Peptides for anxiety
Peptides people take for anxiety, ranked by what those who took them report, with the 2 that carry a real risk of harm listed last.
Ranking
PositivePer monthTierBest value
| Positive | Category | About | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Thymosin alpha-1Caution | 60% positive | €38–40/mo | Immune | Thymic immunomodulator approved abroad for hepatitis B/C; used to cut down on colds. |
| 0 | UC-II (undenatured type II collagen)Clean | 60% positive | €32/mo | Recovery, joints & healing | 40 mg/day chicken-cartilage collagen for knee arthritis pain via oral tolerance; slow, modest. |
| 0 | GHK-Cu (topical)Caution | 59% positive | €9–36/mo | Skin & hair | Decades-old cosmetic copper peptide; gentle skin firmness/texture and possibly hair benefits. |
| 0 | EGF serum (sh-oligopeptide-1)Caution | 59% positive | €13–81/mo | Skin & hair | Recombinant human growth factor in serums; users like the glow, but keep it off broken or microneedled skin. |
| 0 | KPVCaution | 58% positive | €31–61/mo | Gut | Anti-inflammatory alpha-MSH fragment for gut, skin and allergy inflammation; animal data only. |
| 0 | SYN-AKE (dipeptide diaminobutyroyl benzylamide diacetate)Caution | 57% positive | €4–27/mo | Skin & hair | Synthetic 'snake venom' peptide for expression lines; mostly a K-beauty sheet-mask ingredient, mild at best. |
| 1 | GB-115CautionBest value | 57% positive | €22–54/mo | Mood & anxiety | Dipeptide-like CCK-receptor blocker; daytime anxiolytic without sedation or blunting. |
| 1 | LarazotideClean | 56% positive | €54–140/mo | Gut | Tight-junction (zonulin) blocker trialled for celiac; very safe, but efficacy failed phase 3. |
| 1 | ARA-290Caution | 56% positive | €180–630/mo | Neuroprotection & repair | Non-erythropoietic EPO-derived peptide for small-fibre neuropathy pain. |
| 1 | N-Acetyl Semax AmidateCaution | 55% positive | €4.8–14/mo | Focus & memory | Stabilised, stronger, longer-acting Semax; same use (focus, mental energy). |
| 1 | ThymalinCaution | 55% positive | €13–54/mo | Immune | Russian thymus-extract bioregulator for immune 'renewal' in older people; thin evidence. |
| 1 | Leuphasyl (pentapeptide-18)Caution | 55% positive | €4–27/mo | Skin & hair | Enkephalin-mimic expression-line peptide, sold as argireline's partner; hard to find alone, barely reviewed. |
| 1 | GlutathioneCaution | 53% positive | €15–60/mo | Mitochondria & longevity | Master antioxidant tripeptide; oral raises stores modestly, injections popular for skin glow. |
| 1 | AOD-9604Caution | 53% positive | €45–90/mo | Metabolic & weight | GH C-terminal fragment that failed obesity trials; safe-looking but doesn't work. |
| 1 | SemaxCaution | 52% positive | €24–73/mo | Focus & memory | Mild non-stimulant focus and mental-stamina aid; used for stroke recovery in Russia. |
| 2 | Lactium (alpha-s1 casein hydrolysate)CleanBest value | 52% positive | €12–23/mo | Sleep | Milk-protein decapeptide for stress and sleep; gentle, non-sedating, slow to build. |
| 2 | PinealonCaution | 52% positive | €27–81/mo | Sleep | Khavinson tripeptide 'bioregulator'; sleep and circadian claims, mixed reports. |
| 3 | Oxytocin (intranasal)Caution | 52% positive | €27–90/mo | Mood & anxiety | Brief social warmth and lower social anxiety; subtle, short-lived for most. |
| 3 | Specific collagen peptides (Fortibone, Fortigel, Tendoforte, Verisol)Clean | 51% positive | €13–25/mo | Recovery, joints & healing | Branded collagen hydrolysates trialled for bone density, knee pain and tendons; safe, modest, slow. |
| 4 | SelankCautionBest value | 50% positive | €5.7–11/mo | Mood & anxiety | Non-sedating anxiolytic; quiets rumination and social anxiety without benzo-style dependence. |
