Last reviewed: January 2026
Answer 4 questions → get a personalized protocol with dosing, cycle length, and reconstitution calculators pre-filled.
→ Use this as an educational reference. Peptide dosing information is provided for research and educational purposes. Always consult a healthcare provider before starting any peptide protocol.
→ Double-check your math. Small reconstitution or dosing errors can significantly affect concentration. Verify your calculations before drawing a dose.
→ Bookmark for repeat reference. Peptide calculations are needed every time you reconstitute a new vial — save this page for quick access.
→ Explore related peptide tools. Use this alongside the other peptide calculators on the site for a complete protocol planning workflow.
→ Use this as a starting point, not a diagnosis. Online calculators provide estimates based on population averages. Your individual results may vary — consult a healthcare professional for personalized medical advice.
→ Measure consistently. For the most accurate tracking, take measurements at the same time of day under the same conditions each time you use this calculator.
→ Track trends, not single data points. One measurement is a snapshot. Track results over weeks and months to see meaningful patterns and progress.
→ Combine with related tools. Use this alongside other health calculators on this site for a more complete picture of your fitness and wellness metrics.
See also: GLP-1 Titration Tracker · Keto Calculator · TDEE Calculator · VO₂ Max Estimator · Pace Calculator
A peptide cycle planner takes your goal, experience level, and timeline and produces a structured protocol — which peptide, what dose, how often, for how long, and what comes after the cycle ends. Unlike a free-form calculator that just does math, a planner makes the structural decisions for you based on the conventions used in published research and reported clinical practice. The output is meant to be a starting framework, not a prescription, and is most useful when you need to translate "I want to recover faster from training" or "I want to address a chronic gut issue" into a concrete day-by-day schedule.1
This planner runs entirely in your browser — your goal, weight, and answers are not sent to any server, and no account is required. You can re-run the planner with different inputs to compare protocols side by side, then export or copy the resulting schedule into your own tracker.
| Phase | Duration | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Loading | 1–2 weeks | Build baseline tissue levels and assess tolerance |
| Maintenance | 4–12 weeks | Steady dosing at therapeutic level |
| Tapering | 1–2 weeks | Gradual dose reduction (where applicable) |
| Off-cycle | 4+ weeks | Recovery period for receptor sensitivity |
The loading phase serves two purposes: build baseline tissue levels of a peptide that has a slow onset, and give you 7–14 days at a sub-maximal dose to identify any tolerance issues before committing to a full protocol. Not every peptide needs a loading phase — short-acting compounds with immediate effects (most GHRPs, melanotan, semax) can be started at the target dose. Longer-acting compounds and tissue-repair peptides (BPC-157, TB-500, GHK-Cu) often benefit from a 7-day ramp where you take half the eventual maintenance dose. The most important reason to load, though, is safety. Reactions to peptides — injection-site irritation, headache, flushing, unexpected cardiovascular response — usually appear within the first three doses if they're going to appear at all. Catching them at half-dose is much safer than catching them at full dose.
This is the bulk of the cycle and where the real protocol decisions are made. Three core variables: dose per injection, frequency per day, and total weeks. Dose is usually expressed in mcg or mg per kilogram of body weight to scale appropriately across users; for many peptides, 250–500 mcg/day is the typical research range, but specific compounds like BPC-157 are often dosed 250 mcg twice daily based on the published rat-equivalent translations to humans.2 Frequency depends on half-life: peptides with a 30-minute half-life like Ipamorelin work best at 2–3 daily pulses, while CJC-1295 with DAC has a 6–8 day half-life and is dosed once weekly. Total cycle length is the most variable — anything from 2 weeks (epithalon) to 12 weeks (GHRP/GHRH for body composition) to indefinite (low-dose continuous GHK-Cu for skin).
During maintenance, consistency matters more than precision. Missing a single dose in a 12-week protocol is almost meaningless. Missing five doses in two weeks fundamentally changes the cycle. The planner can give you a target schedule, but discipline at execution determines whether the cycle does what you hoped.
