# Semax

Mild non-stimulant focus and mental-stamina aid; used for stroke recovery in Russia.

- Page: https://peprank.xyz/peptides/semax
- Category: Focus & memory (Research peptide)
- Also known as: ACTH(4-10) analogue Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro; Semax 0.1% / 1%
- Routes: Nasal / Injection
- Sequence: MEHFPGP (unmodified (ACTH 4-7 + PGP))
- Safety tier: Strict: Caution · Balanced: Caution · Evidence only: Caution
- Risk axes (0 none to 3 severe): Seen harm 1, Mechanism 1, Data gap 1, Silent harm 1, Product 2
- Positive: 52% of 52 graded reports glowing or positive, shrunk toward the 49% all-report average by 8 reports' weight
- Rank: #11 of 61 research peptides
- Graded reports: 52 (Glowing 7, Positive 20, Mixed 7, Nothing 10, Negative 5, Bad reaction 3)
- Evidence: Approved drug — in Russia (Semax 0.1% nasal, on the Russian essential-drugs list); small human trials (stroke, cognitive disorders), mostly Russian
- Access: Grey market
- Onset: Nasal within 5-30 minutes; subq within an hour or two. Some users only notice it after 1-2 weeks of daily use.
- Lasts: About 3-4 hours nasal; subq users report most of the day.
- Cost per month: ≈ €4.5–14 (at 200–600 mcg/day, Semax Polska at €0.75/mg, a blend, no pure pack listed)
- Updated: 2026-10-30

## What users report

Consensus is 'real but subtle': clearer head, better recall and resistance to mental fatigue, quieter mind; not an Adderall replacement. Roughly 35-50% of experience threads report feeling nothing even at 1-2 mg, often blamed on route (nasal vs subq disagreements) or bad vials. A minority of long-term users (one reports ~10 years daily) swear by it; standout reports come from stroke/TBI users (stammer, memory).

**Effects:** clearer thinking, less brain fog; better word recall/verbal fluency; resistance to mental fatigue; quieter mind, calm focus; potentiates stimulants/caffeine

**Downsides:** headache (sometimes hours) in some users; anxiety/jitteriness at higher doses or in blends; nasal irritation; tolerance after ~10 days for some; occasional drowsiness/fog paradoxically; sleep disruption if taken late

**Caveat:** Decades of Russian clinical use with no serious safety signal; upregulates BDNF modestly in animal work, which is not regarded as a credible harm path at these doses. FDA's July 2026 compounding panel voted 8-5 to allow it. Main real-world risk is vial quality (grey market).

**Typical use:** 200-600 mcg/day nasal or subq (community range up to 1-2 mg), mornings, 5 on/2 off or 2-6 week cycles.

**Getting it:** Pharmacy drug in Russia (0.1%/1% drops); elsewhere research-peptide vendors, a few US clinics compound it.

**Stacked with:** Selank (The most common pairing, often in one spray; Semax in the morning for focus, Selank for calm or at night.); Bromantane (Taken alongside Semax for drive and motivation by NooTopics regulars.); ADHD stimulants or modafinil (Users say Semax potentiates them; one ER visit was reported when it was combined with 150 mg armodafinil.)

## Risk profile

- **Seen harm 1/3:** Decades of Russian clinical use, including stroke trials of over 100 patients, report no serious adverse events. The one serious first-hand report here is an emergency visit for severe hypertension and tachycardia when Semax was combined with 150 mg armodafinil, so it is confounded.
- **Mechanism 1/3:** An ACTH(4-10) analogue without corticotropic activity that raises hippocampal BDNF about 1.4-fold in rats and amplifies amphetamine-driven dopamine release in rats, and its label rules it out in seizure disorders, where paroxysmal EEG activity was seen after dosing in brain-injured patients; these paths are speculative at nasal doses.
- **Data gap 1/3:** Approved in Russia (0.1% and 1% nasal drops, on the essential-drugs list) on small, mostly Russian trials, the largest about 190 patients and none reporting adverse events systematically; a 2018 meta-analysis calls the stroke evidence insufficient, and FDA found no safety data for compounding routes.
- **Silent harm 1/3:** The harms reported (headache, anxiety, a blood-pressure and heart-rate spike) appear within hours of a dose and fade on stopping.
- **Product 2/3:** Outside Russia people buy grey-market nasal sprays or vials of unverified purity (Belgian seizures were sold as both); a minority inject it. US compounding under the October 2026 HHS enforcement discretion is too new to change that.
- **Never if:** Seizure disorders (label); Acute psychosis or anxiety disorders (label); Combination with stimulants such as modafinil or amphetamines; Pregnancy or breastfeeding (label); Children under 7 (label)

