Run for focus and cognition
Semax + Selank
beginner4 weeksTwo intranasal Russian-developed peptides run together as a short course: semax for focus, drive and BDNF signaling, selank as the anxiolytic counterweight that takes the edge off semax without sedation. Both are non-injectable, which is most of their appeal.
Also sold as Semax/Selank, Russian nootropic stack.
Cautions — 7 on record
Read before running any of this
- Neither is approved outside Russia and some CIS states. In the US, UK and EU both are unapproved research chemicals with no verified purity.
- Run these as short courses of 2-4 weeks with a break, which is how they are used clinically in Russia. Continuous use is not the studied pattern.
- Not for use in pregnancy, and not for under-18s.
- Semax can cause irritability, over-stimulation, headache or nasal irritation, particularly at the top of the range.
- Selank interacts with GABAergic signaling. Be careful combining it with benzodiazepines, alcohol or other sedatives.
- If you have a psychiatric diagnosis or take an SSRI, SNRI or MAOI, do not add these without talking to your prescriber first.
- Nasal dosing is imprecise. How much you actually absorb depends on spray technique and whether you are congested, so effects vary day to day.
Components
What is in it, and when
| Compound | Dose | Frequency | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semax | 600 mcg300 mcg–1 mg | Once daily7×/week | Morning | Intranasal, split across both nostrils, usually in 1-2 doses before mid-afternoon. Dosed late it can interfere with sleep. The N-acetyl (NA-Semax) form is more stable and is usually run at the lower end of this range. | Calculator → |
| Selank | 500 mcg250 mcg–750 mcg | Once daily7×/week | Any time | Intranasal. Often dosed opposite semax - semax in the morning, selank later - or taken as needed on high-stress days rather than every day. Space the two by 10-15 minutes so the second spray does not wash out the first. | Calculator → |
Doses are per administration, in the canonical unit. The second line under each dose is the range people run. Each calculator link prefills the reconstitution math for that component.
Delivered dose vs standalone dose
How these doses compare to running each compound alone
Each bar is that compound’s own dose range from its monograph, with a marker where this protocol puts it. A marker outside the band means the protocol is not dosing that compound the way it is dosed on its own — for a fixed-ratio vial that is arithmetic, not a choice.
Semax
Within standalone range- Per dose
- 200% of typical
- Per week
- 4.2 mg · 100% of standalone
- Cycle total
- 16.8 mg · 28 doses
Dosed once daily here against twice daily standalone, so the weekly figure is the fairer of the two comparisons.
Intranasal, split across both nostrils, usually in 1-2 doses before mid-afternoon. Dosed late it can interfere with sleep. The N-acetyl (NA-Semax) form is more stable and is usually run at the lower end of this range.
Selank
Within standalone range- Per dose
- 167% of typical
- Per week
- 3.5 mg · 83% of standalone
- Cycle total
- 14 mg · 28 doses
Dosed once daily here against twice daily standalone, so the weekly figure is the fairer of the two comparisons.
Intranasal. Often dosed opposite semax - semax in the morning, selank later - or taken as needed on high-stress days rather than every day. Space the two by 10-15 minutes so the second spray does not wash out the first.
Schedule — 4 weeks
Week by week
| Compound | 1Week 1 | 2Week 2 | 3Week 3 | 4Week 4 | Cycle total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semax600 mcg · 7×/wk | 16.8 mg28 doses | ||||
| Selank500 mcg · 7×/wk | 14 mg28 doses |
This protocol outlasts some of its own components
- Selank is typically cycled for 2 weeks; this protocol runs 4 weeks, so weeks 3–4 are past that. In a fixed-ratio vial you cannot drop it early without dropping everything else with it.
The dataset records one dose per component, so every dosing week is identical. Where a protocol note describes a loading phase followed by maintenance, that phase change is in the note, not in the schedule — read the component notes before assuming the grid is the whole story.
Evidence
What is actually known
Both are registered medicines in Russia (semax for stroke and cognitive indications, selank for anxiety disorders) and there is a real Russian-language clinical literature behind them. Western replication is thin, most published work is small or in animals, and neither has been through FDA or EMA review. Dose ranges reflect the Russian clinical protocols and community practice.
SourcesPubMed
Educational information only, not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician before starting, changing, or stopping anything.