PT-141: I tried it for one reason, and it wasn’t the obvious one

PT-141 is the one peptide here where I can’t tell you what it did for me. I tried it, like everything else, but I never had the problem it’s meant for. So this page is mostly what I was told about it, plus the questions people ask me.

 

Jump to: Why I tried it · What people tell me · What I was told about it · Questions I get asked · What I’ve read

 

Why I tried it

The rule here is that we don’t offer anything we haven’t tried on ourselves first. PT-141 went through me too.

 

My reason was narrower than usual. I wanted to know whether it gave me side effects. It didn’t. That’s all I can honestly report. I didn’t have the problem it’s used for, so I have nothing to measure a result against, and I’m not going to invent one.

 

“I was fine” is not the same sentence as “you’ll be fine.”

 

What people tell me

The people I’ve met who use it tend to come back for it. That’s their experience, not mine, and I’m passing it on as exactly that.

 

What I was told about it

I don’t explain how things work in my own words. What follows is the explanation I was given.

 

What it is. PT-141 is also known by its generic name, bremelanotide. It’s a synthetic peptide.

 

How it’s said to work. I was told it works through the brain, on what are called melanocortin receptors. It doesn’t work through testosterone levels or blood flow.

 

What it’s been studied for. The explanation I was given is that it’s been studied in people whose sexual desire has dropped to the point where it’s causing them distress.

 

Who it’s been studied in. It’s been studied in both men and women. The approval it has in the United States is narrower than that: it covers women who haven’t yet been through menopause. The evidence in men is thinner. I’m giving you both halves because I was given both.

 

Questions I get asked

How fast does it work?

What I was told is that most people notice it within one to two hours, and that this varies from person to person.

 

How is it used?

It comes as a vial that’s mixed before it’s injected, and it’s used when needed rather than every day. I won’t put amounts or steps on this page. That belongs with a doctor, not a website.

 

Why is there a limit on how often it’s used?

The explanation I was given is that using it often can cause patches of skin to darken. The doctor sets a limit on how often it’s used to keep that risk down.

 

Can men and women both use it?

It’s been studied in both. The approval in the United States covers women before menopause, and the evidence in men is thinner (see above).

 

Is it safe, and what are the side effects?

I had none. The list I was shown of what can happen:

• mild nausea

• flushing or a feeling of warmth

• headache

• irritation where it’s injected

• temporary darkening of the skin with frequent use

 

I was told side effects usually depend on how much is used and how often.

 

I was also shown a list of who it may not be right for:

• pregnancy or breastfeeding

• high blood pressure that isn’t under control, or heart disease

• a history of melanoma or pigment disorders

• severe psychiatric conditions

• a known allergy to melanocortin peptides

 

Can you use it with other medications?

The explanation I was given is that it doesn’t work through blood flow. The doctor still needs to know if you take erectile dysfunction tablets, blood pressure medication, hormonal therapies, or other injectable peptides.

 

Related

• Peptides: two or three at a time, and never more

• Semax and brain peptides, the other one here that works through the brain

• Epithalon

• BPC-157

 

What I’ve read

1. Kingsberg SA, Clayton AH, Portman D, et al. (2019). Bremelanotide for the treatment of hypoactive sexual desire disorder: two randomized phase 3 trials. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 134(5), 899–908.

2. Diamond LE, et al. (2004). Double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of the safety, pharmacokinetic properties and pharmacodynamic effects of intranasal PT-141, a melanocortin receptor agonist, in healthy males and patients with mild-to-moderate erectile dysfunction. International Journal of Impotence Research, 16(1), 51–59.

 

Questions about PT-141 go here.

 

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I’m George. Thirty years in business, then ten years trying this whole field on myself before offering it to anyone else.

This is where I write down what I use, what I stopped using, and what I’d never do again. More about me →