Sharing in case this combination hits odd for folks…
After two weeks of Selank we wanted to bring in Semax. Selank has had a profound effect and RS was hoping to see the additive benefit of Semax. RS had recently been under stress and Selank had moved the anxiety into background noise. After starting Semax RS was waking around 4am-6am with racing heart, mild panic attack, and anxiety. Selank calmed it during the day but RS found it happening at the same time every night. After 5 nights we started looking at Semax as a contributor.
We loaded all of the Withings and Oura sleep data into a couple AIs and played “what if?” All queries came back with some version of the following:
“Between 2-4 AM, cortisol naturally begins rising in preparation for waking—a normal process called the cortisol awakening response. However, in individuals with anxiety and chronic stress, this rise is exaggerated and can trigger panic.
By adding dopaminergic stimulation from Semax during this vulnerable window, you’re essentially creating a “two-hit” effect: elevated baseline cortisol + dopamine-driven alertness + sleep-stage transition vulnerability = panic. It’s not that Semax causes the cortisol spike, but it amplifies your brain’s sensitivity to it at the worst possible neurobiological moment.”
We will be halting Semax for two weeks to see if there is improvement. If things do improve we will restart Semax at a lower dose and only in the morning..
After two weeks of Selank we wanted to bring in Semax. Selank has had a profound effect and RS was hoping to see the additive benefit of Semax. RS had recently been under stress and Selank had moved the anxiety into background noise. After starting Semax RS was waking around 4am-6am with racing heart, mild panic attack, and anxiety. Selank calmed it during the day but RS found it happening at the same time every night. After 5 nights we started looking at Semax as a contributor.
We loaded all of the Withings and Oura sleep data into a couple AIs and played “what if?” All queries came back with some version of the following:
“Between 2-4 AM, cortisol naturally begins rising in preparation for waking—a normal process called the cortisol awakening response. However, in individuals with anxiety and chronic stress, this rise is exaggerated and can trigger panic.
By adding dopaminergic stimulation from Semax during this vulnerable window, you’re essentially creating a “two-hit” effect: elevated baseline cortisol + dopamine-driven alertness + sleep-stage transition vulnerability = panic. It’s not that Semax causes the cortisol spike, but it amplifies your brain’s sensitivity to it at the worst possible neurobiological moment.”
We will be halting Semax for two weeks to see if there is improvement. If things do improve we will restart Semax at a lower dose and only in the morning..
Maybe Selank would make a better choice, although I'm a Semax guy forever now.
