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Brain Stack?

26 replies12 peopleNov 20, 2025☆ Follow
Summary

What peptides, supplements, and devices are people exploring for preventative brain health, TBI recovery, and dementia protection?

Users share personal stacks centered on cerebrolysin cycles, pinealon, PE 22-28, semax/selank, dihexa, methylene blue, SS-31, epitalon, and mitochondrial peptides, alongside red light therapy, sauna, diet changes, and hyperbaric oxygen. Experiences with dihexa range from subtle memory gains at low doses to side effects at higher ones, while cerebrolysin sources spark debate over authenticity. Several note the value of combining these with lifestyle measures but stress individual tolerance testing and limited clinical data.

What this discussion establishesWhere people disagree

Whether Chinese cerebrolysin powders match the original Russian formulation and whether dihexa is worth trying given sparse human trials.

Still open

Optimal dosages, long-term safety of peptide combinations, and whether these interventions work better for prevention than treatment.

Nothing here is advice.

26 replies · 12 people
PatientPebble85archiveopening postNov 20, 2025

I've been thinking about a preventative brain protocol aimed at general health, TBI recovery, and lowering Alzheimer's or dementia risk. Here are my initial ideas for a stack: run cerebrolysin at 60 mg per day by injection for ten days once or twice a year, pausing other brain compounds during that time and for a week afterward, starting lower for the first couple days to check tolerance. The product comes from pig brain so it won't suit everyone. Add pinealon at 200-500 mcg daily under the skin for eight weeks, alone or paired with PE 22-28 at the same dose and schedule. Use semax or selank as a nasal spray once or twice daily. Dihexa looks interesting but I still need to sort out dosing and where to get it; maybe three days a week for ten to thirty days, repeated a few times a year. If carrying extra weight or dealing with metabolic issues, a low-dose GLP-1 weekly or a few times a week could help. Daily red-light sessions on the head for twenty to thirty minutes, sauna use combined with red light, and a daily curcumin product round it out.

KeenPebble65archiveNov 20, 2025

That is quite a list to keep track of. It seems quite a few of us are looking into protecting or improving brain function, so this could turn into a useful thread.

BrightMeadow15archiveNov 20, 2025
↳ replying to @PatientPebble85 (opening post)

You might want to look into transcranial magnetic stimulation and where it is applied. It is mainly used for hard-to-treat depression, yet there are emerging connections between depression and Alzheimer's, both tied to dopamine issues, so it could be relevant. Because placement matters a lot, a panel device might work just as well if you already own one. Red-light sessions also have specific distances and times; more is not always better. Sunlight has a limit before you burn, and infrared seems similar. I have felt run down and sluggish after going too long in one day, so twenty to thirty minutes daily might be excessive. My earlier experience pointed to lower frequency and shorter sessions.

PatientPebble85archiveNov 20, 2025
↳ replying to @BrightMeadow15

You are right about not overdoing the light therapy. The photons feed into the electron transport chain inside mitochondria at certain points, and there are only so many spots available. Extra stimulation does not appear to cause harm, it just stops helping. There is a solid YouTube channel run by neuroscientists and neurologists that covers photobiomodulation in depth. I also agree completely on TMS; it seems promising for building new pathways around damaged areas. Pairing it with peptides like PE 22-28, dihexa, and pinealon could produce noticeable results.

PatientPebble85archiveNov 20, 2025
↳ replying to @ClearWillow59

Yes, the MIND approach is excellent.

QuietWillow76archiveNov 24, 2025

My family has dealt with a lot of dementia lately, which got me started on this research. I plan to add a few items I have been studying or already using that are not on the original list: methylene blue drops in water each day, SS-31 which I ordered recently, MOTS-c which I will start after other mitochondrial items, epitalon which I also ordered, and vilon. I am thinking of running SS-31, pinealon, and epitalon together for under a month, then starting MOTS-c a few weeks later while keeping methylene blue going. Other things I will include for part of the time are retatrutide, NAD+, and tesamorelin.

PatientPebble85archiveNov 25, 2025
↳ replying to @QuietWillow76

I like all of those additions. I was reading about SS-31 just today and it looks promising. I am still unsure how much I know about methylene blue, though it has been getting plenty of attention lately.

GreenKettle44archiveNov 25, 2025
↳ replying to @PatientPebble85 (opening post)

I really want to try dihexa, but the shortage of studies and clinical trials proving it works is holding me back.

PatientPebble85archiveNov 25, 2025
↳ replying to @GreenKettle44

I stumbled upon a captivating piece covering the background of dihexa along with the fact that fosgonimeton counts as its alternate designation.