## Top reports

- Glowing, focus: “Semax is a god damn miracle drug for me(also ADHD mf'er) It made like such a stark difference in being able to fucking do things.” — [r/BodyHackGuide](https://www.reddit.com/r/BodyHackGuide/comments/1p9ayi4/semax_is_amazing/nrbl5tg/)
- Glowing, neuroprotection: “i had an ischemic stroke three years ago that affected my speech. with semax i stop stammering. when i run out it happens again.” — [r/Biohackers](https://www.reddit.com/r/Biohackers/comments/1svnzue/is_semax_worth_a_sh/om2d3pp/)
- Glowing, mood: “Semax saved me from crippling depression and severe drug withdrawal where nothing else on the planet worked.” — [@corbinians_bear on X](https://x.com/corbinians_bear/status/2071770248005763504)
- Glowing, focus, 1 mg/day: “I've been on Semax 1mg almost everyday for about a decade. It's the real deal - my goat.” — [r/NooTopics](https://www.reddit.com/r/NooTopics/comments/1wt03z9/be_honest_is_semax_and_selank_cope/pcqnhtn/)
- Glowing, focus: “For semax I had intense tunnel vision but only in week 4 when my vial was about to reach its 30 days. The focus was more than anything I’ve tried. More than modafinil or phenylpiracetam.” — [@jinayx on X](https://x.com/jinayx/status/2083384147850969253)

## Cheapest in Europe

- [Semax Polska](https://semaxpolska.com/en/semax-1-60-mg/) (PL): Semax 1%, 60 mg, €45, €0.75/mg (also contains 5 mg GHK-Cu, judged as [GHK-Cu (injectable)](https://peprank.xyz/peptides/ghk-cu-injectable) since the nasal route is systemic: Strict Avoid · Balanced Avoid · Evidence only Caution)
- [Semax Polska](https://semaxpolska.com/en/semax-01-10-mg/) (PL): Semax 0.1%, 10 mg, €18, €1.80/mg (also contains 5 mg GHK-Cu, judged as [GHK-Cu (injectable)](https://peprank.xyz/peptides/ghk-cu-injectable) since the nasal route is systemic: Strict Avoid · Balanced Avoid · Evidence only Caution)
- [CertaPeptides](https://certapeptides.com/shop/semax) (RO): Semax 30mg, €100, €3.33/mg (contents not stated on the page)
- [Baltic Peptides](https://balticpeptides.com/product/semax/) (LT): Semax 10mg (Vial), €35, €3.50/mg
- [Particle Peptides](https://particlepeptides.com/en/buy-peptides/61-semax-10mg.html) (SK): Semax 10mg, €39, €3.90/mg

## Studies

- [Gusev et al. 2018: efficacy of Semax at different stages of ischemic stroke](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29798983/) (controlled, n=110, 2018): Semax added to rehabilitation raised plasma BDNF and improved motor recovery and Barthel scores, most when started early.
- [Shmonin et al. 2018: meta-analysis of Semax in the acute period of stroke (Russian literature)](https://journals.eco-vector.com/2078-1962/article/view/609445) (meta-analysis, 2018): Pooled Russian studies favour Semax for neurological recovery after acute stroke; the authors call the evidence base insufficient.
- [Lebedeva et al. 2018: effects of Semax on the default mode network of the brain (resting-state fMRI)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30225715/) (controlled, n=24, 2018): A single intranasal dose changed default-mode network connectivity in healthy volunteers.
- [Kaplan et al. 1996: synthetic ACTH analogue Semax displays nootropic-like activity in humans](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/%28SICI%291520-6769%28199609%2919%3A2%3C115%3A%3AAID-NRC171%3E3.0.CO%3B2-B) (controlled, 1996): 0.25-1 mg intranasal produced nootropic-like EEG changes in healthy volunteers, with effects lasting up to 20-24 h.
- [Dolotov et al. 2006: Semax regulates BDNF and trkB expression in the rat hippocampus](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16996037/) (animal, 2006): One intranasal dose raised hippocampal BDNF protein 1.4-fold and trkB signalling in rats.
- [Semax as a potential agent for ADHD and Rett syndrome (hypothesis paper)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16996699/) (review, 2007): Proposes Semax for ADHD from animal data; no trial in people with ADHD has been published, though that is its main Reddit use.

## Sources

- [Semax 0.1% official Russian prescribing information (reg. LS-002553)](https://semax.ru/upload/iblock/867/867fc8166acadfb577dc956d855999a3.pdf)
- [Shmonin 2018: meta-analysis of Semax in acute stroke (Russian literature)](https://journals.eco-vector.com/2078-1962/article/view/609445)
- [FDA: Bulk drug substances that may present significant safety risks (Category 2 / withdrawn list, Apr 2026)](https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/certain-bulk-drug-substances-use-compounding-may-present-significant-safety-risks)
- [MDside: FDA July 2026 PCAC votes (Semax 8-5 for, DSIP 6-7 against)](https://www.mdside.com/fda-july-2026-peptide-committee-documents/)
- [Mendias & Awan 2026 preprint: 6441 grey-market peptide samples, 41.6-71.1% failed quality criteria, 15% endotoxin](https://europepmc.org/article/PPR/PPR1182497)