| 4 | VIPCaution | 50% positive | €36–540/mo | Immune | Potent vasodilating neuropeptide used in mould-illness (CIRS) protocols under a doctor. |
| 5 | CortexinCaution | 50% positive | €36–90/mo | Neuroprotection & repair | Russian brain-cortex extract, Cerebrolysin cousin; 10-day IM courses. |
| 5 | Lactotripeptides (VPP and IPP)Caution | 49% positive | €15–35/mo | Metabolic & weight | Fermented-milk ACE-inhibitor tripeptides; lower blood pressure by a few mmHg, best data in Japan. |
| 5 | ThymulinCaution | 49% positive | — | Immune | Zinc-bound thymic nonapeptide; injected for immunity, sprayed on scalps for hair. 1980s data only. |
| 5 | DSIPCaution | 49% positive | €7.2–36/mo | Sleep | Sleep-architecture peptide; some feel deeper, more restful sleep, many feel nothing. |
| 5 | Collagen peptides (oral)Clean | 49% positive | €11–16/mo | Skin & hair | Food-grade protein; modest, slow, inconsistent benefits for skin, nails and joints. |
| 5 | Argireline (acetyl hexapeptide-8)Caution | 48% positive | €4–13/mo | Skin & hair | SNAP-25-mimic 'topical Botox' for expression lines; real but mild softening for about half of users. |
| 6 | N-Acetyl Selank AmidateCaution | 48% positive | €27–72/mo | Mood & anxiety | Stabilised, stronger Selank variant for anxiety; less data, more side reports. |
| 6 | AdamaxCaution | 47% positive | €23–92/mo | Focus & memory | Vendor-invented adamantyl Semax variant; stronger, longer focus per users. |
| 6 | Bovine colostrumCaution | 47% positive | €28–56/mo | Gut | Cow's first milk: immunoglobulins, lactoferrin and growth-factor peptides for gut lining and fewer colds. |
| 6 | AHK-Cu (topical)Caution | 46% positive | €13–90/mo | Skin & hair | GHK-Cu's hair-targeted sibling; scalp serum users report baby hairs, but data stop at a dish. |
| 6 | Nonapeptide-1 (Melanostatine 5)Caution | 45% positive | €4–13/mo | Skin & hair | Alpha-MSH blocker for dark spots, always sold beside stronger lighteners; its own effect is untested. |
| 6 | SNAP-8 (acetyl octapeptide-3)Caution | 45% positive | €9–22/mo | Skin & hair | Argireline's longer sibling, mostly DIY-mixed from peptide vials; users rarely see more than argireline. |
| 6 | Matrixyl (palmitoyl pentapeptide-4)Clean | 45% positive | €4–13/mo | Skin & hair | The classic 'collagen-signal' cosmetic peptide; slow, soft smoothing, more hydration than lift. |
| 6 | ChonlutenCaution | 43% positive | €72–100/mo | Immune | Khavinson's 'bronchial' tripeptide EDG; no airway study exists, and only one first-hand report was found. |
| 6 | TricominCaution | 43% positive | €27–63/mo | Skin & hair | 1990s ProCyte copper-peptide hair spray, now an AHK-Cu cosmetic; one unpublished small trial, users shrug. |
| 7 | CarnosineClean | 43% positive | €12–36/mo | Focus & memory | Dietary antioxidant dipeptide; small memory benefits in elderly trials, mild if any. |
| 7 | P21 (P021)Caution | 43% positive | €45–180/mo | Neuroprotection & repair | CNTF-derived neurogenic peptide from Alzheimer's mouse work; grey market only. |
| 7 | Biotinoyl tripeptide-1 (Procapil) & Capixyl hair serumsCaution | 42% positive | €10–20/mo | Skin & hair | Cosmetic anti-shedding peptides in cheap leave-on scalp serums; a minority see baby hairs. |
| 7 | 5-Amino-1MQCaution | 41% positive | €72–1440/mo | Metabolic & weight | Small-molecule NNMT inhibitor sold alongside peptides for fat loss and energy; no human data. |
| 7 | HGH Fragment 176-191Caution | 40% positive | €27–72/mo | Metabolic & weight | Growth-hormone tail fragment sold for fat loss; AOD-9604's near-twin, untested in humans and rarely felt. |
| 7 | NoopeptCaution | 39% positive | €0.34–0.68/mo | Focus & memory | Dipeptide-derived racetam-like nootropic; mild focus and creativity aid, cheap. |
