Somatostatin dosage and evidence
Written by Aaron CuhaReviewed Sep 2026
The short answer
Somatostatin is the body's natural off switch for growth hormone. Longer-lasting copies, like octreotide, are approved drugs.
Evidence grade for Somatostatin: Animal or lab only. The rule: only animal or lab studies on this page. No study in people yet. The sum on this page: 1 lab study, no human study. A grade counts how much has been done to people, not whether it works.
- People given it
- 0
- Human studies
- 0
- Found nothing
- 0
Dose
No human dose established
No published study on this page has given this compound to people and reported a result.
1 lab study, no human study
1 effects reported, 1 unwanted, by people using it, not a trial
In plain English
In plain English, from Aaron
This is how I would explain it to a friend. The evidence, with the numbers, is further down the page.
Somatostatin is your body's off switch for growth hormone. It also turns down insulin, glucagon and several gut hormones. Your body breaks it down within a few minutes. So drug makers built longer-lasting copies, like octreotide. Those copies are approved drugs.
What people take it for
- People do not take it. Doctors use its approved copies, like octreotide, for acromegaly and hormone-making tumors.
- It helps explain how growth hormone gets turned on and off.
What studies in people showed
There are no human studies of somatostatin itself on this page. It was found in 1973 in sheep brain. In a dish and in rats, it stopped growth hormone release. The approved copies have their own human data on their own pages.
What people report
Reports, not study results
The good
- We have not collected user reports on this one, because nobody sells somatostatin itself.
The bad
- There are no human studies on this page, so its side effects are not covered here.
Where these come from: There are no user reports or human studies on this page to draw from.
My bottom line
This is a textbook hormone, not something to take. If your growth hormone is off, that is a blood test and a doctor, not a peptide.
An opinion, not a finding. I am a coach, not a doctor.
What it has been measured to do
Nothing indexed yet
The 3 citations on this page do not report a result for any of the 36 goals indexed here. Most of what sits here is something else: a listing of a planned study, a study of how the body handles the drug, a safety report or a government record. None of those tests whether it works.
Show full evidence
What is Somatostatin?
Somatostatin is the body's natural off switch for growth hormone. Longer-lasting copies, like octreotide, are approved drugs.
Somatostatin is the body's natural brake on growth hormone. It works against GHRH and ghrelin, the signals that release it. It also turns down several gut and pancreas hormones. Your body breaks it down within a few minutes. So longer-lasting copies, like octreotide, were made. Those are FDA-approved for acromegaly, a disease of too much growth hormone, and for tumors that pump out hormones. There are no human studies of somatostatin itself on this page. It was found in 1973 in sheep brain. In a dish and in rats, it stopped growth hormone release. Somatostatin itself helps explain how growth hormone is controlled.
How does Somatostatin work?
It switches on somatostatin receptors. That turns down growth hormone, insulin, glucagon and several gut hormones.
The evidence, in charts
Fig. 1a · how many people
0people have taken this in any study cited here
0 people · 0 studies in people
What this page cites instead is 1 lab study in a dish and 2 reviews. None of them gave the compound to a person.
Counted from the list of sources on this page. We draw this chart only when a study in people is cited. An empty one is the answer, not a gap in the page.
Fig. 1b · evidence mix
None of the 3 sources here are studies in people.
- Lab (cells in a dish) · cells or tissue133%
- Review of studies · sums up other studies267%
Counted from the list of sources on this page. It counts only what we cite, so there may be more studies out there. A review counts once, however many studies it sums up.
Fig. 2 · evidence over time
The studies cover 3 different years, 1973 to 1999, counted from the list of sources on this page. The newest source on file is from 1999, more than five years ago. Research on it may have gone quiet.
Fig. 3 · legal status at a glance
US
Not approved
UK
Not approved
AU
Not approved
CA
Not approved
Not approved in any of the four countries shown. This is what the law says, not a verdict on the science. See Legal status below for the full text and any notes.
Fig. 4 · how much does what
Nobody has tested different amounts in people
This chart would show how the effect changes as the amount goes up. For this compound, nobody has measured that in people. So we leave it empty. We will not borrow an animal chart and pretend it works the same in people.
Fig. 5 · what the molecule is
- Kind of compound
- Peptide
- Molecule weight
- 1,637.9 Da
- Half-life
- About 2 minutesUltra-short, minutes
- Chain length
- None on file
No amino acid sequence is on file for Somatostatin, so none is drawn rather than guessed from a name.
The studies we cite
- Review of studies1983Somatostatin
A classic review of how somatostatin works as the body's brake on growth hormone and on gut and pancreas hormones.
Classic two-part review of somatostatin physiology as the inhibitory regulator of GH and gut and pancreatic hormones.
- Review of studies1999Somatostatin and its receptor family
A review of somatostatin and its five receptor types. This is what drug makers used to design longer-lasting copies.
Reviews somatostatin as an endogenous inhibitory regulator acting through five receptor subtypes, the basis for analogue drug design.
- Lab (cells in a dish)1973Hypothalamic polypeptide that inhibits the secretion of immunoreactive pituitary growth hormone
In a dish and in rats. Scientists found somatostatin in sheep brain and worked out its 14 building blocks. It stopped growth hormone release.
Discovery and sequencing of somatostatin from ovine hypothalamus; the 14-amino-acid peptide inhibited GH secretion in vitro and in rats.
Where to buy Somatostatin
1 seller lists Somatostatin in our latest read. They are ranked by trust score, then by archive rating, then by certificate tier, then by the lowest price per milligram. Archive evidence is counted before source-backed. Each path is out of 4, and the two are not added. A higher price does not raise the score. The letter is the certificate chip. 0 of them have a published certificate that names Somatostatin.
Some seller links may pay this site when you buy through them. A payment never changes a seller's tier or rank, and no seller has a say in any page.
| Seller | Trust score | Vial sizes | From, per mg | Certificate for Somatostatin | Seller link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Molecules | 28 InsufficientSource-backed 1 of 4. Archive evidence 1 of 4.C | 10 mg | $32.7 | None found for Somatostatin | View |
- LC Lab-confirmed: the issuing laboratory echoed this certificate back
- A Current certificate, independent laboratory named, laboratory not yet checked
- B Certificate published, but no laboratory link, older than a year, or the laboratory did not recognise the published lookup
- C No certificate could be read
Every listing and vial size for Somatostatin · How the trust score is counted
Sellers named on the price pages are ranked by certificate tier, then price, and any affiliate income is disclosed there. Naming a seller is not a recommendation to buy or use anything.
Common questions
Has Somatostatin been tested in people?
Not in any study cited here. Somatostatin is the body's natural off switch for growth hormone. Longer-lasting copies, like octreotide, are approved drugs.
What is the Somatostatin dosage?
No human dose established. No published study on this page has given this compound to people and reported a result. 1 lab study, no human study
Is Somatostatin FDA-approved?
A natural hormone; lab-made versions (octreotide) are FDA-approved
How does somatostatin relate to growth hormone peptides?
It is the opposite signal. GHRH and ghrelin release growth hormone. Somatostatin shuts it off. Together they set the natural on and off rhythm of growth hormone.