What Selank is and what it is studied for
Selank is a synthetic heptapeptide based on tuftsin, a naturally occurring immune peptide, developed alongside Semax in Russia and studied there for anxiety, stress resilience and the cognitive cost of both. Its reported mechanism runs through the GABA system and through modulation of serotonin and brain-derived neurotrophic factor — which is why researchers describe the effect as "the volume turned down" rather than "sedated".
The house window is 200–500 mcg, one to two times a day, and the protocol below starts at one dose a day because most researchers never need the second. Where Semax is a morning compound judged on output, Selank is judged on the shape of the day: fewer spikes, a quicker return to baseline after the thing that would usually derail the afternoon, and sleep that is unchanged or better. 500 mcg is the soft ceiling per dose.
Who it suits — and who should not run it
Written for the adult researcher under sustained pressure — a demanding role, a difficult stretch, a nervous system that does not switch off at six — whose sleep is holding but whose days are spent braced. It is a resilience tool for a functioning person, not a treatment, and anyone with a diagnosed anxiety disorder belongs with their physician first. The house exclusions:
Not for
- A diagnosed psychiatric condition, or any medication acting on GABA, serotonin or dopamine — including benzodiazepines and SSRIs — without the explicit agreement of the prescribing physician.
- Pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning pregnancy in the next 6 months.
- Under 18.
- Alcohol as a daily habit — it acts on the same system and makes the log unreadable.
- Anyone hoping it will replace sleep, rest or a decision they are avoiding.
The house protocol
Subcutaneous in the abdomen a hand's width from the navel, alternating sides. The first dose of the day goes in the morning; where a second dose is used, it goes mid-afternoon — never within four hours of bed, so that sleep stays the control variable. Seven days a week, because stress does not take weekends off. One pen = 300 clicks at 16.7 mcg per click.
Two phases: a two-week run-in at 200 mcg once a day, then a six-week working phase at 300 mcg once a day, with an optional second 300 mcg dose on days that genuinely call for it — at most two injections a day, and never as a daily habit without your coach's agreement.
| Pen | Dose per injection | Clicks | Frequency | Timing | Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Selank 5 mg (16.7 mcg/click) | 200 mcg | 12 | Once daily, 7 days a week | Morning | Weeks 1–2 — run-in |
| Selank 5 mg | 300 mcg | 18 | Once daily, 7 days a week | Morning | Weeks 3–8 — working dose |
| Selank 5 mg | 300 mcg | 18 | Optional second dose on a hard day | Mid-afternoon, ≥4 h before bed | Weeks 3–8 — not a daily habit |
| Soft ceiling | 500 mcg per injection | 30 | Max twice a day | — | Personalised-protocol decision, not a step |
Click total at one dose a day: 14 days × 12 = 168, plus 42 days × 18 = 756, for 924 clicks → 4 pens (1,200 clicks), leaving 276 clicks — about 4.6 mg — which covers roughly fifteen optional second doses. If the second dose becomes routine, that is information for your coach, not a reason to plan a fifth pen. Keep the pen in the fridge between uses.
Selank is reported as well tolerated. Mild drowsiness in the hour after an early dose is the common report and usually disappears by the end of the run-in; if it persists, the morning dose moves later rather than higher. Anything that feels like low mood or flatness is a stop-and-tell-your-coach.
Week by week — what people typically notice and when
| When | What is typically reported |
|---|---|
| Weeks 1–2 (run-in) | Mild drowsiness after the morning dose in some researchers, fading by the end of the fortnight. The first report is usually a slightly slower reaction to the thing that would normally spike you. |
| Weeks 3–4 | The working dose. Afternoons are typically where the change shows — a quicker return to baseline after a stressful hour, fewer evenings spent still carrying the day. |
| Weeks 5–6 | The effect is usually clearest here. Sleep onset should be unchanged or faster; if it is slower, the afternoon dose is too late. |
| Weeks 7–8 | Consolidation. The read is the eight-week log — how many days needed a second dose, and how the evenings felt — alongside unchanged resting heart rate and blood pressure. |
Keep a three-word evening log: tension, sleep onset, whether a second dose was used. Alcohol stays at zero for the cycle — it works on the same system and the log cannot separate the two. Training continues as normal; a hard session is one of the better things to pair with a dosing day, because the compound is studied for the recovery of baseline after stress, and training is a stress you control.
