Comparison
NMN vs Sermorelin
Side-by-side of NMN and Sermorelin. Every row below is pulled from the compound schema and will update as our data grows. For deeper reads, follow through to each compound page.
NMN
NMN supplements are oral nicotinamide mononucleotide capsules sold for longevity, energy, and metabolic health. They raise plasma NAD+ 30-90% at 250-1000.
Sermorelin
Sermorelin peptide therapy uses a 29-amino-acid GHRH analog to raise endogenous GH. Dosing, half-life, sermorelin vs ipamorelin, and safety.
Effects at a glance
NMN
- •Plasma NAD+ rises 30-90% at 250-1000 mg/day across human PK studies
- •Tissue NAD+ rise is inconsistent across human trials (Yoshino 2021, Igarashi 2022)
- •No human trials measure hard endpoints (mortality, CV events, cancer); evidence is biomarker-only
- •Most trials cluster at 250-500 mg/day; dose-response above 250 mg/day is poorly characterized
- •FDA position contested; widely sold as supplement but with regulatory uncertainty
- •Marketing claims for fertility and longevity outrun the human trial evidence substantially
Sermorelin
- •Synthetic 29-amino-acid GHRH fragment; FDA approved 1997 for pediatric GH deficiency as Geref
- •Voluntarily discontinued by Serono in 2008 for commercial reasons; not safety-related
- •Compounded by 503A/503B pharmacies for off-label adult anti-aging and body-composition use
- •Produces physiologic pulsatile GH release; ~10 to 20 minute plasma half-life
- •Standard anti-aging clinic protocol: 200 to 500 mcg subcutaneously pre-bed, often with ipamorelin
- •Banned by WADA under S2 (peptide hormones, growth factors)
Side-by-side
| Attribute | NMN | Sermorelin |
|---|---|---|
| Category | supplement | peptide |
| Also known as | nicotinamide mononucleotide, beta-NMN | Sermorelin acetate, GRF 1-29, Geref, GHRH (1-29) NH2 |
| Half-life (hr) ↗ | 4 | 0.25 |
| Typical dose (mg) ↗ | 250 | 0.3 |
| Dosing frequency | 1x daily, often morning | 1-2x daily |
| Routes | oral, sublingual | subcutaneous |
| Onset (hr) | 1 | 0.25 |
| Peak (hr) | 3 | 0.5 |
| Molecular weight | 334.22 | 3357.88 |
| Molecular formula | C11H15N2O8P | C149H246N44O42S |
| Mechanism | Direct precursor in the NAD+ salvage pathway; converted to NAD+ by NMNAT enzymes in essentially every tissue. Raised NAD+ supports sirtuin and PARP enzyme activity. | Synthetic 29-amino-acid GHRH fragment that binds the GHRH receptor on pituitary somatotrophs to stimulate endogenous pulsatile GH synthesis and release while preserving the GH-IGF-1 negative feedback loop. |
| Legal status | Contested in US (FDA position 2022); widely sold as supplement; broadly available in EU, UK, Asia | FDA approved 1997 (Geref, pediatric GHD); voluntarily discontinued by Serono 2008; compounded by 503A/503B pharmacies for off-label adult use; banned by WADA |
| WADA status | allowed | banned |
| DEA / Rx | Not scheduled | Rx only via compounding (no controlled-substance schedule) |
| Pregnancy | Insufficient data; precautionary avoidance | Category C (historical labeling); not recommended in pregnancy |
| CAS | 1094-61-7 | 86168-78-7 |
| PubChem CID | 14180 | 16129617 |
| Wikidata | Q418972 | Q416620 |
Safety profile
NMN
Common side effects
- mild GI upset (rare)
- occasional headache
- flushing (rare)
Contraindications
- pregnancy and lactation (precautionary, no data)
- active cancer (theoretical concern, not evidence-based)
Interactions
- metformin: no clinically significant interaction documented; both modulate metabolism through different mechanisms(minor)
- chemotherapy agents: theoretical concern about supporting cancer cell proliferation; coordinate with oncology team(moderate)
- CD38 inhibitors: would amplify NMN-induced NAD+ rise; not clinically relevant for most users(minor)
Sermorelin
Common side effects
- injection-site pain or irritation
- transient flushing
- headache
- vivid dreams (pre-bed dosing)
Contraindications
- pregnancy
- active malignancy
- history of pituitary tumor
- diabetic retinopathy (theoretical)
- untreated hypothyroidism
Interactions
- ipamorelin: synergistic GH release via parallel GHRH and ghrelin pathways; standard anti-aging clinic pairing(minor)
- CJC-1295: pharmacologically redundant (both GHRH-pathway); typically not stacked(minor)
- insulin: sustained GH can blunt insulin sensitivity over weeks(moderate)
- corticosteroids: blunt GH response; reduce expected efficacy(moderate)
- levothyroxine (untreated hypothyroidism): untreated hypothyroidism blunts GH response; correct thyroid first(moderate)
Which Should You Take?
NMN comes out ahead for most readers on the criteria we weight: 3 catalogued goals, Contested in US (FDA position 2022); widely sold as supplement; broadly available in EU, UK, Asia, oral dosing, with a Tier-A outcome catalogued. Sermorelin is the right call when one of the conditionals below applies.
- → If your priority is energy and stamina, pick NMN.
- → If your priority is metabolic health and glucose control, pick NMN.
- → If your priority is growth-hormone axis, pick Sermorelin.
- → If your priority is post-training recovery, pick Sermorelin.
Edge case: If you cannot self-administer injections, NMN is the only oral option in this pair.
Default choice: NMN. Wider use case, a Tier-A evidence outcome catalogued, and broader goal coverage. Reach for Sermorelin only if your priority sits squarely in the goals it owns above.
This verdict is generated from each compound's schema (goals, legal status, evidence outcomes, dosing route). It updates automatically as our compound data evolves; the deeper read sits on each individual compound page.
Common questions
What is the difference between NMN and Sermorelin?
NMN and Sermorelin differ in category (supplement vs peptide), mechanism, and typical dosing. See the side-by-side table for full details.
Which has a longer half-life, NMN or Sermorelin?
NMN half-life is 4 hours; Sermorelin half-life is 0.25 hours.
Can you stack NMN with Sermorelin?
Stack compatibility depends on mechanism overlap, legal status, and individual response. Check each compound page for specific interactions and contraindications before combining.
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