What is MOTS-c like?

I'm on my second round of MOTS-c after taking time off. I use 5 mg about three times a week, usually half an hour before training. I lift five days a week and add cardio after each session. It doesn't feel like a stimulant or big surge, just a smooth steady energy lift with no jitters or crash. I start workouts less tired, can push a little harder, and stay focused longer especially during the cardio. It adds a mild extra push rather than anything dramatic. I wouldn't call it a standalone fat-loss miracle, especially since I'm also on Reta which handles most of the weight loss. Still, it seems to pair well with Reta. From what I've seen it improves training quality and tolerance, which can help with body recomposition when diet and training are solid.

Not trying to split hairs, but there aren't any human trials of MOTS-c as a treatment. There are studies measuring levels in different groups or after exercise, but nothing on basic toxicity, safety, or dose finding. It's already made in the body so that might make it somewhat safer than foreign compounds. Mouse doses ranged from 0.5 mg per kg daily to 10 mg per kg daily. Rough conversion for a 70 kg person gives 3.5 mg to 70 mg per day before adjusting down by about tenfold for humans. With an untested substance it's safer to stay at the low end, which lines up with the common 5 mg daily to weekly range. Many untested peptides show mouse doses far above what's commonly used. There was a phase 1 trial of a modified version of MOTS-c.

MOTS-c feels like a mellow steady clean energy flow. Don't expect anything dramatic. Citrulline isn't the same thing. It gives a pure pump which is why it's in every pump product. It feels nice but doesn't really do much else and for me it interferes with cardio because my calves pump up right away. Arginine has some theoretical upsides but I don't know anyone who uses it by itself, only as part of a pre-workout. I don't feel anything from it.

I've been using 3 mg three times a week before workouts or even shoveling snow last week. Seems to give more energy without the jittery rush some supplements cause. Only three weeks in so far. I'll update again in another couple weeks.

My two cents on MOTS-c after running many cycles at different doses. Dosing two or three times a week doesn't make sense because the half-life is short so daily use fits better. Micro-dosing also doesn't do anything for me. 5-10 mg a day works and gives noticeable results. I wear a CGM and when I start 10 mg daily my blood sugar drops about ten points, which is clear. That doesn't happen with intermittent or micro-dosing. Exercise performance and endurance both improve, subtle but real. No need for five days on two off as some suggest since receptor tolerance doesn't build in a four or five week cycle. You do need to take breaks sometimes to keep sensitivity. It helps build more mitochondria so there are longer-term effects. I like adding 10 mg SS-31 daily before or during MOTS-c cycles.

Thanks for the insight.

Interesting thread. I'm currently on 2.5 mg Reta, could I add MOTS-c at 1 mg three times a week without issues?

On about half the work days I take five milligrams and notice greater stamina during my workouts. That means I cover more distance at a quicker pace when jogging and feel stronger while lifting weights.

The biggest thing I've noticed with MOTS-c is allergic reactions and intense itching at the injection site when I go over 1 mg. Subcutaneous gives unbearable redness and itching. Intramuscular makes the muscle swell a lot. Never had a full-body reaction but I'm always prepared just in case. At 1 mg intramuscular it's usually fine. I wouldn't dose 5-10 mg until I knew I didn't react, otherwise you could end up with a serious reaction. It's a known issue with MOTS-c so be careful.

It's still unclear exactly what those ladies consumed. This involved a batch of the medication that came back empty in lab results, prompting the seller to swap out the questionable sets. No other details have reached me aside from reports they felt unwell. I'll start by increasing the amount gradually from a single milligram once I begin the new peptide.

There are plenty of other peptides or small molecules that do similar work to MOTS-c. I can think of several safer ones like humanin, 5-amino-1MQ, SS-31, red light therapy. What am I missing? I'm sure there are more.

Basically I figured out the hard way those compounds meant for under the skin use do not belong in a blood vessel. I checked details carefully ahead of time. Plus I grasped the basics of the process before introducing any substance via needle.

I ran 5 mg three times a week for four weeks. It was weird. I couldn't tell if it was working until week three when I noticed clean energy. It wasn't a pump or stim feeling, I could just keep going. Since it took that long I was going to run it for six weeks but cut it short. End of February I'm planning to run the full mitochondrial protocol with SS-31, MOTS-c, and NAD+ since I'm 45 and have some wear on the body. I also supplement 6-8 g L-citrulline daily before workouts and 3 g L-carnitine daily plus other stuff. I don't know how it compares to those but for me it's a nice steady energy increase. Everyone responds differently to lower and higher doses but that's what worked for me.

Appreciate the feedback here. Distinguishing reported incidents from an elevated chance of severe negative responses seems necessary. The contents of those containers remain unknown since they aren't from regulated sources. Every drug has the potential to cause severe allergic responses on rare occasions, including the ones mentioned. This possibility shows up in lists of uncommon effects. Caution is always warranted regardless. For my part, I test a tiny bit from each new container ahead of using the complete amount to observe the reaction.

Truth is, I tend to skip those sessions quite a bit. ;-) That probably brings it down to about twice weekly. Have others stopped the cycle after a while? Opinions seem to vary a lot around here.

Injecting these kinds of compounds straight into the bloodstream seems really risky to me. It might not match the hazards of illicit opioids, yet even a small amount of microbes could trigger a major whole-body infection that way. Under the skin, your body's defenses usually manage fine. Stuff sourced from overseas doesn't meet the cleanliness needed for safe vein use. Trying this approach with that particular compound appears especially unwise. It looks more prone than usual to triggering severe allergic shock. Lots of folks here report skin-level sensitivities to it. Escalating from that to full-blown reaction isn't much of a leap. Though it's produced internally, it comes from an old bacterial remnant embedded in our cells, and those kinds of proteins can provoke immune responses. The amounts normally circulating are tiny compared to what a typical injection delivers, which might explain why it still works even if it breaks down quickly—something unverified in people. This pattern shows up with many similar compounds, aside from certain ones modified with lipid attachments to slow breakdown.

5 mg a day five days a week for me for four weeks then switch to SS-31 at the same dosages.

I've wondered if the gains from running through MOTS cycles keep going once those cycles end. I really want the fixes in my mitochondria to hold steady long term, as long as I stick with solid eating and regular workouts.

This stuff really boosts my stamina when doing aerobic workouts. I stick to a small amount of one milligram each day for six days out of seven. Spot reactions stay light early on but turn stronger near the close of a supply. I had seen footage covering bad allergic responses ahead of time so I kept an epinephrine injector ready right from the first use. 😌

I have read a lot about cleaner energy on MOTS-c but has anyone had it make them feel more tired? Finished week one and since about day two I feel more sluggish. 1 mg daily Monday through Friday. Not sure if it's something else going on or if I should just try 5 mg doses next week.