| 7 | VisolutenCaution | 39% positive | €63–160/mo | Mitochondria & longevity | Khavinson oral eye-tissue peptide extract (Cytomax A-11); one in-house report, users notice little. |
| 7 | CerlutenCaution | 3/10 researcher estimate | €49–110/mo | Focus & memory | Khavinson oral calf-brain peptide extract (Cytomax A-5); one in-house report, no first-hand users found. |
| 7 | Hexapeptide-9 (Collaxyl)Caution | 3/10 researcher estimate | €4–27/mo | Skin & hair | Collagen-sequence 'signal' peptide in firming serums; tested in people only as a modified or enhanced version. |
| 7 | Tripeptide-10 citrulline (Decorinyl)Caution | 3/10 researcher estimate | €4–27/mo | Skin & hair | Decorin-mimic peptide meant to tidy collagen fibres; one tiny randomised trial, no user reports. |
| 7 | NAP / DavunetideClean | 2/10 researcher estimate | — | Neuroprotection & repair | ADNP-derived microtubule-stabilising peptide; safe in a large trial but ineffective. |
| Avoid: real risk of harm | |||||
| 7 | GHRP-6Avoid | 59% positive | €13–81/mo | Hormones & libido | GH/IGF-1 axis elevation plus cortisol rise and reduced insulin sensitivity (FDA), with only single-dose human safety data. |
| 7 | SurvodutideAvoid | 56% positive | €36–140/mo | Metabolic & weight | Unapproved drug bought as grey-market vials, usually stacked on tirzepatide: the GLP-1 class's pancreatitis, gallbladder and dehydration-kidney routes, a glucagon-driven heart-rate rise whose cardiovascular safety trial is still running, and GI effects harsh enough that about one in five phase 3 participants stopped. |
| 7 | MazdutideAvoid | 55% positive | €36–140/mo | Metabolic & weight | Carries the GLP-1 class's serious-harm routes on its own label (pancreatitis, gallbladder disease, acute kidney injury, boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumours in rodents) plus a glucagon-driven heart-rate rise; outside China it is bought as unregulated research vials and mostly stacked on tirzepatide, a combination no trial has tested. |
| 7 | Polaprezinc (zinc L-carnosine)Avoid | 54% positive | €32/mo | Gut | Japanese ulcer drug sold as a supplement; the go-to oral 'stomach lining' option for gastritis. |
| 8 | PE-22-28Avoid | 54% positive | €36–140/mo | Mood & anxiety | No human data, and it blocks a channel whose loss makes animals more prone to seizures and ischaemic injury. |
| 8 | Mechano growth factor (MGF / PEG-MGF)Avoid | 53% positive | €27–110/mo | Recovery, joints & healing | An unapproved growth-factor fragment with no human dosing data at all. The peptide drove prostate-cancer cell growth and metastasis in mice by a route that bypasses the IGF-1 receptor, and the pegylated form people buy has never been characterised. |
| 8 | LL-37Avoid | 53% positive | €45–110/mo | Immune | Pro-inflammatory/autoimmune and context-dependent pro-tumour activity, plus FDA-noted reproductive effects. |
| 8 | KisspeptinAvoid | 52% positive | €4.1–12/mo | Hormones & libido | Directly manipulates the HPG axis; continuous or long-acting exposure suppresses it. |
| 8 | SS-31Avoid | 52% positive | €71–350/mo | Mitochondria & longevity | Mitochondrial cardiolipin binder; FDA-approved for Barth syndrome, popular for energy and endurance. |
| 8 | Melanotan IIAvoid | 51% positive | €27–54/mo | Skin & hair | Documented serious harms (melanoma reports, PRES, priapism) from non-selective melanocortin activation. |
| 8 | TB-500 / Thymosin beta-4Avoid | 50% positive | €15–73/mo | Recovery, joints & healing | Tβ4 has a well-documented pro-angiogenic and pro-metastatic role in cancer biology, and the fragment actually sold has no human safety data. |
| 8 | DihexaAvoid | 50% positive | €13–53/mo | Neuroprotection & repair | Activates the oncogenic HGF/c-Met pathway, has no human safety data, and its foundational studies are under expressions of concern. |
