Pinc PeptideThe girly peptide research blog

Selank · Dose evidence · updated 8 October 2026

Selank dosage: what studies actually used

The short answer

In Russia, Selank 0.15% nose drops (1.5 mg per mL) are sold to adults without a prescription, and the instructions give a 14-day drop schedule without saying how much selank is in a drop2. The two studies we could read in full gave 2.7 mg a day for 14 days, and in one group 21 days, and the developers’ review describes 2,700 µg a day in other Russian studies134. We found no placebo-controlled anxiety trial, no human study of injection under the skin and no selank trial on ClinicalTrials.gov, as of 7 October 20261356.

Not dosing advice. This page reports doses that studies and approved labels used, with their sources. It does not recommend a dose, and we do not give mixing, injection or unit-conversion instructions. Gray-market vials often do not contain what their label says. How we report doses.

Every dose studied in people

StudyWhoPeopleDose and routeWhat happened
Medvedev 2015, open randomized ‘naturalistic’ study (no placebo or blinding) Adults aged 18 to 55 with anxiety disorders; 40 given selank plus phenazepam, 30 phenazepam alone 70 2.7 mg a day, with phenazepam 2 mg a day
Not stated in the paper; Russia’s selank product is nose drops · 14 days; 20 of the combination group then took selank alone to day 21		 At day 14, 40% responded with selank added versus 23% on phenazepam alone, a difference that was not statistically significant (p=0.14)3. At day 21, 75% of the 20 who kept taking selank responded, versus 30% of the phenazepam group and 25% of the rest of the combination group, all of whom had stopped treatment at day 14; the paper does not say how the 20 were chosen3. The work was funded in part by Peptogen, which holds the Russian registration23.
Medvedev 2014, open randomized ‘naturalistic’ study (no placebo or blinding) Adults aged 18 to 55 with anxiety disorders; 30 given selank, 30 phenazepam 60 2.7 mg a day (versus phenazepam 2 mg a day)
Not stated in the paper; Russia’s selank product is nose drops · 14 days, then a check 7 days after stopping		 At day 14, 5 people on selank and 7 on phenazepam met the response criteria, and anxiety subscale scores had fallen 26.3% versus 55%1. Seven days after both drugs stopped, there were 17 responders in the selank group versus 9 in the phenazepam group (p=0.037)1. A dry nose was the most marked side effect of selank, and the work was supported by Peptogen1.
Neznamov, Russian study described in the developers’ 2013 review (original not opened) Patients with several types of anxiety disorder – 2,700 µg a day of Selank 0.15%
The 0.15% solution, Russia’s nose-drop product · Not stated in the review		 The review says anxiety, tension and fatigue eased ‘as early as 1 - 3 days’ after the start, in patients with generalized anxiety disorder and neurasthenia (nervous exhaustion)4.
Teleshova, Russian study described in the developers’ 2013 review (original not opened) Patients over 50 with vascular brain disease, neurosis and memory or thinking problems – 2,700 µg a day
In the nose · 14 days		 The review says stress, irritability and anxiety eased ‘from the first days of therapy’, and that after 2 weeks most patients concentrated better and were less forgetful4.

Studies, animals and users: kept apart

Doses below are what studies used or what a label says. They are not advice, and gray-market products may not contain what their label says.

In human studies

Russian label (nasal drops, 1.5 mg per mL): 2 drops in each nostril 3 times a day for 14 days, repeatable after 1 to 3 weeks on a doctor’s advice; the label does not state the amount per drop2. Trials: 2.7 mg a day for 14 days, compared with phenazepam1 or added to it and then given alone to day 213; neither paper states the route. The developers’ review describes 2,700 µg a day in anxiety studies, including a 14-day course in patients over 504. We found no human study of selank injected under the skin.

In animal studies

As reported. Rats: 0.3 mg/kg into the abdomen daily for 4 weeks (anxiety)8, daily for 7 days (alcohol withdrawal and memory)9, or once (morphine withdrawal)10; 300 µg/kg in a gene-activity study11. Mice: 300 µg/kg a day for 5 days, in the nose or the abdomen12; 200 to 3,000 µg/kg in anxiety tests4.

