Epithalon Dosage Guide: Protocols, Calculator & Safety

Entry cycle — first epithalon experience

Goal: Establish tolerance, detect sleep changes, confirm sourcing.

Prerequisites

1. Verify vendor COA: ≥98% purity, mass-spec confirmed AEDG sequence, endotoxin <1 EU/mg. See COA Verification Guide.
2. No active malignancy; discussed with physician if prior hormone-sensitive cancer history.
3. Not pregnant or breastfeeding.
4. Bacteriostatic water 0.9% benzyl alcohol (not sterile water) for reconstitution.
5. Insulin syringes 29-31G × 1/2" × 0.5 mL with 0.01 mL graduations.

Reconstitution (typical 10 mg vial)

• Add 2 mL bacteriostatic water → concentration 5 mg/mL = 50 units per 1 mg
• For 5 mg daily dose → draw to 50 units (0.5 mL) from 2 mL BAC reconstitution
• Alternative: add 1 mL BAC → 10 mg/mL = 100 units per 1 mg; draw 50 units for 5 mg

See Reconstitution Tool for a vial-specific calculator.

Cycle 1 — 14 days

• Day 1: 5 mg SC in lower abdomen or thigh, evening (7-9 PM). Observe for injection-site reactions, sleep change.
• Days 2-14: 5 mg SC daily, same time. Track sleep (Oura, Whoop, or simple subjective diary).
• Day 15+: STOP. Do not continue beyond 14-20 days.

What to expect

• Nights 1-3: Often more vivid dreams. Some users report slightly disturbed sleep initially.
• Nights 4-10: Deeper, more consolidated sleep with earlier natural sleep onset.
• Nights 11+: Stabilized circadian rhythm; most pronounced benefit.
• Minimal daytime sensation; the benefit is almost entirely sleep and next-day recovery.

Post-cycle

• Minimum 3 months before next cycle, ideally 6 months.
• Reassess sleep and decide if a second cycle is warranted.

Red flags — stop and consult a clinician

• Severe injection-site reaction with induration or fever
• New unexplained bleeding or bruising
• Persistent insomnia lasting >5 days
• Any suspected allergic reaction (rash, itching, swelling)

Do NOT

• Extend to continuous daily dosing — no evidence base beyond 20 consecutive days.
• Combine with a second peptide in your first cycle — isolate variables.
• Exceed 10 mg/day in early cycles.

Intermediate — annual or biannual protocol

Assumes successful completion of one or more beginner cycles, no adverse events, confirmed benefit.

Dose and frequency

• 10 mg SC daily for 20 consecutive days — full Khavinson dose.
• 2 cycles per year, separated by 6 months (e.g., spring and autumn equinox timing is popular anecdotally; clinically any spacing ≥3 months is acceptable).
• Evening injection preferred but not required.

Stacking

• Add 1-2 additional peptides if desired (e.g., Thymalin 10 mg × 20 days concurrent, or BPC-157 for unrelated injury recovery).
• NAD+ precursor (NMN or NR) 500 mg daily continuously.
• CoQ10 + PQQ + creatine for mitochondrial baseline.

Cycle length considerations

• 10-day and 20-day cycles both appear in the literature. 20 days is the Khavinson default and produces measurable melatonin rise; 10 days is often sufficient for circadian re-entrainment.
• First cycle: 14 days. Second cycle: 20 days if first was beneficial.

Labs to run annually

• CBC, CMP, lipid panel
• Fasting glucose and HbA1c
• hs-CRP
• PSA (men >40), AMH or estradiol (women, as relevant)
• Optional: telomere length assay (Life Length / Telomere Diagnostics / SpectraCell) at baseline and after 2 years

Sleep tracking

• Oura ring or Whoop continuous wear
• Compare pre-cycle, intra-cycle, and post-cycle deep sleep (N3) minutes and HRV

When to cycle off longer

• Any malignancy diagnosis or screen abnormality → stop until resolved.
• New autoimmune disease or flare → stop, reassess.
• Any unexplained fatigue or functional decline → stop, investigate.

What this cycle is NOT

• Not a muscle-building protocol (use GH secretagogues / testosterone for that).
• Not a fat-loss protocol (use GLP-1 agonists for that).
• Not a cognitive enhancer in the direct sense — benefit is downstream of improved sleep.

Advanced / long-horizon protocol (multi-year longevity intent)

This tier aligns with the Korkushko 2011 elderly-cohort protocol (annual cycles × 6 years) extended to typical biohacker context.

Annual cadence

• 20-day cycle, 10 mg SC daily, once per year, for 5-10 years.
• Or 20-day cycle, 5-10 mg daily, twice per year spaced 6 months apart.
• Not continuous; not quarterly; not monthly mini-cycles.

Comprehensive longevity stack (optional concurrent agents)

• NMN or NR 500-1000 mg daily (continuous)
• CoQ10 / ubiquinol 200 mg daily (continuous)
• PQQ 20 mg daily (continuous)
• Creatine 5 g daily (continuous)
• Resveratrol 500 mg with fat, daily (continuous)
• Magnesium glycinate 400 mg evening (continuous)
• Vitamin D3 5000 IU + K2 MK-7 100 mcg daily (continuous)
• Epithalon annual or biannual cycle (intermittent, as described)
• Thymalin 10 mg × 20 days, 1-2x/year (intermittent; pineal-thymic complement)

Biomarker monitoring

• Annual: comprehensive labs, body composition, resting HRV, sleep architecture (Oura/Whoop cumulative data), cognitive battery
• Biannual: telomere length (optional; assays have methodologic variability), inflammation panel (hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-α)
• Cancer screening per age-appropriate USPSTF guidelines — non-negotiable given hTERT upregulation mechanism

Contraindications to exit the protocol

• Any active malignancy
• New autoimmune flare (hTERT/IFN-γ effects)
• Pregnancy / lactation
• Inability to perform consistent annual screening

Honest assessment

This is an aspirational protocol based on a modestly-strong rodent dataset and a single Russian human cohort study. It is not evidenced at the level of caloric restriction, rapamycin, or GLP-1 agonists. Users should proceed with open eyes, good biomarker tracking, and a willingness to stop if the evidence does not accumulate in their favor over a 3-5 year window.