REST & RECOVERY · SERMORELIN
Sermorelin is a lab-made version of a hormone your brain uses to signal the release of growth hormone. It’s often discussed for sleep, recovery, and body composition, goals where evidence in healthy adults is limited. Start with a conversation that’s honest about both.
THE TREATMENT
Sermorelin is a peptide made of the first 29 amino acids of growth hormone–releasing hormone. It prompts the pituitary gland to release your own growth hormone, rather than replacing it.
Injection under the skin
An FDA-approved sermorelin product, Geref®, treated growth hormone deficiency in children with growth failure until it was discontinued in 2008. FDA later determined it wasn’t withdrawn for safety or effectiveness reasons. It was never approved for adults. Sermorelin prescribed today is compounded, and isn’t FDA-approved for wellness, sleep, or anti-aging.
Federal Register · Geref determination (2013) (opens in a new tab)Options shown are for education. A licensed clinician decides whether any treatment, dose, or form is appropriate for you.
WHO IT MAY SUIT
A clinician makes the call. These are good signs it’s worth a conversation.
HOW IT WORKS
Start when it suits you. A licensed clinician takes it from there.
Answer questions online about your health history, your goals, and what you’ve been noticing. You can be candid.
A licensed clinician in your state reviews your answers, may follow up or ask for lab work, and decides whether a treatment is appropriate.
If you’re prescribed a treatment, a licensed pharmacy fills it and ships it to you.
Message your care team with questions, check in on how it’s going, and adjust your plan over time.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Not a complete list. Your clinician and pharmacist will go over the full information for anything you’re prescribed.
LET’S TALK ABOUT IT
Growth hormone treatment replaces the hormone directly. Sermorelin works one step earlier, prompting your pituitary gland to release its own growth hormone, which your body still regulates.
Growth hormone release is tied to deep sleep, which is part of why sermorelin comes up in conversations about rest and recovery. Studies in healthy adults are small, and better sleep isn’t an established benefit. Your clinician can help you look at sleep more broadly, too.
The approved product, Geref, was discontinued by its manufacturer. FDA later determined it wasn’t withdrawn for safety or effectiveness reasons. That history doesn’t make today’s compounded sermorelin an FDA-approved treatment.
Treatment information is based on FDA resources and official drug labels, last reviewed October 2026. Educational information, not individualized medical advice.
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REST & RECOVERY · SERMORELIN