Sermorelin and HGH Together: What Is Known
Sermorelin and HGH taken together: what each one is, how each is regulated, and what is known about combining them.
Medically reviewed by Juan Pablo Frías, MD · · DisclosureUpdated
Interaction notes
Timing, interactions and safety
Evidence for the combination
- Physiology study in 34 short children given rhGH and/or GHRH 1-29 (Geref, sermorelin) and measuring GH response. Not a treatment trial. · PMID 10803472
Sermorelin is not FDA approved. The studies above describe research settings, not a recommendation to combine them. Ask the prescriber who manages both.
Each component
Side by side
Showing 9 of 12 fields where the two differ. Category, PCAC vote, Jul 2026, Evidence strength are the same or both unknown.
| Field | Sermorelin | HGH |
|---|---|---|
| Class | GHRH analog | Recombinant growth hormone |
| Also called | — | GH, growth hormone, generic HGH, IU |
| Category | Growth hormone | Growth hormone |
| FDA status | Compounded by prescription | FDA approved (prescription only) |
| PCAC vote, Jul 2026 | Not on the Jul 2026 agenda | Not on the Jul 2026 agenda |
| WADA | Prohibited by WADA (S2.2.4)Sermorelin is named as a GHRH analogue in S2.2.4 (growth hormone releasing factors), prohibited at all times. | Prohibited by WADA (S2.2.3)Growth hormone and its analogues and fragments are prohibited at all times (S2.2.3). |
| Anti-doping detection |
| None reportedanti-doping literature, as of 2 Oct 2026 |
| Half-life | No published half-life foundPubMed search, 2 Oct 2026 | 0.4 hours IV; 3.0 hours subcutaneousintravenous (normal adults); subcutaneous (GHD adults), Genotropin · FDA label (Genotropin) |
| Evidence strength | Human RCT evidence, 4 of 4Strongest: The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism 1992, PMID 1379256 | Human RCT evidence, 4 of 4Strongest: Journal of applied physiology 2014, PMID 24235105 |
| Human studies we summarised | 4 human (1 randomized or controlled) of 7 summarised | 13 human (13 randomized or controlled) of 20 summarised |
| Typical study doses |
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| US searches per month | 165,000 · Flat YoY | 74,000 · +39% searches |
Related tools
Sermorelin vs HGH
Choosing between the two rather than combining them? The comparison lines them up field by field.
What people search
- sermorelin hgh390/mo
- sermorelin and hgh together30/mo
US monthly searches, Google Keyword Planner, Oct 2026. Shown so you can see which questions this page answers.
Sources
- 1World Anti-Doping Code International Standard Prohibited List 2026World Anti-Doping Agency · 2026wada-ama.orgAccessed 2 Oct 2026
- 2An antibody-free, ultrafiltration-based assay for the detection of growth hormone-releasing hormones in urine at low pg/mL concentrations using nanoLC-HRMS/MS.Journal of pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis · 2022PMID 35298973Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 3Advances in the detection of growth hormone releasing hormone synthetic analogs.Drug testing and analysis · 2021PMID 34665524Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 4Growth hormone (GH)-releasing hormone-(1-29) twice daily reverses the decreased GH and insulin-like growth factor-I levels in old men.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 1992PMID 1379256Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 5Growth Hormone Secretagogue Treatment in Hypogonadal Men Raises Serum Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Levels.American journal of men's health · 2017PMID 28830317Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 6Effects of single nightly injections of growth hormone-releasing hormone (GHRH 1-29) in healthy elderly men.Metabolism: clinical and experimental · 1997PMID 9005976Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 7PubMed search: (sermorelin[tiab] OR Geref[tiab]) (34 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
- 8PubMed search: (sermorelin[tiab] OR "GHRH(1-29)"[tiab] OR "GRF(1-29)"[tiab] OR "GHRH 1-29"[tiab]) AND (elderly[tiab] OR aging[tiab] OR "older adults"[tiab] OR adults[tiab]) AND (treatment[tiab] OR therapy[tiab] OR administration[tiab]) (15 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
- 9PubMed search: (sermorelin[tiab] OR Geref[tiab]) AND (half-life[tiab] OR pharmacokinetic*[tiab]) (2 results)PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
- 10GENOTROPIN (SOMATROPIN) KIT [PFIZER LABORATORIES DIV PFIZER INC]FDA label (Genotropin), DailyMed · current labeldailymed.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
- 11Effect of growth hormone on aging connective tissue in muscle and tendon: gene expression, morphology, and function following immobilization and rehabilitation.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2014PMID 24235105Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 12Impact of GH replacement therapy on sleep in adult patients with GH deficiency of pituitary origin.European journal of endocrinology · 2013PMID 23447518Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 13Local administration of growth hormone stimulates tendon collagen synthesis in elderly men.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2012PMID 22961272Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 14PubMed search: (somatropin[tiab] OR "recombinant human growth hormone"[tiab] OR "recombinant growth hormone"[tiab] OR rhGH[tiab] OR "growth hormone therapy"[tiab] OR "growth hormone treatment"[tiab] OR "growth hormone replacement"[tiab] OR "growth hormone administration"[tiab] OR "GH therapy"[tiab] OR "GH treatment"[tiab] OR "GH replacement"[tiab] OR "GH administration"[tiab] OR "growth hormone injection"[tiab] OR "growth hormone injections"[tiab] OR "growth hormone supplementation"[tiab]) AND (sermorelin[tiab] OR Geref[tiab])PubMed · 2026pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed 2 Oct 2026
- 15The negative GH auto-feedback in childhood: effects of rhGH and/or GHRH on the somatotroph response to GHRH or hexarelin, a peptidyl GH secretagogue, in children.Journal of endocrinological investigation · 2000PMID 10803472Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 16Once daily subcutaneous growth hormone-releasing hormone therapy accelerates growth in growth hormone-deficient children during the first year of therapy. Geref International Study Group.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 1996PMID 8772599Accessed 2 Oct 2026
- 17Short-term administration of supraphysiological recombinant human growth hormone (GH) does not increase maximum endurance exercise capacity in healthy, active young men and women with normal GH-insulin-like growth factor I axes.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2005PMID 15784718Accessed 2 Oct 2026
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