Tesamorelin vs Sermorelin: Dosage, Fat Loss and Which Is Better

Tesamorelin and sermorelin are both growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH) analogs studied for their effect on the body's own growth hormone output. They sit in the same family but differ in three practical ways: the typical reference dose, what the research literature has focused on, and the cost per month. This article compares the math and the general reference information side by side.

Everything below is third-person reference material for research and educational use. Neither peptide is approved for general human consumption, nothing here is dosing advice, and no outcome is being claimed. Decisions about whether or how much to use belong with a licensed clinician. To run any of the conversions on your own vial, use the peptide dosage calculator.

Same family, different design

A GHRH analog signals the pituitary to release growth hormone in pulses rather than supplying hormone directly. Both compounds work through that pathway, but they are built differently, which is why their typical reference figures are so far apart.

• Sermorelin is a 29-amino-acid fragment, the shortest active piece of natural GHRH. It has a short half-life and is most often discussed as a general growth hormone support compound.
• Tesamorelin is a stabilized 44-amino-acid analog with a chemical modification that slows breakdown. The research literature around it centers on visceral adipose tissue, the deep fat around the organs.

Typical dosing math compared

The headline difference is scale. Tesamorelin figures in the literature are quoted around 2 mg, while sermorelin figures are quoted in the 200 to 500 mcg range, often timed at night because growth hormone release tracks with sleep. Note that 2 mg is 2000 mcg, so the tesamorelin figure is roughly four to ten times larger by mass.

• Tesamorelin reference figure: about 2 mg (2000 mcg), commonly once daily
• Sermorelin reference figure: about 200 to 500 mcg, commonly once nightly

Both ship as a freeze-dried (lyophilized) powder and must be reconstituted with bacteriostatic water before any volume can be drawn. The same three-step arithmetic applies to each: concentration equals vial strength divided by water volume, draw volume equals dose divided by concentration, and units equal draw volume times 100 on a U-100 insulin syringe. If you are new to that sequence, peptide dosage explained walks through it.

Worked conversions

Here is how each reference figure maps to insulin-syringe units at a common concentration. These are arithmetic conversions, not recommendations.

• Tesamorelin, 2 mg. A 10 mg vial in 2 mL water gives 5 mg/mL (5000 mcg/mL). 2000 mcg / 5000 = 0.40 mL = 40 units.
• Sermorelin, 300 mcg. A 5 mg vial in 2 mL water gives 2.5 mg/mL (2500 mcg/mL). 300 / 2500 = 0.12 mL = 12 units.
• Sermorelin, 500 mcg. Same 2.5 mg/mL vial: 500 / 2500 = 0.20 mL = 20 units.

Change the vial size, water volume, or target figure and the units change with them, so recompute rather than reusing an old number. The reconstitution calculator handles the dilution step and the mg to units converter isolates the final mass-to-units conversion.

Cost per month

Because the per-use mass differs so much, a vial lasts very different lengths of time. The figures below are illustrative arithmetic, not market quotes, since research-compound pricing varies widely by source.

• A 10 mg tesamorelin vial at 2 mg per use holds about 5 reference doses. Daily use draws roughly 6 vials per month.
• A 5 mg sermorelin vial at 300 mcg per use holds about 16 reference doses. Nightly use draws roughly 2 vials per month.

On a per-vial basis tesamorelin is usually the more expensive of the two, and the larger per-use mass means you go through vials faster. Sermorelin's small reference figure stretches a vial much further, which is part of why it is often framed as the lower-cost option in general references.

Which is which: a quick reference

There is no single better compound; they are studied for different things. Use this to keep the distinction straight, then defer any actual decision to a clinician.

• Study focus: tesamorelin literature centers on visceral fat; sermorelin is framed as broader growth hormone support.
• Scale: tesamorelin around 2 mg; sermorelin around 200 to 500 mcg.
• Half-life: tesamorelin is stabilized and longer-acting; sermorelin is short-acting.
• Cost: sermorelin generally cheaper per month; tesamorelin generally more expensive and consumed faster.

For storage, both follow the usual pattern in general references: kept refrigerated after mixing and used within roughly a few weeks. To compare the two side by side on your own vial strengths, the peptide dosage calculator runs the full sequence for either compound, and you can browse other peptide calculators for related conversions.