What users report Anecdotal · not validated · not a recommendation

A peptide dosing site (updated 26 September 2026) lists 300 µg per dose as a nasal spray, 3 times a day (900 µg a day). It calls this ‘research reference only’, a translation of the Russian drop schedule, and says a custom solution and pump ‘are not equivalent to the registered preserved formulation’7.

Half-life and how it is taken

Half-life
Minutes413The Russian label says that after a nasal dose selank appears in the blood within 30 seconds, with 92.8% absolute bioavailability, and that blood levels fall steadily over 5 to 5.5 minutes; it does not say which species these figures come from13. The developers’ review gives a half-life of about 2 minutes in lab tests4. Blood enzymes cut it into smaller pieces, mainly TKPRP, TKP, RP and GP14. In rats, nasal dosing delivered the most to the brain of the routes compared, and the peptide built up in stomach tissue whatever the route15.
Routes
  • Nasal drops (Russia’s 0.15% product; the form in the Russian studies that state a route)
  • Nasal spray (sold online and by US clinics, alone or blended with semax; no human data found on these products)
  • Subcutaneous injection, under the skin (sold online; no human data found)
  • Intraperitoneal injection, into the abdomen (animal studies only)

What the Russian instructions say

We could not open Russia’s official State Register of Medicines (GRLS) as of 7 October 2026. The fullest text we found is the instructions for medical use reproduced by the RLS drug encyclopedia, last changed on 15 July 20252. The developers’ review says Russia’s Ministry of Health registered the drug in 20094.

The instructions list selank for adults aged 18 and over with anxiety states, such as unexplained anxiety, panic attacks, neurasthenia, unstable mood and sleep problems, and for preventing and treating stress disorders; it is sold without a prescription2.

They rule it out in hypersensitivity, pregnancy, breastfeeding and under age 18, the last three because no clinical studies were done2. Listed side effects are allergic reactions, including delayed ones, and an unpleasant taste when the drops reach the throat, both of unknown frequency2.

Studies that did not report a dose

Three other human studies of selank give no dose in their summaries51617:

  • Zozulia 2008: 62 adults with generalized anxiety disorder or neurasthenia; anxiety eased similarly in 30 given selank and 32 given medazepam, a benzodiazepine5.
  • Uchakina 2008: patients with anxiety and fatigue given selank for 14 days showed shifts in the balance of two types of immune signals16.
  • Panikratova 2020: 52 healthy volunteers given one dose of selank, semax or placebo had brain scans at rest; no anxiety or memory outcomes were reported17.

N-acetyl selank is a different molecule

The Russian medicine is the unmodified seven-amino-acid peptide Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg-Pro-Gly-Pro4. Some online sellers also list ‘N-Acetyl Selank’, a modified form with an acetyl group capping the start of the chain18. It is a different molecule, so the Russian instructions and studies do not apply to it, and we found no human study of it.

What the evidence does not cover

FDA says it ‘lacks important information regarding any safety issues raised by selank acetate administered to humans’19.

When checked on 5 October 2026, the testing service Finnrick listed a single selank test, from 3 August 2026, and it was incomplete, so there are no usable purity data for vials sold online2021.

Questions people ask

How much selank should I take?

No dose is established outside the Russian instructions, which set a drop schedule for adults with anxiety or stress disorders without stating the amount per drop2. The studies we could read gave 2.7 mg a day for 14 days, and in one group 21 days13. Selank is not approved in the US, and US pharmacies may not compound it192223.

How long does it take for selank to work?

In a 2014 study, 5 people on selank met the response criteria at day 14 against 7 on phenazepam, but 17 against 9 did a week after both drugs stopped1. The developers’ review describes anxiety easing within 1 to 3 days at 2,700 µg a day, in a study we could not open4.

Can you take selank every day?

