the order that protects the decision.
- 01Verify what it is
Confirm the exact molecule, route, regulatory lane and actual human evidence.
- 02Read limits before dose
Unsupported claims, contraindications and uncertainty come before any protocol.
- 03Build the monitoring plan
Define the target, baseline checks, reassessment point and stop rules with a qualified clinician.
This peptide does not have an FDA-approved product or dose for the claims described here. Research dosing and vendor protocols are not consumer prescribing guidance.
RESEARCH PASSPORT
The five facts to know first.
REVIEWED
JULY 2026
Status is product-, formulation- and indication-specific.
Trial, label or reported-practice basis is always named.
Official labels, regulators, trials and indexed literature where available.
Peptide hormones, growth factors and related substances may be prohibited.
Check Global DRO ↗OVERVIEW
What Semax is.
A synthetic peptide derived from an ACTH fragment and used or studied in some countries. U.S. marketing commonly targets cognition, attention, mood and post-stroke recovery.
HOW IT IS THOUGHT TO WORK
Proposed to influence neurotrophic signaling, monoamines, inflammation and oxidative stress; mechanistic findings do not establish consumer benefit.
EFFECTS & EVIDENCE
What the evidence supports—and what it does not.
- No established cognitive-enhancement effect in healthy adults
- Limited regional clinical literature is not enough to define a U.S. standard of care
- Reliable focus enhancement
- Stroke treatment outside medical care
- Anxiety or depression treatment
- A safe long-term nasal protocol
Evidence grade: Insufficient. For an approved drug, “high” refers only to its labeled indication—not every off-label or wellness claim.
DOSAGE CONTEXT
Best available dosing range.
International / reported clinic useMost commonly reported intranasal range: 200–600 mcg total per day, divided into 2–3 administrations for 5–14 days. This comes from Russian/Eastern European use and current clinic references, not an FDA-approved U.S. regimen. Higher-concentration acute-neurologic protocols are not nootropic dosing and require hospital-level context.
BEST AVAILABLE GENERIC RANGE
Men and women.
The basis is named above. Reported-use ranges describe what clinics or communities publish; they are not proof of safety, efficacy, legality or product quality.
- Schedule in that source context
- Commonly reported for 5–14 days, followed by a break. Acute-stroke protocols use different concentrations and should not be copied for wellness use.
- How to interpret it
- This is not a U.S. approved standard. Product concentration per spray/drop varies, regional clinical literature is difficult to generalize, and neurologic symptoms require evidence-based emergency care.
- Route
- Primarily intranasal in international/clinic use; injectable products are also marketed
- Duration
- Reported cognitive courses: 5–14 days; no validated long-term course
- Men & women
- No validated sex-specific regimen; reported ranges are generally the same for men and women.
Clinician verification required. Always double-check the exact molecule or salt, concentration, route, volume, schedule, indication, patient-specific contraindications, interactions and applicable law with the prescribing clinician and dispensing pharmacy. A disclaimer does not make an unapproved product FDA-approved, and a reported-use range is not a prescription.
MONITORING
What should be tracked.
- No accepted biomarker or cognitive test establishes safe self-use
- Neurologic symptoms require evidence-based evaluation
SAFETY
Risks, red flags and reasons to avoid it.
- FDA notes limited safety information
- Immunogenicity and peptide impurities
- Nasal irritation and unknown systemic effects
- Product contamination or substitution
- Self-treatment of stroke or neurologic disease
- Pregnancy
- Unverified nasal products
- Combining with multiple psychoactive compounds
Stop and seek careGet urgent medical help for trouble breathing, facial or throat swelling, chest pain, fainting, severe persistent abdominal pain, neurologic changes, severe hypoglycemia, uncontrolled vomiting or a prolonged painful erection.
CLINICIAN VISIT CHECKLIST
Six questions worth bringing with you.
Molecule or analog, salt, concentration, route, manufacturer or compounder, lot and beyond-use date.
Name the diagnosis or target, how it will be measured and the realistic time to reassess.
Ask how it compares with FDA-approved, lower-risk or better-studied alternatives.
Label, human trial, specialty guideline or clinic convention—and whether that route and formulation match.
Baseline checks, follow-up measures, interactions, pregnancy considerations and symptoms that mean stop.
Pharmacy license, prescription, identity/potency testing, sterility controls and who handles a product complaint.
Do not improvise reconstitution or convert “units” without the exact concentration. Mixing, storage and beyond-use instructions are product-specific; confirm them with the dispensing pharmacy.
PRIMARY SOURCES
Read the record yourself.
We prioritize official prescribing information, FDA regulatory material, registered trials and indexed biomedical literature. A source supports the specific statement beside it—not every claim made about the molecule.
PRODUCTS & TREATMENT ACCESS
There is no product we can responsibly recommend.
Not FDA-approved; sold through gray-market and some compounded channels.
A nootropic can feel plausible long before researchers know whether it improves meaningful cognition or introduces subtle harms.
Evidence before affiliate revenue.
We do not rank or sell unapproved research peptides. Use the Atlas to discuss safer, evidence-backed alternatives with a qualified clinician.
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