Russia's two nasal-spray nootropics. One kills the noise, the other turns up the signal. Most serious users end up running both.
Bottom line: Selank is the brake, Semax is the gas. Selank lowers anxiety without sedation; Semax raises focus and BDNF without the jitter of stimulants. They are not competitors , they fix opposite problems. Experienced users run Semax in the morning and reach for Selank when the anxiety spikes. If you can only pick one: anxious and foggy → Selank first. Scattered but calm → Semax first.
| Selank | Semax | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Anxiety, social stress, calm focus without sedation. | Cognitive performance, BDNF upregulation, sustained output. |
| Mechanism | Tuftsin-derived heptapeptide. Modulates GABA-A signalling, serotonin metabolism, and enkephalin breakdown. Secondary immunomodulatory effect via tuftsin receptor. | ACTH(4-7)-PGP analog. Binds melanocortin receptors. Upregulates BDNF and NGF in hippocampus and cortex. Does not stimulate adrenal steroidogenesis unlike parent ACTH. |
| Reported dose | 300 mcg intranasal (2 sprays), 2× daily. | 400–600 mcg intranasal (2–3 sprays), once daily in the morning. |
| Frequency | Morning and early afternoon or evening. | Morning only. Do not dose after 2pm. |
| Onset | 30–60 minutes. Anxiolytic effect is often noticeable same day. | 1–2 hours. Cognitive edge builds over 3–7 days of repeated use. |
| Cycle length | 10 days on, 5 days off is the most common protocol. Some run continuous for 30 days without reported tolerance. | 10–14 days on, 7 days off. Consistent with Russian clinical protocols. |
| Top side effect | Mild nasal irritation. Occasional drowsiness at higher doses (>600 mcg). Rare: headache. | Insomnia if dosed after 2pm. Mild nasal dryness. Some users report transient anxiety on first dose. |
| Tolerance / dependence | No tolerance or withdrawal reported. Not habit-forming. | No physical dependence reported, but some users notice a productivity dip in the off week , that is the effect wearing off, not withdrawal. |
| Evidence tier | Tier 2 , double-blind placebo-controlled Russian trials in GAD. One head-to-head vs medazepam. Not FDA-reviewed. | Tier 2 , registered drug in Russia since 1994 (ischemic stroke, cognitive impairment). Three clinical publications with PMIDs. Not FDA-reviewed. |
| Common vial size | 5 mg or 10 mg lyophilised powder. | 5 mg or 10 mg lyophilised powder. |
| Approval status | Approved in Russia/CIS for generalised anxiety disorder and neurasthenia. Not FDA-approved. Sold as research chemical outside Russia. | Approved in Russia/CIS since 1994 for ischemic stroke and cognitive impairment. Not FDA-approved. Sold as research chemical outside Russia. |
| SSRI compatibility | No established interaction. Used alongside SSRIs anecdotally. Start at lower dose if combining. | Mild serotonergic activity. Same caution applies , not contraindicated, but start low if already on an SSRI. |
tierA: {"tier":2,"label":"Controlled trials (Russian)"}
tierB: {"tier":2,"label":"Approved drug, limited Western data"}
summary: Both peptides have double-blind Russian trial data, which is more than most research peptides can claim , but almost none of it has been replicated in Western RCTs. Selank's best evidence is a placebo-controlled GAD study measuring HAM-A reduction. Semax's strongest case is a 30-patient ischemic stroke trial and a 110-patient post-stroke BDNF study. Neither has a completed Phase III in the West.
