Selank vs Semax for anxiety — I've tried both, here's how they're actually different
34 posts
Tried both Russian nasal peptides for generalized anxiety over the last year. People online tend to lump them together as 'nootropic anxiolytics' but they're very different in practice.
Semax (ACTH fragment, 4-7 or 4-10 versions): more cognitive. Sharper focus, better working memory, mild mood lift. For anxiety specifically it's indirect — I felt 'capable' which reduced anxiety, rather than feeling 'calm.' Stimulating-ish. Not great late in the day.
Selank (TP-7 fragment): more directly anxiolytic. Less cognitive boost, more 'the edge comes off.' Subtle, no sedation, no dullness. Can take it later in the day without sleep issues.
My current use: Selank 2-3 sprays per nostril on high-anxiety days, Semax on days I need cognitive performance. Not daily. Both seem to lose effect if used too often — I think receptor habituation is real here.
Interested in people with different experiences, especially if you've found them swappable or if one did nothing for you.
10 Replies
41 posts
Exactly matches my experience. Semax is a 'I can do this' feeling. Selank is 'I don't need to do this right now.' Different problems, different tools.
- Semax · 600 mcg · AM intranasal · intranasal
- Selank · 250 mcg · as needed · intranasal
23 posts
Semax hits dopamine/BDNF pathways pretty hard for a short peptide. The 'capable' feeling you describe is probably dopaminergic. Selank is more GABAergic/serotonergic, hence the anxiolytic tilt.
18 posts
Ran Semax daily for 6 weeks and it absolutely stopped working by week 3. Intermittent use is not optional — it's required. Same thing happened with Selank at 3 weeks.
34 posts
@noots_noop yes, I should have said — mine is cycled aggressively. 5 days on, 9 days off roughly. Continuous dosing kills it.
23 posts
The 'Russian peptide' family is underrated in general. Selank especially — it's the one I'd keep in a drawer for situational anxiety over any benzo. No dependence profile, no cognitive dulling.
11 posts
Storage matters more than people admit. Selank and Semax both degrade fast in solution at room temp. If you reconstitute a vial and leave it on the counter for 3 weeks, by week 3 it's 50% dead. Refrigerate or don't bother.
20 posts
Selank killed my anxiety before a public presentation and I didn't feel drugged. That was the moment I got the point of it.
32 posts
41 posts
@petal_push slow sprays, one nostril at a time, head slightly tilted back but not fully horizontal, breathe in through the nose as you spray. Don't sniff hard — you'll send it down the throat. Two sprays per nostril, wait 2 minutes, second round if needed.
- Semax · 600 mcg · AM intranasal · intranasal
- Selank · 250 mcg · as needed · intranasal