The Russian instructions give it 3 times a day for a 14-day course, which can be repeated after 1 to 3 weeks if a doctor advises it2. Studies gave it daily for 14 days, and in one group for 21 days; we found no study of longer daily use13.

Can selank be injected?

The Russian medicine is nose drops, and we found no human study of selank given by injection2. FDA says compounded selank acetate may pose a risk of immune reactions for certain routes because of clumping and peptide-related impurities19.

Go deeper

Sources

  1. 1Сравнение анксиолитического эффекта и переносимости селанка и феназепама при терапии тревожных расстройств (full text, in Russian) Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova (Media Sphera), 2014. mediasphera.ru
  2. 2Селанк (Selank) 0.15% nasal drops: instructions, doses, side effects RLS (Register of Medicinal Products of Russia), 15 Jul 2025. rlsnet.ru
  3. 3Optimization of the treatment of anxiety disorders with selank (in Russian) Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova, 2015. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. 4A New Generation of Drugs: Synthetic Peptides Based on Natural Regulatory Peptides Neuroscience & Medicine (Scientific Research Publishing), Dec 2013. scirp.org
  5. 5Efficacy and possible mechanisms of action of a new peptide anxiolytic selank in the therapy of generalized anxiety disorders and neurasthenia (in Russian) Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova, 2008. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  6. 6ClinicalTrials.gov search for ‘selank’ (10 records, none mentioning selank) ClinicalTrials.gov, accessed 7 Oct 2026. clinicaltrials.gov
  7. 7Selank Dosage: 10 mg Nasal Research Guide PeptideDosages, 26 Sep 2026. peptidedosages.com
  8. 8Influence of long-term treatment with tuftsin analogue TP-7 on the anxiety-phobic states and body weight Pharmacological Reports, Jul 2006. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. 9Selank, Peptide Analogue of Tuftsin, Protects Against Ethanol-Induced Memory Impairment by Regulating of BDNF Content in the Hippocampus and Prefrontal Cortex in Rats Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Sep 2019. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. 10Selank, a Peptide Analog of Tuftsin, Attenuates Aversive Signs of Morphine Withdrawal in Rats Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine, Oct 2022. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  11. 11Selank Administration Affects the Expression of Some Genes Involved in GABAergic Neurotransmission Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2016. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  12. 12Comparison of pharmacological effects of heptapeptide selank after intranasal and intraperitoneal administration to BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice (in Russian) Eksperimental’naia i Klinicheskaia Farmakologiia, 2016. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  13. 13Селанк (Selank) 0.15% nasal drops: instructions for use Vidal Russia drug reference, 22 Oct 2018. vidal.ru
  14. 14Evenly tritium-labeled peptides and their in vivo and in vitro biodegradation (in Russian) Bioorganicheskaia Khimiia, Mar 2006. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  15. 15A comparative analysis of distribution of glyprolines administered by various routes (in Russian) Bioorganicheskaia Khimiia, Jul 2008. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  16. 16Immunomodulatory effects of selank in patients with anxiety-asthenic disorders (in Russian) Zhurnal Nevrologii i Psikhiatrii imeni S.S. Korsakova, 2008. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  17. 17Functional Connectomic Approach to Studying Selank and Semax Effects Doklady Biological Sciences, Jan 2020. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  18. 18Research Peptides for Sale + Blends (catalog listing N-Acetyl Selank, 10MG) Core Peptides (vendor), accessed 5 Oct 2026. corepeptides.com (seller page, deliberately not linked)
  19. 19Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 22 Apr 2026. fda.gov
  20. 20Selank Safety Testing Results & Vendor Ratings Finnrick, 3 Aug 2026. finnrick.com
  21. 21Methodology Finnrick, accessed 5 Oct 2026. finnrick.com
  22. 22Nicholasville Compounding Pharmacy and Its Owner Sentenced for Unlawful Distribution of Prescription Drugs U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Kentucky, 24 Feb 2021. justice.gov
  23. 23Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (categories list) U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 14 May 2026. fda.gov

Not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician before using any drug. Report an error.