| 8 | GHK-Cu (injectable)Avoid | 50% positive | €20–40/mo | Skin & hair | Borderline: theoretical growth-factor/angiogenic signalling at supraphysiological systemic doses with no human injectable safety data. Topical GHK-Cu gives much of the skin benefit without this. |
| 8 | IGF-1 DESAvoid | 49% positive | €22–180/mo | Hormones & libido | An IGF-1 receptor agonist about ten times as potent as IGF-1 in cells and the most hypoglycaemic of the IGF-1 variants in primates, with no human data, the same tumour-promotion concern as LR3, and grey-market vials that are rarely tested. |
| 8 | GLP-1 agonists (semaglutide, tirzepatide, retatrutide)Avoid | 49% positive | €27–1210/mo | Metabolic & weight | Potent drugs with real serious-harm paths (pancreatitis, gallbladder, GI, heart rate, NAION). Worth it for obesity/diabetes under a doctor, but outside a 'clean general-health peptide' list. |
| 8 | MK-677Avoid | 48% positive | €18–54/mo | Hormones & libido | GH/IGF-1 elevation, insulin resistance and a CHF safety signal in an RCT. |
| 8 | EpitalonAvoid | 48% positive | €41–82/mo | Mitochondria & longevity | Its claimed mechanism, telomerase activation, is a theoretical oncogenic path, and the data come from a single group. |
| 8 | BPC-157Avoid | 46% positive | €20–41/mo | Recovery, joints & healing | Pro-angiogenic mechanism with a plausible path to tumour growth and retinal neovascularisation, plus essentially no human safety data. HHS enforcement discretion (29 Oct 2026) is not a safety finding. |
| 8 | SermorelinAvoid | 46% positive | €38–94/mo | Hormones & libido | GH/IGF-1 axis elevation, though the mildest of the class. |
| 8 | HexarelinAvoid | 45% positive | €27–110/mo | Hormones & libido | GH/IGF-1 axis elevation, acute cortisol and prolactin release, and GH-independent actions on heart and coronary vessels via CD36. |
| 8 | LinaclotideAvoid | 45% positive | €450/mo | Gut | The label warns of severe diarrhoea (2% in trials), and post-marketing reports describe dehydration with fainting, low blood pressure and low potassium or sodium that needed IV fluids or hospital, plus rare anaphylaxis and angioedema. The harm is obvious at once and stops when the drug does, so under a doctor it is a reasonable IBS-C treatment, but it is a real route to serious harm and does not belong on a clean wellness list. |
| 8 | PlecanatideAvoid | 45% positive | €540–650/mo | Gut | The label warns of severe diarrhoea (0.6-1% in trials, most within the first days) with instructions to stop and rehydrate, and Reddit users describe days of watery diarrhoea leaving them badly dehydrated. Its sibling linaclotide has post-marketing hospitalisations for the same harm. It is obvious and stops when the drug does, so under a doctor it is a reasonable constipation treatment, but it is a real route to serious harm and does not belong on a clean wellness list. |
| 8 | Follistatin-344Avoid | 44% positive | €180–450/mo | Hormones & libido | Blocks myostatin and activin signalling (FSH axis, angiogenesis, glucose) with no human safety data for the injected protein; vials often hold other drugs. |
| 8 | FGLAvoid | 43% positive | — | Neuroprotection & repair | Agonist of the mitogenic FGF receptor, with only phase-1 data and no users to learn from. |
| 8 | HumaninAvoid | 43% positive | — | Neuroprotection & repair | Its anti-apoptotic action helps glioma cells survive chemotherapy in animal studies, and there is no human data. |
