# GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 side effects: what the Japanese label, the FDA and the TGA record Updated 2026-10-16. This page found no counted side-effect table for GHRP-6, and only one record for GHRP-2: Japan's label for pralmorelin, a diagnostic given into a vein. That label lists a feeling of heat, reported at 16.0%. It warns that related drugs have been linked to pituitary apoplexy in people with a pituitary adenoma. The FDA puts GHRP-6, and GHRP-2 for two named routes, on a list of bulk substances that raise significant safety risks. | | | | --- | --- | | Adverse-event table, GHRP-6 | None opened for this page | | Adverse-event record, GHRP-2 | The Japanese prescribing information for pralmorelin, a diagnostic ([label, revised July 2022](https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/medley-medicine/prescriptionpdf/200022_7223407D1027_1_08.pdf)) | | Most frequent reaction named on the label | A feeling of heat, 16.0% (Japanese prescribing information) | | Class warning on the label | Related drugs: pituitary apoplexy, with visual disturbance, headache and vomiting, in patients with a pituitary adenoma | | Contraindication on the label | Pregnant women and women who may be pregnant | | FDA 503B bulks list | Category 2, bulk substances that raise significant safety risks: GHRP-2 (two named routes) and GHRP-6 ([FDA list, updated 21 March 2025](https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download)) | | Records checked | 16 October 2026 | Anything that acts on your hormones can also act in places nobody intended. The fair way to talk about that is to start with the official records, not with forum stories. This page sits inside [the GHRP-2 and GHRP-6 section](/learn/ghrp-2-and-ghrp-6), and it reads what one drug label, the regulators and a research paper say about safety. It also marks what is missing. Safety during a medical test for one approved use is a different question from safety anywhere else. A list on a label is also not a list of everything that can happen. For the science behind these words, see [how the peptides work](/learn/ghrp-2-and-ghrp-6/how-ghrp-works). ## What are the side effects of GHRP-6? This page found no counted side-effect table for GHRP-6, so the side effects of GHRP-6 are not established here. The one GHRP-6 study in people that was found, from 1992, tested five healthy men and nine short children. It measured growth hormone release and the level of the peptide in the blood. Its abstract reports those levels, not side effects. In the United States, the FDA places GHRP-6 in category 2 of its 503B bulks list. That category is titled bulk drug substances that raise significant safety risks ([FDA, updated 21 March 2025](https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download)). Notice the word established. Not finding a table is not the same as finding that nothing happens. It is also not the same as finding harm. It means readers cannot rely on a counted record. For the wider evidence picture, see [the study findings page](/learn/ghrp-2-and-ghrp-6/ghrp-study-findings), which sets out what each study measured. ## What adverse reactions does the pralmorelin (GHRP-2) label list? Japan's prescribing label for pralmorelin covers its use as a diagnostic, given into a vein, for growth hormone secretion failure. The label sorts adverse reactions, or side effects, into bands by how often they happen. In the most frequent band, the item shown with a percentage is a feeling of heat, at 16.0%. Other listed items include low blood pressure, a raised liver enzyme called ALT, nausea, belly pain, drowsiness, dizziness, headache and a flushed face. These sit in lower bands, or in bands the label does not state. The list describes a diagnostic test, so it does not describe any other use. The label also lists a feeling of hunger. That matters because people online often ask about hunger with GHRP-6 in particular. A 2004 drug profile describes ghrelin, the natural peptide these molecules copy, as possibly involved in food intake. But the label's list belongs to pralmorelin. It says nothing about GHRP-6. This page did not match each item to its band, so only the 16.0% figure is given as a number. The label's contraindication, meaning a reason not to give the drug, is plain: pralmorelin is not to be given to women who are pregnant or may be pregnant. The label adds that no trial of how well it works and how safe it is was run in low birth weight babies, newborns, infants or children under four years. It also says safety is not established when other test drugs are given at the same time. ## What is the pituitary apoplexy warning? Japan's pralmorelin label carries a warning about related drugs. When those drugs were given to patients with a pituitary adenoma, pituitary apoplexy was reported, with problems seeing, headache and vomiting. A pituitary adenoma is a non-cancerous growth in the pituitary gland. Pituitary apoplexy is sudden bleeding in that gland, or a sudden loss of its blood supply. This is a class warning on a label. It is not a counted side-effect table, and the label does not say how many cases there were. A class warning covers a family of similar drugs, not one named molecule. It tells doctors which patients need extra care: here, people who already have a pituitary adenoma. The sources read do not say how often it happened, which products were involved, or whether GHRP-6 was one of them. If the way these peptides trigger the pituitary is new to you, [how the peptides work](/learn/ghrp-2-and-ghrp-6/how-ghrp-works) explains the receptor in plain steps. ![Side view of the lower brain showing