AOD-9604

What AOD-9604 does

AOD-9604 is a modified fragment of growth hormone studied for fat loss. Its largest obesity trial failed, and Metabolic stopped that program in 2007. Later trials under the name LAT8881 studied pain, not fat loss. Oral trials did not show a rise in IGF-1, but they do not establish the safety of consumer injections. It has no FDA-approved product or dose.

• An early trial saw a small, uneven weight-loss signal, but the larger follow-up trial failed. (Studied in a trial)
• In rats, it slowed weight gain, but this did not lead to reliable weight loss in people. (animal)
• Joint-repair claims rest on animal studies in rabbits, not on human cartilage trials. (animal)
• One user reports less belly fat and breaking a weight plateau; others report no clear change. (Reported by users)

Uses in the sources

• Studied orally for obesity. The 502-person OPTIONS trial did not show significant weight loss versus placebo. (Studied in a trial) (source)
• LAT8881 was studied for nerve pain, migraine and sciatic pain; the primary pain comparisons did not show significant benefit. (Studied in a trial) (source)
• People use it for joint pain or cartilage repair. The controlled cartilage evidence is in rabbits, not people. (Reported by users) (source)

AOD-9604 dosage

Typical reported dose: 300–500 mcg once a day, in the morning

• First IV dose range: 25–400 mcg/kg IV over 20 minutes; 3 different active doses per person. single doses, at least 7 days apart, into a vein. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adults in the cited study. (source)
• IV single dose: 25 mcg/kg: 25 mcg/kg IV once over 20 minutes. one infusion per crossover period, into a vein. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adults in the cited study. (source)
• IV single dose: 50 mcg/kg: 50 mcg/kg IV once over 20 minutes. one infusion per crossover period, into a vein. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adults in the cited study. (source)
• IV single dose: 100 mcg/kg: 100 mcg/kg IV once over 20 minutes. one infusion per crossover period, into a vein. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adults in the cited study. (source)
• Single oral dose: 9 mg: 9 mg orally once as capsules. once in each assigned study period, by mouth. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adults in the cited study. (source)
• Single oral dose: 27 mg: 27 mg orally once as capsules. once in each assigned study period, by mouth. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adults in the cited study. (source)

These are doses reported in labels, trials or user reports, not a personal plan. Check the source behind each one.

Work out syringe units with the dosing calculator

How to mix AOD-9604

Comes as: Community: lyophilized powder vials for injection., Oral capsules, tablets and troches are described in FDA’s review of marketed products..

Mixed with: Bacteriostatic water is reported. Some posts discuss dilute acetic acid; no home-mixing method is clinically validated..

Common vial sizes: 5 mg. Common water amounts: 2, 3 mL.

• Community handling only: 5 mg vials with 2 or 3 mL water are reported, not a validated formulation.
• Users report gelling. Adding acid or more water does not establish purity, sterility or stability.
• Do not equate an opened diluent’s discard date with stability of a mixed peptide.
• Sterility, formulation and storage conditions matter; oral trial safety does not validate home-prepared injections.

Before mixing: Forum users discuss refrigerating powder. There is no approved consumer-product storage label.

After mixing: Advice conflicts, including room temperature and refrigeration. No validated home-mixed shelf life was found.

AOD-9604 side effects and risks

Reported side effects

• Headache reported during oral trials: 24 week trial: 25.9% pooled across active and placebo; the drug specific rate is unknown., mild. Review persistent or severe headaches with a clinician. (source)
• Diarrhea: 24 week trial: 7.8% pooled across active and placebo. One severe event at 54 mg was possibly related., moderate. Seek care for severe or persistent diarrhea or dehydration. (source)
• Gas, nausea and stomach upset: More digestive symptoms at 54 mg daily for 7 days; exact per arm rates were not published., mild (source)
• Injection-site soreness or irritation: IV trials reported isolated local reactions. The rate after consumer subcutaneous use is unknown., mild (source)
• Chest tightness: One severe event at 50 mcg/kg IV in the 23 man study was possibly related., serious. Chest pain or breathing trouble needs urgent assessment. (source)
• Euphoria: Early IV crossover: 5/23 during AOD periods versus 0/23 during placebo; not a subcutaneous rate., mild (source)
• Low-blood-sugar episodes: First IV study: 3 events across all treatments; exposure specific counts were not reported., moderate. Check glucose if symptomatic, especially with diabetes medicines. (source)
• Serious events, including tumors: 12 week study: 4 cancers and 1 lipoma; investigators judged them unrelated. Drug causation is unproven., serious (source)
• Fainting: Later sponsor account reports related serious fainting after placebo and after 0.25 mg oral AOD 9604., serious. Fainting needs prompt medical assessment. (source)
• Fatigue, itching or mood changes: The later sponsor account reports related withdrawals for fatigue, itching and depression; arm rates are unavailable., moderate (source)
• Immune reaction to peptide or impurities: FDA flags immune reaction risk, especially with injections; reliable incidence estimates are unavailable., serious (source)

Stop and get help if

• Swollen tongue or throat, trouble breathing, or collapse: Stop exposure and call emergency services now.
• Chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting or a sustained racing heart: Seek urgent medical care; call emergency services for severe or ongoing symptoms.
• Spreading injection-site redness, red streaks, swelling or fever: Get prompt medical assessment for a possible infection.
• Severe diarrhea with faintness or inability to keep fluids down: Stop exposure and seek urgent care for possible dehydration.
• Confusion, sweating or shaking with low glucose that does not improve: Use the established diabetes rescue plan and seek urgent help if symptoms persist.

