Peptides for older adults

Approved drugs come first in each group. This summarizes each compound’s own page; it isn’t medical advice, and a doctor or pharmacist can answer for a specific person.

From a product label 18

CerebrolysinApproved drug

LabelUsed mainly in older adults with stroke or dementia, with no age-based dose change. The labels note that fatigue, tremor and low mood seen in one study are common at that age anyway.

ExenatideApproved drug

LabelStudied in 282 people 65 or older and 16 aged 75 or older, with no differences in safety or effectiveness. The label says to choose doses with kidney function in mind.

GHRP-2Approved drug

LabelNo age warning in the Japanese label; GH responses were slightly lower after age 40 and after menopause. In the post-approval survey, 39 people 65 or older had no reactions.

GlutathioneApproved drug

LabelThe label gives no separate advice; it says the dose depends on age, weight and condition, set by the prescriber.

GonadorelinApproved drug

LabelThe UK label gives the same single test dose for adults and the elderly; there are no other age-specific data.

hCGApproved drug

LabelPregnyl’s clinical studies didn’t include anyone 65 or older. Prostate cancer and other testosterone-driven tumors rule it out.

LiraglutideApproved drug

LabelNo overall differences in safety or effectiveness after 65. About 46% of LEADER’s liraglutide group was 65 or older; Saxenda’s weight trials had few people 75 and older (0.5%).

Melanotan 1Approved drug

LabelOnly 4 of 125 treated trial patients were 65 or older (US label). The EU and UK labels say not to use it after age 70 because data are limited.

OrforglipronApproved drug

LabelNo overall differences in safety or effectiveness after 65. The weight trials included 399 people 65 or older and 33 aged 75 or older.

PT-141Approved drug

LabelSafety and benefit haven’t been established in older adults; trial participants were 19–56. It isn’t approved for women after menopause or for men.

SelankApproved drug

LabelThe label covers adults 18 and older, with no upper age limit or dose change. No study has reported results for older adults separately.

SemaglutideApproved drug

LabelNo overall difference in effectiveness after 65. In SELECT, people 75 and older had more hip and pelvis fractures on Wegovy than on placebo (2.4% vs 0.6%), as did women (1% vs 0.2%).

SS-31Approved drug

LabelThe Barth trials enrolled no one 65 or older, so the label has no data for them. A 48-week eye-disease trial included adults 55 and older.

TesamorelinApproved drug

LabelThe label has no information on use after 65. In a 20-week trial in 152 adults aged 55–87, mostly mild side effects (skin reactions, joint aches) affected 68% vs 36% on placebo.

ThymalinApproved drug

LabelThe label says there are no dosing data for older people. Its developers’ long-term study in 266 people over 60 reported lower death rates, but wasn’t double-blind.

TirzepatideApproved drug

LabelNo overall difference in safety or effectiveness after 65. Half of Mounjaro’s heart-trial group was 65 or older and 11% was 75 or older; Zepbound’s weight trials had few people over 75.

TriptorelinApproved drug

LabelTrelstar’s trials enrolled men aged 45–96 (average 71). The UK label warns that long-term testosterone suppression raises the risk of bone loss, osteoporosis and fractures.

VIPApproved drug

LabelInvicorp’s label notes no formal studies in men over 75 and urges caution in severe heart or brain blood-vessel disease.

From human studies 19

DSIPApproved drug

TrialThe label sets no upper age limit. Small studies included older adults, such as 9 older insomniacs given IV DSIP and 11 older adults with diabetes given 20 daily Deltaran doses, without reported safety problems.

OxytocinApproved drug

TrialA review of 9 nasal trials in 331 adults over 60 found mostly mild side effects and no serious harms vs placebo, short term only. The labor drug has no age guidance.

SemaxApproved drug

TrialThe labels give no age-specific advice. In a 187-person Russian study of poor brain blood flow, the authors reported few side effects and good tolerance, including in older patients.

Thymosin Alpha-1Approved drug

TrialThe labels give no age-specific advice. No toxicity was seen in a flu-vaccine trial of 90 men aged 65–99, and in a sepsis trial of adults up to 85, side effects were as common as on placebo.

ARA-290Human studies

TrialTrials enrolled adults up to about 75, with no age-specific safety findings reported.

CJC-1295 with DACHuman studies

TrialThe trials included healthy adults aged 20–61, 87% of them men; no age-specific safety data exist. FDA flagged dizziness and low blood pressure as a concern for people prone to falls.

DihexaHuman studies

TrialOnly its injected prodrug has been studied, in older adults with or without Alzheimer’s; side effects were mainly injection-site reactions, and falls were as common as on placebo.

GHRP-6Human studies

TrialThe GH response to a single IV test dose with GHRH was preserved up to age 96 in 26 healthy people. No age-specific safety data exist.

HexarelinHuman studies

TrialThe GH response to hexarelin is blunted with age and with more body fat. In 12 healthy older adults, 16 weeks of injections changed neither IGF-1 nor body composition.

IpamorelinHuman studies

TrialNot studied as a group. The surgery trial enrolled adults up to 85 but reported no age-specific safety data.

Kisspeptin-10Human studies

TrialGiven briefly to postmenopausal women in studies, including 24-hour IV infusions, with no serious side effects reported. No data for older men or long-term use.

LarazotideHuman studies

TrialThe largest trial took ages 18–75 but enrolled few people over 65, so its authors say benefit in that group can’t be judged.

