Protocol
Cognitive Edge
Eight-week Semax-Selank rotation for focus, mood, and cognitive resilience.
Why this stack
The rationale.
Semax is an ACTH(4-10) analog that drives BDNF expression and dopaminergic tone in the prefrontal cortex — useful for sustained attention but tolerance can build with daily dosing. Selank is a tuftsin analog that upregulates GABAergic and enkephalinergic tone, producing anxiolysis without sedation. Alternating them lets each receptor pathway recover on the other's days, preserves effect size over the full 8 weeks, and gives the user a tool for both the deadline day and the recovery day.
The protocol
Dose, frequency, cycle.
- Dose
- 600mcg
- Frequency
- 4×/week
- Cycle
- 8 weeks on, 2 weeks off
- Timing
- intranasal morning, on cognitive-demand days (e.g. Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri)
- Dose
- 600mcg
- Frequency
- 3×/week
- Cycle
- 8 weeks on, 2 weeks off
- Timing
- intranasal morning, on high-stress or recovery days (e.g. Wed/Sat/Sun)
Expected timeline
What to expect, when.
days 1-3: subtle alertness change on Semax days, calm-without-sedation feel on Selank days. week 2: clear working-memory and task-switching improvement on Semax mornings. weeks 3-6: more durable mood floor, reduced anxiety reactivity to deadlines and travel. weeks 7-8: consolidation; the 2-week off period is the de-load that prevents tachyphylaxis.
Monitoring markers
What to track.
- subjective focus and mood (daily 0-10 journal)
- sleep onset latency (Selank can be mildly sedating in some)
- blood pressure (Semax can transiently raise BP in sensitive users)
- any tinnitus or olfactory changes (rare but flag immediately)
Contraindications
- active psychiatric medication (MAOIs, SSRIs, stimulants — clear with prescriber)
- uncontrolled hypertension
- active bipolar mania
- pregnancy or breastfeeding
- nasal mucosa damage, recent septoplasty, or chronic sinusitis
Description
Protocol overview.
An alternating nasal-spray protocol that pairs Semax (focus and BDNF-driving) on demand days with Selank (anxiolytic and immunomodulatory) on recovery and high-stress days. Both are intranasal heptapeptides with short half-lives and clean side-effect profiles. Rotation prevents receptor desensitization to either alone.
Clone this protocol to your account.
Drop it onto your dashboard, pin doses to your weekly schedule, and let the daily-protocol screen tell you what to draw each morning. Reconstitution math, site rotation, and lab reminders come with it.