| 8 | Corticotropin (repository ACTH gel)Avoid | 43% positive | — | Neuroprotection & repair | Drives the adrenals to flood the body with cortisol, so it carries the corticosteroid label warnings (infection, Cushing's syndrome, adrenal insufficiency on withdrawal, GI perforation, psychosis, high blood pressure and glucose, bone loss) plus anaphylaxis. A prescription relapse treatment under a neurologist, not something to take outside one. |
| 8 | TesamorelinAvoid | 43% positive | €240–480/mo | Metabolic & weight | GH/IGF-1 axis elevation (neoplasm and glucose warnings on label) plus anaphylaxis reports. |
| 8 | IpamorelinAvoid | 42% positive | €11–100/mo | Hormones & libido | GH/IGF-1 axis elevation plus repeated anaphylaxis reports, including a coroner-attributed death. |
| 8 | PTD-DBMAvoid | 42% positive | €36–90/mo | Skin & hair | It works by switching on Wnt/beta-catenin signalling in skin, and sustained beta-catenin activation causes hair-follicle tumours in mice and pilomatricoma in humans. It has no human safety data, and users pair it with valproic acid, a teratogen. |
| 8 | MOTS-cAvoid | 42% positive | €22–88/mo | Metabolic & weight | Borderline: recurring reports of allergic sensitisation and anaphylaxis-like events, plus no human data on the native peptide at the doses used. |
| 8 | IGF-1 LR3Avoid | 40% positive | €36–140/mo | Hormones & libido | A potent, long-acting IGF-1 receptor agonist with no human data at all: it accelerated tumour growth in mice, the same receptor causes hypoglycaemic seizures and carries a malignancy warning on the approved IGF-1 drug, and every vial is grey-market. |
| 9 | CerebrolysinAvoid | 40% positive | €140–540/mo | Neuroprotection & repair | Cochrane found more non-fatal serious adverse events than placebo; animal-derived injectable with allergy/immune reaction risk. |
| 9 | GHRP-2Avoid | 39% positive | €18–45/mo | Hormones & libido | GH/IGF-1 axis elevation with cortisol and prolactin spikes; FDA notes raised insulin needs and deaths in critically ill subjects. |
| 9 | PT-141Avoid | 39% positive | €24–170/mo | Hormones & libido | Cardiovascular effects (BP spikes; contraindicated in CVD) and melanocortin pigmentation effects. |
| 9 | CJC-1295Avoid | 38% positive | €14–27/mo | Hormones & libido | GH/IGF-1 axis elevation plus FDA-noted tachycardia/vasodilatory reactions and anaphylaxis. |
| 9 | Glatiramer acetateAvoid | 37% positive | — | Neuroprotection & repair | Prescription immunomodulator for relapsing MS with an FDA boxed warning for anaphylaxis (82 cases, 6 deaths reported to 2024, some years into treatment), plus label warnings for liver injury and skin necrosis. Worth it for MS under a neurologist; not a self-directed peptide. |
| 9 | CagrilintideAvoid | 36% positive | €27–110/mo | Metabolic & weight | Unapproved drug bought as grey-market vials and usually stacked on retatrutide or tirzepatide outside any trial: gallbladder disease and fast lean-mass loss, severe hypoglycaemia if combined with insulin (amylin class), days of not eating from dosing errors with home-reconstituted vials, and a pH-sensitive peptide sold in plain powder. |
| 9 | Orexin-A (intranasal)Avoid | 1/10 researcher estimate | — | Focus & memory | Essentially untested, with sympathetic activation and no reliable product. |
No peptide matches None of the peptides fits every filter at once. | |||||
As a table
| Peptide | Positive | Per month | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB-115 · best value | 57% | ≈ €22–54 | Caution |
| Lactium (alpha-s1 casein hydrolysate) · best value | 52% | ≈ €12–23 | Clean |
| Selank · best value | 50% | ≈ €5.7–11 | Caution |
| Oxytocin (intranasal) | 52% | ≈ €27–90 | Caution |
| N-Acetyl Selank Amidate | 48% | ≈ €27–72 | Caution |
| Carnosine | 43% | ≈ €12–36 | Clean |
| Cortexin | 50% | ≈ €36–90 | Caution |
| PE-22-28 | 54% | ≈ €36–140 | Avoid |
| Cerebrolysin | 40% | ≈ €140–540 | Avoid |