Compounds › Metabolic and weight

AOD-9604

GH fragment studied in lipolysis

Not approvedMetabolic and weight

AI-generated illustration. Not data, and not an image from a study.

Experimental material. Read before using anything from here.

Nothing on this page is a medical recommendation, prescription or treatment plan. It is an organized translation of protocols circulating in research communities and, where it exists, of what published trials tested. The two are marked differently — and they are not equivalent.

Most of the compounds here have no FDA approval for human use. Several are sold labeled "research use only", which means they have not gone through purity, sterility or dosage controls for human consumption. A community-reported dose is not a validated dose: it is what someone reported having done.

Talk to a licensed health professional before considering any of these compounds. If you already use one and feel anything unexpected, seek care — do not wait for the next routine test.

Summary

Synthetic fragment of the 176–191 portion of growth hormone, studied for its lipolytic effect without the growth action of the whole molecule. Community plans cite 300–500 mcg per day, which is not an approved clinical protocol. In a 5 mg vial reconstituted with 3 mL of bacteriostatic water, that range corresponds to about 18–30 units on a U-100 syringe.

Quick reference

Route: Subcutaneous.
Cited range: 300–500 mcg per day in community plans.
Measure: 5 mg vial + 3 mL of bacteriostatic water ≈ 18–30 units on the U-100 syringe.
Status: Not approved by the FDA.

Dosing protocol

Phase	Daily research amount	Volume	U-100 units
Initial 4 weeks	300 mcg	0.18 mL	18 units
Weeks 5-12	500 mcg	0.30 mL	30 units
Optional extension	300-500 mcg	0.18-0.30 mL	18-30 units

Dose table: 5 mg vial and U-100 units

Daily research amount	5 mg + 1 mL BAC water	5 mg + 2 mL BAC water	5 mg + 3 mL BAC water
300 mcg	6 units	12 units	18 units
500 mcg	10 units	20 units	30 units

Dose per day

Research context	Amount or duration	Evidence level
Community subcutaneous planning	300–500 mcg per day	Anecdotal community standard
Published human trials	Route and dose varied by study	Published research
Approved medical dosage	None	AOD-9604 is not FDA-approved

Reconstitution guide: how to mix a 5 mg vial

BAC water added	Concentration	300 mcg	500 mcg
1 mL	5,000 mcg/mL	6 units	10 units
2 mL	2,500 mcg/mL	12 units	20 units
3 mL	1,667 mcg/mL	18 units	30 units

Dose calculation and reconstitution

Vial size	BAC water added	Target research amount
2 mg	1 mL	300 mcg
5 mg	2 mL	500 mcg
10 mg	3 mL	300 or 500 mcg

Cycle length: 8, 12 and 24 weeks in the research

Cycle length	Where it comes from	How to label it
8 weeks	Community research planning	Anecdotal
12 weeks	Published trial duration and community planning	Published and community context
16 weeks	Community research planning	Anecdotal
24 weeks	Published trial duration	Published research

AOD-9604 vs HGH vs GLP-1 Receptor Agonists

Compound	Class	FDA Status	Evidence Strength
AOD-9604	Synthetic hGH C-terminal fragment (16 aa)	Not FDA-approved	Phase 2b primary endpoint missed; preclinical fat-loss and rabbit cartilage signal
HGH Fragment 176-191	Same molecule as AOD-9604 without the stabilizing tyrosine	Not FDA-approved	Same overall research base; AOD-9604 is the more-studied stabilized version
Human Growth Hormone (somatropin)	Full-length recombinant hGH	FDA-approved for specific indications (GH deficiency, certain growth disorders, AIDS wasting)	Strong human evidence for approved indications; raises IGF-1 and carries glucose-tolerance risk
Semaglutide (Wegovy)	GLP-1 receptor agonist	FDA-approved for chronic weight management	Phase 3 RCTs; consistent ~12-15% weight loss at 68 weeks
Tirzepatide (Zepbound)	GIP/GLP-1 dual agonist	FDA-approved for chronic weight management	Phase 3 RCTs; ~20% weight loss at 72 weeks

Community cycle table

Cycle	Weeks 1–4	Later weeks	Review points	Evidence label
8 weeks	300 mcg 1×/day	500 mcg 1×/day during weeks 5–8	Weeks 4 and 8	Community standard
12 weeks	300 mcg 1×/day	500 mcg 1×/day during weeks 5–12	Weeks 4, 8, and 12	Community standard
16 weeks	300 mcg 1×/day	500 mcg 1×/day during weeks 5–16	Every 4 weeks	Community standard

Cycle and vial calculation

Cycle length	300 mcg phase	500 mcg phase	Total amount	5 mg vials
8 weeks	28 days × 0.3 mg = 8.4 mg	28 days × 0.5 mg = 14 mg	22.4 mg	5 vials
12 weeks	28 days × 0.3 mg = 8.4 mg	56 days × 0.5 mg = 28 mg	36.4 mg	8 vials
16 weeks	28 days × 0.3 mg = 8.4 mg	84 days × 0.5 mg = 42 mg	50.4 mg	11 vials

Published Evidence vs Community Protocols

Claim	Published human support	Community support	How it should be described
AOD-9604 was studied for 12 weeks	Yes, using oral doses	Often used as a community timeline	Published duration, but not a proven SubQ cycle
AOD-9604 was studied for 24 weeks	Yes, using oral tablets	Sometimes used to justify longer plans	Published oral trial; efficacy goal was not met
300–500 mcg per day	No controlled human SubQ study	Commonly reported	Community research amount
Start at 300 mcg and increase after four weeks	No	Commonly reported	Anecdotal step-up model
8- or 16-week SubQ cycle	No	Commonly reported	Community timeline only
Use beyond 24 weeks	No	Scattered reports	Unsupported by published long-term evidence

Storage and handling

The rules below apply to practically every lyophilized peptide in this reference. Where a compound has its own requirement, it appears in the table in the previous section.

Lyophilized powder, sealed: refrigerator, between 2 and 8 °C, protected from light. Many tolerate room temperature for short transport periods, but that is tolerance, not a recommendation.
After reconstitution: always refrigerated, between 2 and 8 °C. The stability window drops to days or a few weeks, depending on the compound.
Never freeze after reconstituting. The freeze–thaw cycle degrades the peptide.
Do not shake. Swirl the vial slowly. Shaking breaks the peptide chain.
Bacteriostatic water down the wall of the vial, in a slow stream, not squirted directly onto the powder.
Cloudy solution, with particles or a color change: discard. There is no recovery.

Lab tests and monitoring

This list is the one that appears recurrently in the source, with small variations by compound. It serves as a starting point for a conversation with a professional — not as a substitute for that conversation.

Before starting: complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel, fasting glucose and HbA1c, TSH and free T4, blood pressure and resting heart rate.
Depending on the compound: IGF-1 (GH axis), lipase and amylase (VIP and the incretin agonists), serum copper and ceruloplasmin (GHK-Cu and blends containing it), CRP.
Reassessment: most protocols review between week 4 and week 8, and then every 8–12 weeks.
Do not wait for the routine lab test in the face of abdominal pain, visual changes, a change in a mole, shortness of breath, asymmetric swelling or any new and persistent symptom. That is a reason to seek care, not a spreadsheet item.

Evidence limits

What these numbers are and what they are not. The values above were preserved exactly as they appear in the source, without reinterpretation. What the source describes as community practice is marked as such in the tables; what came from a published trial is too. A dose repeated by many people does not become a validated dose by repetition.

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