Who should avoid it

• pregnant: Human pregnancy safety is unknown; later trials excluded pregnancy.
• breastfeeding: Milk transfer and infant safety are unknown; later trials excluded breastfeeding.
• tryingToConceive: Human fertility and conception safety are unknown. Later trials required contraception.
• under18: Only adults were studied. No pediatric dose or safety data were found.
• other: A known allergy to the peptide, formulation ingredients or diluent should stop use.
• activeCancer: Active cancer was excluded from later trials. This precaution reflects unknown safety, not proof that AOD-9604 raises IGF-1.
• cancerHistory: Later trials excluded most prior cancers. Long-term cancer risk is unresolved; obtain oncology input.
• kidneyDisease: Dosing in kidney disease is not established. Later trials excluded disorders affecting drug clearance.
• liverDisease: Liver-impairment dosing is unknown. FDA flagged possible liver injury in monkeys; later trials excluded significant liver-test abnormalities.
• diabetes: Early IV studies reported low-blood-sugar events; stable diabetes was allowed in a later oral trial. Injection effects and interactions remain unknown.
• heartCondition: Chest tightness occurred in an IV trial. Safety in significant heart disease is not established.
• uncontrolledBloodPressure: Trials excluded significant illness; uncontrolled blood pressure adds uncertainty to unapproved use.
• seizureDisorder: Later IV trials excluded a seizure history; safety is unknown.
• psychiatricCondition: A later sponsor summary reports a related depression withdrawal. Significant psychiatric illness was excluded from the IV trial.
• surgeryPlanned: Later trials excluded planned surgery. Tell the surgical team about all peptide and supplement use.
• immunosuppressed: Injection products may be contaminated. A lower threshold for assessing fever or a painful, red injection site is prudent.
• testedAthlete: WADA 2026 names AOD-9604 in S2.2.3; it is prohibited in and out of competition.

Interactions

• Insulin and sulfonylureas: No proven AOD interaction. Glucose monitoring deserves review because these drugs lower blood sugar and early IV trials reported low-sugar episodes.
• Anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs: Needle use can worsen bruising or bleeding. This is an injection precaution, not an established chemical interaction with AOD-9604.
• Growth hormone and GH-releasing peptides: Combination safety is unstudied. GH-raising partners can raise IGF-1 or affect glucose; AOD alone did not raise IGF-1 in the oral trials.
• GLP-1 medicines and retatrutide: Forum stacks have no controlled combination trial. Stomach symptoms and weight changes cannot reliably be assigned to AOD-9604.
• Duplicate growth-hormone fragment products: Aliases and fragment labels can hide duplicate dosing or different peptides. Confirm the sequence and ingredients before comparing products.

Product quality risks

• FDA found inconsistent identity details for free base and acetate, plus missing impurity and endotoxin data.
• Peptide aggregates and synthesis impurities may trigger immune reactions.
• AOD-9604 has been identified in unlabeled seized preparations; a name on a vial does not establish its contents.
• FDA cited sterile-production and ingredient-identity failures in a facility that compounded AOD-9604.

What to expect

Nine intervention studies found: six original trials and three LAT8881 trials. The largest obesity trial failed; subcutaneous efficacy remains untested.

Key studies

• First IV safety study: A small IV safety study; it did not test routine fat-loss injections. (source)
• IV doses in obesity: IV exposure produced some possible drug-related symptoms; fat-loss efficacy was not established. (source)
• Single oral doses: Single oral doses were tested; this is not evidence for under-the-skin dosing. (source)
• Seven days of oral dosing: 54 mg daily caused more symptoms than lower doses over one week. (source)
• 12-week obesity dose finding: A small, irregular weight-loss signal was reported; the larger follow-up trial failed. (source)
• OPTIONS: failed obesity trial: The largest obesity trial failed; Metabolic stopped obesity development in February 2007. (source)

AOD-9604 FAQ

• Is AOD-9604 FDA-approved? No approved drug or label. Sponsor self-affirmed food-use GRAS in June 2012; that is not FDA drug approval or approval for injection.
• How do people take it? Under the skin, once daily. Reports often describe 8–12 weeks; no validated course length.. Source: reported by users, not an established dose.
• What's the difference between AOD-9604 and Tirzepatide? AOD-9604: a growth-hormone fragment whose largest obesity trial failed to show meaningful weight loss. Tirzepatide: a weekly GIP/GLP-1 injection with strong diabetes and weight-loss evidence and common stomach side effects. Why people pair them: users hope to add fat loss or overcome a weight plateau.
• Can I take it with Tirzepatide? Users hope to add fat loss or overcome a weight plateau. No controlled human combination trial was found; added benefit and safety are unknown. Source: reported by users. Ask a doctor before combining anything.
• Is it banned in sport? Yes. It is banned in and out of competition (WADA 2026). Named as a growth-hormone fragment; prohibited in and out of competition.
• How long does a mixed vial last? Advice conflicts, including room temperature and refrigeration. No validated home-mixed shelf life was found.