GHRP-2 vs Hexarelin
Close cousins at the ghrelin receptor: one is more potent, one has a defined diagnostic role, and both drag cortisol along and fade with repeated dosing.
GHRP-2
Pralmorelin
Genuinely raises GH (and is an approved diagnostic in Japan), but the same dose lifts cortisol, prolactin and appetite, and desensitizes — no anti-aging outcomes.
Full GHRP-2 evidence reviewHexarelin
One of the most potent GH secretagogues studied — but it also raises cortisol and prolactin, desensitizes with repeated use, and is unapproved.
Full Hexarelin evidence reviewSide by side
| GHRP-2 | Hexarelin | |
|---|---|---|
| Marketed for | Muscle, 'anti-aging' | Muscle, recovery, 'anti-aging' |
| Evidence grade | Clinical data | Clinical data |
| Family | GH axis | GH axis |
| Regulatory status | Not FDA-approved | Not FDA-approved |
| How it's obtained | Research-only | Research-only |
| Key human source | Bowers, Endocrine 2001 | Maccario, Eur J Endocrinol 2002 |
marks a row where the two differ. Evidence grades come from our evidence matrix, which grades each molecule on the human data for the use it is marketed for.
Our verdict
This is a comparison between two versions of the same problem, not a search for a winner. Hexarelin is among the most potent GH secretagogues ever studied in humans and has a genuinely interesting, largely preclinical CD36 cardiovascular literature independent of GH, but it is non-selective, raising prolactin, ACTH and cortisol alongside GH, and its GH response shows tachyphylaxis, attenuating with continued administration. GHRP-2 has the more defined clinical footing: it is characterized well enough to serve as a GH-stimulation test and is an approved diagnostic agent in Japan, yet it carries the same cortisol, ACTH and prolactin spillover, reliably increases food intake, and in healthy young men a five-day course blunted the GH response without raising IGF-1. Neither is FDA-approved for body composition or anti-aging, both are sold as unverified research-only material, and both are prohibited in sport.
GHRP-2 fits if
GHRP-2 is the one to read if you want the clearest illustration of a peptide with real, narrow diagnostic validity being sold on the back of that legitimacy for uses it has never been shown to deliver.
Hexarelin fits if
Hexarelin is the one to read if you are drawn to raw potency, since it shows most plainly that potency without selectivity is a trade-off, and that the effect being bought is the one that erodes with use.
Where to get it
Where to get peptide therapy
Clinician-led telehealth services that prescribe compounded peptides. The specific peptides offered vary by provider — confirm GHRP-2 availability before ordering.
