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Melanotan-2

Melanotan-2 is a lab-made copy of a skin pigment hormone. It has only a tiny human pilot study and is not an approved medicine.

Not approved: no approved product found. FDA warned in 2007 that it is unapproved; the UK regulator treats such products as unlicensed medicinesNo approved regimen. A phase 2 vitiligo trial (NCT07437560) is listed as recruiting
OverviewDosingMixingResearchCommunitySafetyFAQSources

Melanotan-2 quick reference

TypeCyclic alpha-MSH analog; broad melanocortin agonist
Studied forTanning, erections
EvidenceTiny human pilots; not approved
RouteInjection under the skin
Half-lifeNot established

What is Melanotan-2?

Lab-made copy of a skin-pigment hormone with broad receptor action.

People use it for tanning; appetite and erection effects come along.

Never approved; only small human pilots exist.

How Melanotan-2 works

MC1 receptor

Makes more pigment and darkens skin.

Other melanocortin receptors

Linked to appetite and sexual effects.

Not selective

You cannot take the tan without the extras.

Erections without stimulation

17 of 20 men with ED had them in one trial.

What Melanotan-2 is studied for

PeopleSkin pigment

2 of 3 men had more pigment in the 1996 pilot.

PeopleErections in ED

Erection in 17 of 20 men without stimulation.

PeopleSexual desire

Desire rose after 13 of 19 doses vs 4 of 21 on placebo.

PeopleVitiligo

A phase 2 trial with NB-UVB is listed (NCT07437560).

Melanotan-2 dosing protocol

StudyAmount and schedule
Approved human doseNone
1996 pilot (3 men), under the skin, Monday-Friday for 2 weeksStart 0.01 mg per kg; steps of 0.005 mg per kg up to 0.025-0.03 mg per kg
Dose the authors suggested for future studies0.025 mg per kg a day
Phase 2 vitiligo trial, NCT07437560Amount not given in the record

Dorr RT et al. Life Sci 1996 (pilot phase I, single-blind, 3 volunteers). The abstract is inconsistent about 'every other day' vs daily dosing. Too small to set a safe regimen.

APPROVED DOSENoneTrial
1996 PILOT START0.01 mg/kg daily, Mon-FriTrial
1996 PILOT TOP0.025-0.03 mg/kg dailyTrial
COMMUNITY LOADING0.25-0.5 mg daily for 7-14 daysCommunity

Label and trial amounts come from the sources below. Community amounts are what people report; they have not been tested.

Mixing

Vial10 mg
+
BAC water2 mL
=
Strength5 mg per mL

Example only. No approved product exists.

Open the peptide calculator

What the research found

Only a 3-man pilot exists, so these are small numbers. Measured: skin pigment, side effects and effects on erections:

2 of 3Men with more skin pigment
1-5 hSpontaneous erections after doses, by dose
1 of 2Men at 0.03 mg per kg with moderate sleepiness and tiredness
3Men in the whole study

Dorr RT et al. Life Sci 1996 (abstract). Mild nausea occurred at most dose levels.

Melanotan-2 community experience

What users report. Not tested in trials.

Positive reports

  • Visible tan Darkening often shows in 1-3 weeks.
  • Arousal Some report more desire or spontaneous erections.
  • Less appetite Some notice they eat less.

Negative & mixed

  • Nausea and flushing Can hit fast; vomiting for some.
  • Moles darken Freckles, moles and injection sites darken.
  • Unwanted mix Tan, erections and appetite change together.
  • Yawning and tiredness Yawning, fatigue and chills reported.

Melanotan-2 stacking

MT-2 + GLP-1 drug

Both cut appetite and cause nausea. Not studied together.

MT-2 + PT-141

Same receptor family. Not studied together.

MT-1 instead

Narrower action; a swap, not a stack.

Melanotan-2 side effects & safety

Common

  • Nausea and yawning in the 1996 pilot.
  • Spontaneous erections lasting 1-5 hours.
  • Severe nausea in 12.9% at 0.025 mg/kg (ED trial).
  • Sleepiness and fatigue at the top dose.
  • Flushing and lower appetite (community).

Less common

  • FDA lists case reports of melanoma, PRES, priapism, sympathomimetic toxicity.
  • Priapism reported in case reports.
  • Muscle breakdown and kidney injury in case reports.
  • Changing moles and melanoma case reports.

Precautions

  • Not approved; UK regulator calls such products unlicensed.
  • FDA flags immunogenicity risk in compounded MT-II.
  • Any new or changing mole needs a skin exam.
  • An erection lasting 4+ hours needs urgent care.

Our verdict on Melanotan-2

Tans reliably, but nausea, erections and mole changes come with it. The original pilot had only 3 men.

Melanotan-2 FAQ

Is melanotan 2 approved?

I found no approval. The UK regulator calls such products unlicensed.

Is MT-2 the same as PT-141?

No. PT-141 is a related peptide; Vyleesi is approved, MT-2 is not.

Can it cause melanoma?

Case reports exist; a causal link is unproven.

How many people were studied?

3 men in 1996, then 20 men with ED.

Sources

  • Dorr RT et al. Life Sci 1996 (pilot phase I), University of Arizona research record
  • ClinicalTrials.gov NCT07437560 (MT-II with NB-UVB in vitiligo)
  • COMARE 13th Report (UK), section on tanning accelerators, gov.uk
  • MHRA Freedom of Information response FOI 21/1237, 20 December 2021, gov.uk
  • Wessells H et al. Int J Impot Res 2000 (MT-II in ED), PMID 11035391
  • Melanotan-induced priapism, BMJ Case Rep 2019, PMID 30796078
  • Melanotan II injection with systemic toxicity and rhabdomyolysis, Clin Toxicol 2012, PMID 23121206
  • Melanotan II and renal infarction, CEN Case Rep 2020, PMID 31953620
  • Melanoma associated with melanotan-II, Dermatology 2014, PMID 24355990
  • Risks of unregulated use of alpha-MSH analogues, Int J Dermatol 2017, PMID 28266027
  • FDA, Certain bulk drug substances for use in compounding that may present significant safety risks (content current 04/22/2026)