Melanotan II dosage chart by phase
Melanotan II is most often given as 250 to 500 mcg a day to load, then 500 mcg to 1 mg once or twice a week to hold. Here are the patterns, the human studies and what to draw.
How much Melanotan II do people take?
Amount
250–500 mcga day to load; 500 mcg–1 mg to holdTiming
Eveningonce a day to load, then weeklyCourse
2–4 weeksof loading, then weeklyRoute
Under the skininjectionAmounts, evening timing and the 2 to 4 weeks of loading are the convention on vendor education pages and in the community, with no named clinician behind them. Under the skin is how vendors sell it and how the human studies gave it. The study amounts are from the 1996 first human study and two later studies in men. No approved product or label sets a regimen.
Melanotan II dosage chart
How to read the melanotan II chart
The first three rows are convention, so read the source column before comparing amounts. The last two rows are published human amounts, counted per kilogram of body weight, so they're shown in pounds as well. Background on the peptide lives on the melanotan II page.
Melanotan II injection dosage and mixing
Melanotan II is sold as freeze-dried powder for injection under the skin, most often in 10 mg vials, and 5 mg vials are also sold. You mix it with bacteriostatic water, which is sterile water with a preservative so one vial can be drawn from more than once. The table shows the units to draw on a U-100 syringe, which holds 100 units in 1 mL, for 1, 2 and 3 mL of water.
| Water | Strength | 250 mcg | 500 mcg | 1 mg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 mL | 10,000 mcg per mL | 2.5 units, too small to read | 5 units | 10 units |
| 2 mL | 5,000 mcg per mL | 5 units | 10 units | 20 units |
| 3 mL | about 3,333 mcg per mL | 7.5 units | 15 units | 30 units |
A 5 mg vial doubles each number at the same water, so 2 mL gives 20 units for 500 mcg. More water makes each draw bigger and easier to measure.
For any other vial, water or amount, the reconstitution calculator does the same math.
When and how often
Evenings. People dose in the evening so the nausea and flushing land in sleep, which is convention and not something a study set.
Daily to load, then weekly. Vendor pages describe 500 mcg a day until the color is where you want it, commonly 2 to 4 weeks, then once or twice a week to hold. Color fades over several weeks once you stop, so people often load ahead of summer or a trip and let it lapse.
The study schedule was different. The 1996 study gave a dose every other day for two weeks, five doses in all, and two of the three men had more pigment in the face and upper body a week after the last one.
How long a vial lasts
A mixed vial goes on a 28-day clock in the fridge the day water goes in, however much of it gets used. A 10 mg vial at 500 mcg a day lasts 20 days, so a three-week load at 500 mcg uses 10.5 mg, a little more than one vial. Maintenance is where the clock binds. At 1 mg a week a 10 mg vial uses 4 mg in 28 days and 6 mg expires, while a 5 mg vial uses 4 mg and leaves only 1 mg, so the smaller vial is the closer fit.
Melanotan II and PT-141
PT-141 was developed from melanotan II to act on desire without the tan, and it's approved as a prescription drug for low sexual desire in premenopausal women. If desire is the goal, it's the one with a label, and its amounts are on the PT-141 dosage page. We found no study of the two taken together.
Signs the amount or timing is off
These are reported experiences, not findings from a study of research vials, apart from the moles.
Nausea or flushing that doesn't settle after the first week. People report it at the start, and they drop to the 250 mcg start or stop if it carries on.
Moles that darken, change shape or edge, or new ones that look different. People report existing moles and freckles darkening. In 2009 doctors described a man with a melanoma history who grew crops of new, atypical moles after using a similar peptide, and they said such peptides can drive growth of pigment cells in people already prone to melanoma. A 2017 review describes melanomas appearing from existing moles in people using melanotan. Case reports can't prove cause. People photograph their moles before starting, and tell a dermatologist they use it if one changes.
Color going further or more unevenly than you wanted. People stop here, since it's easier to stop than to reverse.
It's sold for research, and melanotan II was never approved anywhere. You knew that, it's why you're reading this and not the label.
Questions people ask about Melanotan II dosage
How much melanotan II should I take per day?
While loading, vendor pages most often give 500 mcg a day, with community advice to start at 250 mcg for the first few days. After that it's 500 mcg to 1 mg once or twice a week. No label sets an amount, so treat all of it as convention.
How much bacteriostatic water for a 10 mg melanotan II vial?
You can use 1, 2 or 3 mL, because the water only changes the size of each draw. With 2 mL, 250 mcg is 5 units, 500 mcg is 10 units and 1 mg is 20 units on a U-100 syringe.
How much melanotan II did the human study use?
The 1996 study started at 10 mcg per kg of body weight and went up in steps to 25 or 30 mcg per kg in three men. At 150 pounds that is about 680 mcg at the start and 1.7 to 2 mg at the top. It's a lot more than the 500 mcg on vendor pages, and it was a short safety pilot, not a dosing standard.
Is there a melanotan II nasal spray dose?
No study or label sets one. Nasal sprays circulate for this peptide, and we found no study of how much of a spray is absorbed, so the injected amounts can't be carried over.
Do you need sun for melanotan II to work?
People report that color builds faster with some sun, and no study has tested that. No study shows it protects you from burning, so sunscreen still matters.
How long does the color last after you stop?
People report it fades over several weeks. No study measured the fade, and it's why some people load before summer or a trip and let it lapse.
Where to buy Melanotan II
The five lowest per-mg prices in this morning's check, one listing per vendor.
- IDUN Peptides 10 mg · $19.99 $2.00/mg
- Alpha Peptides 10 mg · $22.10 $2.21/mg
- Evolve BioPep 10 mg · $24.99 $2.50/mg
- Next Gen Peptides 10 mg · $24.99 $2.50/mg
- Luvaminos 10 mg · $25.00 $2.50/mg
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