LL-37Human studies

TrialThe 148-person leg-ulcer trial (mean age 67.6) found it well tolerated on wounds; injected use hasn’t been studied at any age.

MK-677Human studies

TrialMost trials were in older adults. In frail adults recovering from hip fracture, heart failure (4 of 62 vs 1 of 61) and serious events (24% vs 13%) were more common, ending the trial early.

SermorelinHuman studies

TrialNever approved for adults. In small studies of healthy men in their 60s and 70s (10 and 11 men, 2–6 weeks), no significant side effects or glucose changes were seen.

TesofensineHuman studies

TrialNo age-specific analysis was published. In 14-week Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s trials (968 people), heart rate rose up to 6.8 beats per minute, with no change in blood pressure.

Thymosin Beta-4Human studies

TrialIncluded in trials: 16 of the 54 people given the gel in the pressure-ulcer trial were 65 or older. No age-specific safety findings were reported.

EpithalonPreclinical

TrialMost human studies enrolled older adults but tested the extract Epithalamin, and came from one group and its partners; a 2007 abstract on both says no side effects, without details.

PinealonPreclinical

TrialSmall Russian reports included adults up to 83. One, testing pinealon and vesugen, found pro-oxidant activity and fewer blood stem cells (CD34+), which its authors read as suppressed blood cell production.

A precaution, not studied 31

L-CarnitineApproved drug

PrecautionThe label gives no separate advice for older adults. Because high oral doses can build up toxic breakdown products when kidneys fail, kidney function matters more than age.

MazdutideApproved drug

PrecautionGLORY-1 enrolled adults up to 75, but no age-specific results have been published. GLORY-2’s average age was 34.

AOD9604Human studies

PrecautionNot studied as a group. Trials enrolled adults up to about 65 and gave no age-specific safety data.

ArgirelineHuman studies

PrecautionNot studied as a group; the small trials reported no age-specific safety data.

CagrilintideHuman studies

PrecautionNot studied as a group in published trials; age-specific safety results haven’t been reported.

GHK-CuHuman studies

PrecautionNot studied as a group; the small skin studies reported no age-specific safety data.

MatrixylHuman studies

PrecautionNot studied as a group; trials in women up to age 70 reported no age-specific safety data.

Melanotan 2Human studies

PrecautionNot studied in older adults. Bremelanotide’s label says its safety and effectiveness in older patients haven’t been established.

NAD+Human studies

PrecautionNot studied as a group; the one IV study enrolled men aged 30–55.

RetatrutideHuman studies

PrecautionNo age-specific results have been published. TRIUMPH-1 set no upper age limit, so older adults took part.

SNAP-8Human studies

PrecautionNot studied as a group; the two patch studies enrolled adults with aging skin and reported no age-specific safety data.

SurvodutideHuman studies

PrecautionNo age-specific results have been published. The phase 3 obesity trials set no upper age limit; average ages were 47 and 56.

5-Amino-1MQPreclinical

PrecautionNot studied in people of any age. The muscle claims come from studies in aged mice.

AdamaxPreclinical

PrecautionNever studied in anyone.

AHK-CuPreclinical

PrecautionNot studied in people of any age, so no age-specific data exist.

BPC-157Preclinical

PrecautionNot studied as a group. The small human reports included adults up to age 76 but gave no age-specific safety data.

CartalaxPreclinical

PrecautionNo published study in older people. A 2023 Russian review says oral use helped older patients with osteoarthritis, but cites no study.

CJC-1295 (no DAC)Preclinical

PrecautionNot studied in any age group. The only human data for any form of CJC-1295 come from healthy adults aged 20–61 given the DAC version.

Follistatin-344Preclinical

PrecautionNot studied for the injected protein. Open-label plasmid gene-therapy studies enrolled adults up to 80 but have reported no results.

FOXO4-DRIPreclinical

PrecautionNot studied in older people. The mouse benefits were seen in very old and fast-aging animals; whether they carry over to people is unknown.

HGH Fragment 176-191Preclinical

PrecautionNot studied in people of any age.

HumaninPreclinical

PrecautionNo human data. Better memory and metabolic markers in old mice haven’t been tested in older people, and human blood levels have been reported both falling and rising with age.

IGF-1 DESPreclinical

PrecautionNot studied in any age group; mecasermin’s safety and effectiveness haven’t been established after 65 either.

IGF-1 LR3Preclinical

PrecautionNot studied in any age group; mecasermin’s safety and effectiveness haven’t been established after 65 either.

KPVPreclinical

PrecautionNot studied in people of any age, so no age-specific data exist.

MGFPreclinical

PrecautionNot studied in people of any age. Older adults’ muscles make less of their own MGF after exercise, but giving the peptide to them has never been tested.

MOTS-cPreclinical

PrecautionNo human data. Gains seen in old mice haven’t been tested in older people, and the first trial of MOTS-c itself enrolls adults only up to age 65.

PE-22-28Preclinical

PrecautionNever studied in people of any age.

PEG-MGFPreclinical

PrecautionNot studied in people of any age, so no age-specific data exist.

SLU-PP-332Preclinical

PrecautionNot studied in people of any age. The aging claims come from aged mice and from muscle cells in a dish.

TB-500Preclinical

PrecautionNot studied in people of any age, so no age-specific data exist.

Sources

Each answer comes from the compound’s own page, where its sources are listed.