the Hypothalamus above the small Pituitary gland, with a magnified inset of the gland containing a shaded lump labelled Non-cancerous growth.](/assets/content/edu-pituitary-gland-location.png) A pituitary adenoma is a non-cancerous growth in the pituitary gland. The Japanese pralmorelin label warns that pituitary apoplexy was reported when related drugs were given to patients with one. Source: Japanese pralmorelin label, July 2022. ## What do the FDA and the TGA say about safety? The FDA's [503B bulks list](https://www.fda.gov/media/94164/download), updated 21 March 2025, puts GHRP-6, and GHRP-2 for two named routes of administration, in category 2. Category 2 is for bulk drug substances that raise significant safety risks. The list points to a separate FDA page that sums up the risks, but this page did not read it. In Australia, the TGA (Therapeutic Goods Administration, the national medicines regulator) issued a [safety advisory](https://www.tga.gov.au/safety/safety-monitoring-and-information/safety-alerts/understanding-your-responsibilities-when-importing-compounding-and-supplying-unapproved-peptide-products) on 13 April 2026. It says the TGA has not assessed unapproved peptide products for safety, quality or effectiveness. Its examples do not name GHRP-2 or GHRP-6. The TGA advisory lists side-effect reports it has received about unapproved peptide products as a group, including severe allergic reactions and inflammation through the whole body. The advisory does not link those reports to GHRP-2 or GHRP-6, so this page does not count them as GHRP safety data. What the Australian records say about how the two peptides are classed in law is on [the Australian law page](/learn/ghrp-2-and-ghrp-6/is-ghrp-legal-in-australia). [How to read a certificate of analysis](/learn/peptide-quality-verification/how-to-read-a-certificate-of-analysis) explains why product quality is a separate safety question. ## What safety information is missing for GHRP-2 and GHRP-6? The sources read for this page give no counted side-effect data for GHRP-6. For GHRP-2, they give none outside the Japanese diagnostic test. They do not show long-term safety for either peptide. This page found no controlled comparison of the two on appetite or cortisol. The one urine study tested a single volunteer for each peptide. Side-effect reports online are personal stories, not controlled evidence. So the record can say what one label lists and how regulators group these peptides. It cannot say what happens with any other use. If you are asking because of a symptom, a doctor or pharmacist is the right person to talk to. You can report a problem with a product to the TGA through the reporting service named in its advisory. This page reads records; it is not medical advice. ## Comparison What the records read for this page say about the safety of each peptide. This table shows what was recorded; it does not say which peptide is safer. | Record | GHRP-2 (pralmorelin) | GHRP-6 | | --- | --- | --- | | Counted side-effect record | One: Japan's diagnostic label, revised July 2022 | None found | | Reaction shown with a percentage | A feeling of heat, 16.0%, during the diagnostic test | No figure found | | Label warning | Pituitary apoplexy reported with related drugs in patients with a pituitary adenoma | No approved label found | | FDA 503B bulks list | Category 2, for two named routes | Category 2 | | Long-term safety in people | Not shown by the sources read | Not shown by the sources read | ## Frequently asked questions ### Does GHRP-6 increase hunger? This page found no controlled study of appetite after GHRP-6. Japan's label for pralmorelin (GHRP-2) lists a feeling of hunger among its adverse reactions, and a 2004 drug profile describes the natural peptide ghrelin as possibly involved in food intake. This page found no comparison of the two peptides on appetite. ### Is GHRP-2 safer than GHRP-6? No source read for this page compares the safety of the two peptides, so this page states no comparison. The FDA lists GHRP-6, and GHRP-2 for two named routes, in category 2 of its 503B list of bulk substances that raise significant safety risks. ### What is the 16.0% on the pralmorelin label? Japan's label lists a feeling of heat at 16.0% as an adverse reaction after the diagnostic test. The figure describes the setting of that test. It does not describe any other use. ### Who should not receive pralmorelin according to the label? Japan's label says pralmorelin is not to be given to women who are pregnant or may be pregnant. It notes that no trial of how well it works and how safe it is was run in children under four years. It also warns about pituitary apoplexy with related drugs in patients with a pituitary adenoma. ## Citations - Bowers CY, Alster DK, Frentz JM. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. 1992;74(2):292-298. DOI: 10.1210/jcem.74.2.1730807 - Adis Editorial. Drugs in R&D. 2004;5(4):236-239. DOI: 10.2165/00126839-200405040-00011 - Semenistaya E, Zvereva I, Thomas A, Thevis M, Krotov G, Rodchenkov G. Drug Testing and Analysis. 2015;7(10):919-925. DOI: 10.1002/dta.1787 --- Canonical page: https://www.formlaboratories.com/learn/ghrp-2-and-ghrp-6/ghrp-side-effects Form Laboratories - Perth-based research-use-only peptide supplier, shipping Australia-wide. - Site guide for agents: https://www.formlaboratories.com/llms.txt - Sitemap: https://www.formlaboratories.com/sitemap.xml - Full catalogue: https://www.formlaboratories.com/shop - Contact: hello@formlaboratories.com All materials are supplied for laboratory research use only - not for human or veterinary use, and nothing on this site is medical advice.