Tapering is the deliberate reduction of dose over 1–2 weeks at the end of a maintenance period, primarily used for peptides that produce significant downregulation of endogenous signaling. The clearest case is GHRH/GHRP cycles where 8–12 weeks of pulsed pituitary stimulation can suppress endogenous pulsatile GH release. A two-week taper from 3×/day to 2×/day to 1×/day to off allows the natural pulse generator to gradually resume normal activity. Healing peptides do not require tapers — once the tissue target is reached, you simply stop. Skin peptides used continuously can be discontinued without taper. Always check the specific peptide's pharmacology before assuming a taper is or isn't needed.
The off-cycle is the period between the end of one cycle and the start of the next. Its length depends on what you're recovering: receptor sensitivity (typically 4 weeks), endogenous pulsatile activity (4–8 weeks for the GH axis), or simply giving your body a break from any pharmacologic intervention. Some peptides do not require off-periods (low-dose GHK-Cu skin protocols, intermittent BPC-157 used acutely for injury), while others should not be repeated more than 1–2 times per year (epithalon protocols are typically run twice annually maximum).3
Off-cycle is also when you should evaluate whether the cycle did what you wanted. Body-composition changes from a GH cycle continue developing for 2–4 weeks after the last dose. Recovery improvements from a healing cycle should be evident within the cycle itself but consolidated improvements show up in the weeks after. If you can't articulate what changed, that's important data — it might mean the protocol was wrong for your goal, the goal was unrealistic, or that other variables (sleep, training, nutrition) were the actual bottleneck.
| Goal | Typical Cycle Structure | Common Compounds |
|---|---|---|
| Acute injury recovery | 4–6 weeks continuous, no taper | BPC-157, TB-500 |
| Body composition | 1 wk load → 10 wk maint → 1 wk taper → 4 wk off | CJC-1295 + Ipamorelin |
| Sleep quality | 4–8 weeks evening dosing | Ipamorelin solo |
| Skin / wrinkle research | Continuous low-dose | GHK-Cu, epithalon (cycled) |
| Anti-aging research | 20-day pulse, 2× per year | Epithalon |
| Cognition research | 2–4 week pulse | Semax, Selank |
Stacking too many compounds at once. The temptation to combine three or four peptides at the start of a journey is strong because it feels efficient. In practice, it makes attribution impossible and amplifies adverse-event risk. Start with one peptide for an entire cycle, evaluate, then add a second compound only if the first was tolerated and produced a measurable response.
Skipping the off-cycle. Many users feel a noticeable benefit during a cycle and immediately start a new cycle when the old one ends. This is the single most common mistake, particularly with growth-hormone-axis protocols. The off-cycle isn't optional padding — it's where receptor sensitivity is restored. A continuous protocol over six months will produce diminishing returns and increasing risk compared to two well-structured 12-week cycles with proper recovery between them.4
Ignoring the underlying lifestyle. Peptide protocols are a small lever compared to sleep, nutrition, training, and stress. A poorly-rested person on a CJC-1295/Ipamorelin protocol will still recover worse than a well-rested person on no peptides at all. Plan the cycle around your existing routine, not the other way around.
No measurement plan. Decide before the cycle starts what you'll measure: weight, body composition (DEXA, smart scale, calipers), specific symptom scores, performance benchmarks, sleep tracker data, photos. Measure at baseline, mid-cycle, end-of-cycle, and 4 weeks post-cycle. Without these data points you cannot judge whether the protocol worked, which makes the next cycle decision essentially a guess.
A simple cycle log should capture: cycle start date, planned end date, peptide(s) used, doses, injection times, baseline measurements, weekly check-ins, any side effects with date and resolution, and an end-of-cycle summary. Keep this document for at least one year — it's the single most useful reference for planning your next cycle. Many users report that the second cycle of any peptide produces better results than the first because they've calibrated their expectations and dialed in the dose and timing based on what they observed the first time.