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Oxytocin

Neuropeptide hormone. Oxytocin is FDA approved (prescription only); research-chemical versions are not the approved drug.

Medically reviewed by Juan Pablo Frías, MD · · DisclosureUpdated Strongest evidence: Human RCT evidence, 4 of 4
StatusFDA approved (prescription only)Not on the WADA Prohibited ListFull legal history

Key facts

How we verify
Class
Neuropeptide hormone
Also called
No common aliases
Vial sizes sold
2 mg, 10 mg
Community-reported sizes
Half-life
plasma half-life about 1 to 6 minutes
intravenous/intramuscular (Pitocin), in people · FDA label (Pitocin)
FDA status
Approved (prescription only)
Approved
WADA
Not listed
2026 Prohibited List
Everything on Oxytocin

Oxytocin guides

CalculatorVial, water and dose to syringe units.

Evidence at a glance

Human and animal counts are PubMed records from our evidence ledger (search counts, not studies we reviewed). The grade is the strongest design among the studies we summarised for that goal: a human randomized trial outweighs any number of animal studies.

Oxytocin: studies by condition
ConditionHuman studiesAnimal studiesStudies we summarisedEvidence grade
Any condition (no goal ledger yet)Not in our ledgerNot in our ledger11Human RCT evidence, 4 of 4The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 2025, PMID 40314146

Grades follow our evidence scale. Summarised studies come from our evidence file, each quote checked against the abstract or label.

Common questions

Is Oxytocin FDA approved?

Oxytocin is FDA approved (prescription only). Products sold as research chemicals are not the approved drug and are not checked by the FDA.

How much water goes in a 10 mg vial?

That choice only changes the concentration. With 2 mL, the vial is 5 mg/mL. The calculator converts any amount to syringe units. It does the math only and does not suggest a dose.

Sources

  1. 1US search volume and year-over-year trend, Google Keyword Planner export (Jun–Aug 2026 vs 2025)Peptigraph research · 2026peptigraph.com/methodology/Accessed 1 Oct 2026
  2. 2World Anti-Doping Code International Standard Prohibited List 2026World Anti-Doping Agency · 2026wada-ama.orgAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  3. 3United States: Approved by FDA: oxytocin injection NDAs/ANDAs (Pitocin, Par; generics from Fresenius Kabi, Hikma, Sagent) for initiation or improvement of uterine contractions in obstetric use (label quote).U.S. Food and Drug Administration · 2026api.fda.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  4. 4Arginine-Vasopressin Dynamics in Relation to Food Intake and 8-Week Intranasal Oxytocin Treatment in Adults With Obesity.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2025PMID 40314146Accessed 2 Oct 2026
  5. 5Pitocin ® (Oxytocin Injection, USP) SyntheticFDA label (Pitocin), DailyMed · current labeldailymed.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  6. 6PubMed search: (oxytocin[ti]) AND intranasal[tiab] AND randomized controlled trial[pt] AND humans[mh] (444 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  7. 7PubMed search: (oxytocin[tiab]) AND (obesity[tiab] OR "weight loss"[tiab]) AND humans[mh] AND (randomized controlled trial[pt] OR clinical trial[pt]) (36 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  8. 8PubMed search: oxytocin[tiab] AND (half-life[tiab] OR pharmacokinetic*[tiab]) AND humans[mh] (135 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
  9. 9PubMed search: (oxytocin[ti] AND postpartum hemorrhage[ti]) AND (meta-analysis[pt] OR randomized controlled trial[pt]) (55 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026

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