Labs we ask for before and during
| Marker | When | Why it is on the list |
|---|---|---|
| Full blood count | Baseline | General safety baseline |
| Liver panel (ALT, AST, GGT, bilirubin) | Baseline | General liver check before an 8-week cycle |
| Cystatin C (never creatinine alone) | Baseline | Kidney measure not distorted by muscle or creatine |
| Fasting glucose | Baseline | General metabolic baseline |
| Thyroid panel (TSH, free T4) | Baseline | An over-active thyroid produces exactly the wired, tense picture Selank is being run for |
| Resting heart rate, blood pressure | Baseline · weekly | The simplest objective read on a nervous-system compound |
The thyroid panel is the one most researchers skip and the one most likely to change the plan: a wound-tight picture with a high resting heart rate is a thyroid question before it is a peptide question. Weekly resting heart rate — same time, same position — is the cheapest trend line this protocol has. Vitamin D, magnesium and omega-3 remain the only general supplements; no new "calming" supplements mid-cycle, for the same one-variable reason as the alcohol rule.
Stacking: what it pairs with
The natural partner is Semax: Semax in the morning for focus, Selank in the afternoon for calm, for the researcher who is both scattered and tense. The two are never injected at the same moment and the pairing belongs in a personalised protocol. For the researcher whose tension is really a sleep problem, DSIP before bed is the page to read instead — Selank is a daytime compound and is not used as a sleep aid.
Selank sits quietly alongside the repair, skin and immune pens and does not overlap with the GH-axis pairings. Alongside NAD+ for the researcher coming off burnout, the two cover the energy and the stress side of the same stretch without duplicating anything.
Common mistakes
- Dosing in the evening to sleep. Selank is a daytime compound. A late dose confuses the one control variable the protocol has.
- Making the second dose a habit. It is there for a genuinely hard day. If every day is hard, that is a conversation with your coach, not a dial setting.
- Treating 500 mcg as the working dose. 300 mcg is the house dose; 500 mcg is the ceiling.
- Drinking through the cycle. Alcohol works on the same system and the log cannot tell them apart.
- Skipping the thyroid panel. It is the lab most likely to say the problem is somewhere else.
- Expecting a feeling. The result is a quicker return to baseline and an evening that is yours — a shape, not a sensation.
Frequently asked questions
How many clicks is a Selank dose?
12 clicks is 200 mcg (the run-in) and 18 clicks is 300 mcg (the working dose) on the 5 mg pen. 30 clicks is the 500 mcg ceiling. One pen holds 300 clicks.
How often is Selank taken?
Once a day, in the morning, seven days a week. A second 300 mcg dose mid-afternoon is optional on a genuinely hard day — never within four hours of bed and never more than two injections a day.
Is Selank sedating?
The reported effect is reduced tension without sedation. Mild drowsiness after an early dose is common in the run-in and usually fades; if it persists, the dose moves later in the morning rather than higher.
Can I use Selank for sleep?
No. It is a daytime compound on the house protocol, and sleep is kept as the control variable. The sleep peptide in the library is DSIP.
What labs do I need for Selank?
A full blood count, liver panel, cystatin C and fasting glucose at baseline, a thyroid panel because an over-active thyroid looks exactly like the picture Selank is run for, and a weekly resting heart rate and blood pressure.
Want this written for your body, not the average one?
The personal research protocol (€399, follow-up included) takes your intake, puts it through human review, and returns a short results version plus the full clinical document — then a free coach call on WhatsApp to walk it through and read your labs against the plan.
Build my protocol Book a 15-minute call