ClearWillow59archiveNov 25, 2025
↳ replying to @PatientPebble85

I just read it. It looks like they modified dihexa, renamed it, ran into problems, and the trials ultimately showed no improvement. Interesting but disappointing.

PatientPebble85archiveNov 25, 2025
↳ replying to @ClearWillow59

You still wonder if it might work better as a prevention compound than as a treatment. Prevention often seems like the best approach.

QuietWillow76archiveNov 25, 2025

One thing I appreciate about methylene blue is that hospitals already use it, so there is at least some real-world clinical experience. Just avoid any serotonergic drugs like SSRIs or SNRIs while taking it.

QuietTimber44archiveDec 8, 2025

Solid stack. I have focused on brain health for years because of past TBI. I would add mild hyperbaric oxygen therapy, lion's mane, doing puzzles such as logic or word games, and memorizing poems or similar material.

ClearWillow59archiveDec 8, 2025
↳ replying to @QuietWillow76

What form and dose have you used? I have seen both pills and drops.

QuietWillow76archiveDec 9, 2025

I use the drops, though dosing is a bit imprecise. I take four to six drops in the morning mixed with water.

WarmWillow50archiveFeb 15
↳ replying to @PatientPebble85 (opening post)

Several items on that list I plan to research this summer, especially selank, semax, and dihexa. I am picking up some cerebrolysin and glutathione on my next order. I have been searching for an oral dihexa option that is reasonably priced.

QuietAlder20archiveFeb 15
↳ replying to @PatientPebble85

My wife has shown early dementia signs over the past couple of years. She sees a neurologist trained in a functional medicine approach. When I asked about cerebrolysin and peptide options on our last visit, the doctor seemed unfamiliar with them, which surprised me given how widely cerebrolysin is used outside the United States. The original proposal here is now three months old. Have you moved forward with the cerebrolysin? I still have questions about the lyophilized powder versions. I do not believe they are the real porcine protein; they seem more like lab-made versions, though others with lab results disagree. True cerebroprotein hydrolysate requires the licensed version from the original producer.

IronBramble31archiveFeb 15
↳ replying to @GreenKettle44

I just started dihexa a few days ago. I take quite a few prescription medications, so I am beginning at a low dose but want to test it before moving on to cerebrolysin if it does not work for me.

PatientPebble85archiveFeb 16
↳ replying to @QuietAlder20

You are correct about the powder versions not matching the original formula. I would guess the well-known protocol author is aware of many peptides but, as a practicing physician, cannot officially suggest them without regulatory risk. There are simply too many brain-related peptides showing promise for him to be unaware.

BlueFenwick52archiveFeb 26
↳ replying to @IronBramble31

What effects are you noticing from dihexa at present?

IronBramble31archiveFeb 26
↳ replying to @BlueFenwick52

Honestly nothing yet. I have been on it for seventeen days but need to pause for a procedure. No side effects at all despite the other medications I take. I checked for interactions first and used 7.5 mg three times a day to spread it out. It could be four to six weeks before I try again, but I will get more to run a longer cycle. I have seen mentions of 20-25 mg daily as a possible upper range, so that is what I aimed for.

WarmWillow50archiveFeb 27

I took my first 10 mg tablet today. I had little sleep and felt tired while working with horses, yet I did not feel drained or distracted afterward. It is hard to tell if it helped energy and focus or if it was just placebo. I plan to run it five days straight then take a couple days off to see if anything stands out.

BrightCinder10archiveMar 9
↳ replying to @WarmWillow50

I am curious whether you noticed anything after the five-day run.

WarmWillow50archiveMar 9
↳ replying to @BrightCinder10

At 10 mg for four days it was not a dramatic change, but I did see better memory recall. Before starting I memorized twelve letters and numbers, waited fifteen minutes, and could only recall six correctly. After the peptide I got ten right and the remaining two were close. Some long-forgotten childhood memories also surfaced when senses triggered them. No bad side effects at that dose, and concentration felt steady though not dramatically enhanced. On the fifth day I doubled to 20 mg for a tournament and saw no further gains in focus or memory. That night I had intense panic-type dreams I do not normally experience, and the uneasy feeling lingered for a couple hours after waking, so I am attributing it to the higher dose.

BrightCinder10archiveMar 9
↳ replying to @WarmWillow50

I can only order 20 mg tablets, so I suppose I will need to split them.

WarmWillow50archiveMar 9
↳ replying to @BrightCinder10

I would suggest starting below 20 mg. Mine came in capsules that also would have needed splitting. Plenty of people appear to handle 20 mg without trouble, but I am not one of them. It might have gone better if I had stayed at 10 mg for a full week before increasing. Something to consider.

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