trials: [{"name":"Selank vs medazepam in GAD and neurasthenia","peptide":"a","n":"62","finding":"Selank (300 mcg intranasal 3x/day) matched medazepam on HAM-A reduction at 14 days. Selank arm retained reaction-time performance; medazepam arm showed measurable cognitive slowing.","pmid":"18454096"},{"name":"Selank placebo-controlled GAD trial","peptide":"a","n":"60","finding":"HAM-A scores fell 47% in the Selank arm vs 34% in placebo at Day 14. Statistically significant. No sedation or cognitive impairment reported.","pmid":"18454096"},{"name":"Semax in acute ischemic stroke , dose-finding","peptide":"b","n":"30","finding":"12 mg/day (moderate stroke) and 18 mg/day (severe stroke) over 5–10 days produced faster regression of focal motor deficits vs conventional therapy controls.","pmid":"11517472"},{"name":"Semax clinical-electrophysiologic stroke study","peptide":"b","n":"not reported","finding":"Reported angioprotective and antihypoxic properties in acute ischemic stroke; high efficiency rating vs standard of care.","pmid":"10358912"},{"name":"Semax post-stroke BDNF and motor recovery","peptide":"b","n":"110","finding":"Two 10-day courses of 6,000 mcg/day elevated plasma BDNF and improved motor performance vs early rehabilitation alone in 43M/67F patients (mean age 58).","pmid":"29798983"}]
{"applies":true,"name":"The Brake-and-Gas Protocol","intro":"Selank and Semax are genuinely complementary. Semax is stimulating enough that anxiety-prone users find it uncomfortable on its own. Selank is calming enough that high-output types want more than it provides alone. Together they land most people in a band that feels like focused calm , alert, not wired; relaxed, not sluggish.","phases":[{"name":"Morning (7–9am)","weeks":"Daily","a":"300 mcg Selank (2 sprays), wait 10 minutes","b":"400–600 mcg Semax (2–3 sprays) after Selank settles"},{"name":"Afternoon optional (12–2pm)","weeks":"High-demand days only","a":"300 mcg Selank if anxiety spikes","b":"Skip Semax unless before noon , insomnia risk rises sharply after 2pm"},{"name":"Evening (6pm+)","weeks":"As needed","a":"300 mcg Selank for social situations or wind-down if anxiety is still present","b":"Do not dose Semax in the evening under any circumstances"},{"name":"Cycle structure","weeks":"Weeks 1–14, then off","a":"10 days on, 5 off. Or continuous 30-day run if tolerating well.","b":"10–14 days on, 7 days off. Strict , the off week matters for receptor sensitivity."}],"note":"Do not mix in the same spray bottle. Separate vials, separate reconstitution. Some vendors sell pre-blended Selank/Semax nasal sprays , convenient but you lose independent dose control of each peptide."}
Yes. This is the most common protocol. Semax goes in first thing in the morning; Selank follows 10–15 minutes later, or as a standalone if anxiety spikes during the day. They complement rather than compete , Semax raises output, Selank smooths the edges.
Start with Selank if anxiety is the primary problem. Start with Semax if focus and output are the issue and you are not particularly anxious. Do not start both on the same day , run one for a week first so you know what you are feeling from which peptide.
At 300 mcg, no , and this is the key clinical finding. The medazepam trial showed equivalent anxiety reduction with no cognitive slowing on the Selank arm. Medazepam slowed reaction times; Selank did not. At 600+ mcg some users report a heaviness. Start at 300 mcg.
Semax increases dopamine and raises alertness for 6–8 hours. Dose it after 2pm and you are signalling your brain to perform right when it needs to wind down. The insomnia reports in community discussions are almost exclusively from late dosing, not from the peptide itself.
Both are prohibited by WADA under S0. If you compete in a sport with anti-doping testing, do not use either. Standard workplace urine screens do not test for peptides, but athletic governing body tests increasingly detect synthetic peptides.
Add 2–3 mL of bacteriostatic water or sterile saline to the lyophilised powder. A standard nasal spray pump delivers approximately 100–150 mcg per actuation at this concentration. Refrigerate after reconstitution and use within 4 weeks.
There are no published drug interaction studies. Both peptides have mild serotonergic activity. Anecdotally, many users combine them with SSRIs without problems, but the pharmacology says to start at a lower dose and watch for serotonin-excess signs , restlessness, sweating, rapid heartbeat.
Roughly $110 per month for both from reputable US research vendors using 10 mg vials. Pre-blended stacks can be cheaper per dose but you lose the ability to adjust each peptide independently. Factor in bacteriostatic water and nasal spray bottles.
These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This content is for educational purposes only. Consult a healthcare professional before starting any protocol. vialprep sells injection supplies, not compounds.
