Melanotan II: research

Melanotan II dosage

Typical reported dose: 250–500 mcg once a day for 2 weeks, then three times a week

• Pilot: five weight-based doses: Start 0.01 mg/kg SC; increase active doses by 0.005 mg/kg, to 0.03 mg/kg in two men and 0.025 mg/kg in one. every other weekday; five active doses over 2 weeks, under the skin. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Three monitored healthy adult men. (source)
• Erection study: 0.025 mg/kg: 0.025 mg/kg subcutaneously at each active visit. single monitored study-visit doses, under the skin. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adult men with erection problems. (source)
• Organic ED: 0.025 mg/kg: 0.025 mg/kg subcutaneously at each active visit. single monitored study-visit doses, under the skin. Studied in a trial. Studied in: Adult men with erection problems. (source)
• Reported 250-to-500 mcg loading: 250 mcg SC daily for the first week., then 500 mcg SC daily for the second week., then 500 mcg SC on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. daily for 2 weeks, then three times weekly, under the skin. Reported by users, common report. Studied in: Adults reporting cosmetic tanning use. (source)
• Reported 20–100 mcg use: 20–100 mcg SC per reported dose. daily initially; some later use every few days or weekly, under the skin. Reported by users, occasional report. Studied in: Adults reporting cosmetic tanning use. (source)
• Reported weekly maintenance: 250 mcg SC once weekly. once weekly, under the skin. Reported by users, common report. Studied in: Adults reporting cosmetic tanning use. (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

Melanotan II side effects and risks

Reported side effects

• Nausea and vomiting: Severe nausea after 4/19 active injections in the organic ED study., moderate (source)
• Yawning, stretching and less appetite: More frequent than placebo in the 10 man trials; exact rates not reported., mild (source)
• Sleepiness and fatigue: Grade II at 0.03 mg/kg in 1/2 pilot participants reaching that dose., moderate (source)
• Flushing or headache: Regulatory warnings and community reports; no reliable population rate., moderate (source)
• New or darker moles: Multiple case reports; no reliable rate., serious (source)
• Melanoma after exposure: Cutaneous and oral cases reported; causation and absolute risk are unknown., serious (source)
• Priapism: Case reports include prolonged erections needing hospital treatment., serious (source)
• Muscle breakdown and kidney injury: Reported after a 6 mg injection; another report describes kidney infarction., serious (source)
• PRES brain syndrome: Case report listed by FDA; frequency unknown., serious (source)

Stop and get help if

• An erection lasting 3–4 hours; with sickle-cell disease, a painful erection lasting over 1 hour.: Get emergency care immediately; delay can permanently damage erections.
• Severe headache, confusion, seizure, vision loss or weakness.: Seek emergency care for possible brain or blood pressure complications.
• Severe muscle pain, cola-colored urine, low urine output or flank pain.: Stop exposure and seek urgent care for muscle or kidney injury.
• A fast-changing, bleeding or irregular mole, or a new mouth lump.: Arrange prompt skin or oral assessment; do not assume it is harmless pigment.
• Trouble breathing, facial swelling, or a hot spreading injection-site rash with fever.: Seek urgent care; breathing difficulty needs emergency help.

Who should avoid it

• melanomaOrAtypicalMoles: Precaution for melanoma history, suspicious lesions or atypical moles. Causation is unproven, but pigment changes can obscure assessment.
• pregnant: No established pregnancy safety or approved use.
• breastfeeding: No human milk or infant safety data were found.
• tryingToConceive: No established reproductive safety for this unapproved compound.
• under18: No controlled pediatric safety evidence or approved use was identified.
• kidneyDisease: Kidney injury, muscle breakdown and kidney infarction have been reported after exposure.
• uncontrolledBloodPressure: Serious systemic toxicity and PRES reports warrant review before any exposure.
• heartCondition: Broad melanocortin activity and systemic toxicity make cardiovascular effects a concern.
• seizureDisorder: A PRES case is reported; neurological safety is inadequately characterized.
• testedAthlete: Falls under WADA S0 for nonapproved drugs.
• other: Precaution: prior priapism or sickle-cell disease raises concern for prolonged erections. This is not a formal melanotan II label.

Interactions

• Other melanocortin agonists: Overlapping receptor effects; no established safe combination. Concurrent PT-141 use appears in a community report.
• Erection medicines: Possible additive prolonged erections. This is a precaution; no direct interaction trial was found.
• UV exposure and sunbeds: UV can damage skin. Tanning is not evidence of protection against skin cancer.
• Anticoagulants and antiplatelets: Injection-site bleeding is a procedural concern; a specific melanotan II drug interaction has not been measured.

Product quality risks

• Vials labeled 10 mg contained 4.32–8.84 mg in a 2015 study. Unknown impurities were 4.1–5.9% in products from two of three online shops.
• A 2024 forensic study identified melanotan II in two submitted vials and reported powder purity of 30%.
• These chemistry studies did not establish sterility, endotoxin safety or consistent nasal spray delivery.
• TGA testing in August 2026 found estimated 22–54 mg across five nasal bottles labeled 30 mg, using their labeled 20 mL volume.

How Melanotan II works

It imitates a natural pigment signal and makes skin cells produce more dark pigment. It also activates brain receptors involved in erections and appetite. This broad action helps explain effects outside the skin.

• MC1 receptor: Stimulates skin pigment production.
• MC3 and MC4 receptors: Influence brain signaling for appetite and sexual response.
• MC5 receptor: Additional receptor activity; its clinical importance is uncertain.

Half-life: No reliable human half-life estimate was confirmed from the primary trials reviewed.