GLP-1 & metabolic · Fat metabolism regulation and weight management
AOD-9604
0.3 mg daily, fasted
Fragment of human growth hormone (amino acids 176–191) engineered in the 1990s to isolate hGH’s fat-burning action from its growth effects. Studied for fat loss and possibly joint/tissue repair; remains investigational with no approval.
Important: AOD-9604 does not reliably dissolve in bacteriostatic water alone. Add 0.6% acetic acid first, then top up with bac water. Going straight to bac water is what makes the vial turn cloudy, gel, or leave floating flakes.
Reconstitution
| Vial | 1 mL water | 2 mL water |
|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 5 mg/mL | 2.5 mg/mL |
AOD-9604 is hydrophobic, so in plain bac water it clumps instead of dissolving; that is the cloudiness or gel at the bottom of the vial. Dissolve it in a small amount of 0.6% acetic acid first (about 10 to 20% of your target volume, so 0.2 to 0.4 mL for a 2 mL fill), swirl until clear, then add bac water to reach the final volume. The acetic acid counts toward that volume.
- Use bacteriostatic water as the diluent.
- Add the water slowly, letting it run down the inside wall of the vial rather than onto the powder.
- Swirl gently to mix, then leave it to dissolve. Do not shake.
- Give it a few minutes. The finished solution should be clear and colourless.
- Add 0.6% acetic acid first, about 10 to 20% of your target volume (roughly 0.2 to 0.4 mL for a 2 mL fill), down the inside wall of the vial.
- Add bacteriostatic water slowly to reach your target volume (about 1.6 to 1.8 mL for a 2 mL fill), swirling as you go.
- If a vial has already gone cloudy in plain bac water, adding 0.6% acetic acid will usually clear it. If it stays cloudy after the acid, the peptide has aggregated and the vial should be discarded.
Protocol
Route: Subcutaneous
Standard protocol (subcutaneous)
- 0.3 mg (300 mcg) per day, injected fasted in the morning
- At a 2 mL fill on the 5 mg vial (2.5 mg/mL), 0.3 mg is a 0.12 mL draw (12 units)
Dosing detail
- Standard dose is 0.3 mg (300 mcg) daily, usually fasted in the morning.
- A modified GH fragment that targets fat metabolism without raising IGF-1 or overall GH, so it does not cause the water retention or growth effects of HGH.
- Daily consistency over a cycle is the approach.
- Generally well tolerated.
Duration
- Run several weeks to a few months, daily. Often paired with a GH secretagogue like Ipamorelin (AOD in the morning, Ipamorelin before bed).
Notes
- A fragment of GH studied for fat metabolism without the broader GH effects.
- Generally well tolerated.
- Inject subcutaneously and rotate sites.
Storage and handling
- Keep the powdered (lyophilized) vial in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate it for longer-term storage before mixing.
- Once reconstituted and refrigerated at 2–8 °C away from light, use the vial within 90 days.
- Do not freeze a reconstituted vial, and keep it away from heat and sunlight.
- If the solution turns cloudy, develops floating particles, or shows any other sign of degradation, stop using that vial.
- Cloudiness right after mixing usually means the wrong diluent, not a bad vial; reach for 0.6% acetic acid before writing it off. Cloudiness that appears days later in a previously clear vial is degradation, and that vial should be discarded.