Protocol·One
Editorial reference, not medical advice. Some of what's on this page is for compounds the FDA hasn't approved. Some is off-label use of approved drugs. None of it replaces a real prescriber. Read for context. Don't self-prescribe.

TB-500 · Dosing

How TB-500 Is Actually Dosed

What does a real TB-500 (thymosin beta-4) dose schedule look like?

A-Tier Recovery Moderate anecdotal

The plain-English version

Most users run 2 to 2.5 milligrams twice a week (a 'loading' phase) for four to six weeks, then drop to 2mg once a week for maintenance if needed. Inject under the skin (subQ). Always with a doctor, and know that TB-500 is banned by WADA for tested athletes.

Route: subcutaneous injection. Evidence tier for the dose: Moderate anecdotal. Strong real-world anecdotal track record; mechanism extrapolates from related research.

The dose at a glance

What's typical What's the max in research
Starting dose: 2 mg subQ (under-the-skin shot) twice weekly for the first 2 weeks. This is the loading phase - higher early dose to saturate tissue. Max observed in research: Some animal protocols and bro-science forums use up to 10 mg per week. There is no human evidence that more produces better outcomes. 5 mg per week (split as 2.5 mg twice) is the practical ceiling.
Maintenance dose: 2 to 2.5 mg twice weekly for 4-6 weeks total. After that, drop to 2 mg once weekly for ongoing maintenance if needed.
Frequency: Twice weekly during loading (Mon/Thu is the common pattern). Once weekly for maintenance. Half-life: Long for a peptide - reported around 2 to 3 days, which is why twice-weekly dosing works.

Cycle length and time off

On cycle: 4 to 6 weeks of loading followed by 4 to 8 weeks of weekly maintenance is the standard cycle.

Off cycle: At least 4 weeks off after a full cycle. Many users do 8-12 weeks off before another loading phase.

Timing notes: Time of day does not matter. Many users inject pre-workout on training days for ritual reasons; the science does not support this specifically.

What's commonly prescribed (per published protocols and clinical write-ups)

TB-500 is gray market in the US - rarely prescribed by mainstream telehealth (compared to BPC-157). Specialty sports medicine clinics and some compounding pharmacies will source it. Most users get it from research-chemical vendors with COAs (Certificate of Analysis - third-party purity test). Note: most so-called 'TB-500' on the market is actually a synthetic fragment (TB4-Frag 17-23), not full-length thymosin beta-4. The fragment may behave differently. Confirm with your vendor.

Source: prescribing labels, published protocols, and clinical write-ups. We have not independently tested each prescriber pattern.

Reconstitution (mixing the vial)

Lyophilized 5 mg vials reconstitute with exactly 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (sterile water with preservative, the kind compounding pharmacies sell for reconstituting peptides). At 5 mg per 2 mL, every 0.1 mL on the syringe equals 250 mcg, so 0.8 mL equals 2 mg. If your pharmacy filled the vial with a different volume, recalculate from the mg/mL printed on your vial label - not from this page. Store in fridge. Use within 30 days.

Reconstitution = mixing freeze-dried (lyophilized) powder with bacteriostatic water (sterile water with preservative) so you can draw a dose into a syringe.

Where to get it

Honest take on where to source this peptide. Open the free account first; that's how we get credited even if you skip the code at checkout.

Compounded peptide vendor

Limitless Biotech

Fits: You already know what research-grade peptides are and you've decided this is the route you want. Limitless is the second vendor we have an affiliate link with for this category; we earn a commission if you buy through it.

Watch: Limitless's products are labeled "For Research Only" and are not FDA-approved for human use. The FDA has been actively issuing warning letters against vendors in this category in 2025 and 2026. Limitless is not a 503A or 503B compounding pharmacy. If you want a prescribing doctor and a real pharmacy, this is not that route.

Step 1 Shop Limitless Biotech ->

Step 2 Apply READ15 at checkout for 15% off.

Compounded peptide vendor

Apollo Peptide Sciences

Fits: You already know what research-grade peptides are and you've decided this is the route you want. Apollo is the vendor we have an affiliate link with for this category; we earn a commission if you buy through it.

Watch: Apollo's products are labeled "For Research Only" and are not FDA-approved for human use. The FDA has been actively issuing warning letters against vendors in this category in 2025 and 2026. Apollo claims third-party COA testing but we have not been able to verify a per-batch lab-named report on their product pages. They are not a 503A or 503B compounding pharmacy. If you want a prescribing doctor and a real pharmacy, this is not that route.

Step 1 Shop Apollo Peptide Sciences ->

Affiliate relationships are disclosed per FTC rules. Editorial take is independent of any commercial relationship; we only recommend what we'd actually use.

Drug interactions to watch

  • No documented major drug interactions in human studies (data is thin).
  • If on blood thinners, talk to your prescriber - cell-migration and angiogenesis mechanism could in theory interact.
  • Not studied with chemotherapy or immunosuppressants - avoid combining without specialist input.

Who should not take this (contraindications)

  • Active cancer (the cell-migration and pro-healing mechanism could in theory feed tumor growth; no human data).
  • Pregnancy and breastfeeding (no safety data).
  • Known peptide hypersensitivity.
  • Tested athletes - WADA-banned, will trigger a positive test.

Common side effects

  • Injection-site soreness, redness, occasional bruising.
  • Mild fatigue or 'head-cold' feeling in week one.
  • Some users report a temporary increase in soreness before improvement (week 2-3).

Serious side effects (call a doctor)

  • No serious adverse events documented in published research, but the human evidence is very thin.
  • Allergic reaction (hives, swelling) - rare, stop and call a doctor.

What to monitor while you're on it

  • Reassess injury pain and function at 4 weeks. If unchanged, stop.
  • Track injection-site reactions.
  • If using long-term, basic CBC and metabolic panel every 3-6 months.

How to stop

Just stop at the end of the cycle. No taper needed.

Where this dosing comes from

  • Animal soft-tissue healing studies on thymosin beta-4 (multiple, 2003 onward)
  • Veterinary use literature (decades of equine soft-tissue protocols)
  • Reddit r/Peptides community consensus
  • Compounding pharmacy formularies for sports-medicine clinics

Where these doses come from

These doses come from biohacker community consensus and clinic protocols, not clinical trials. We have not personally validated each protocol on this page.

Always work with a real prescriber. Don't self-prescribe.

Safety reminder: None of this replaces a doctor. Peptides are gray-market in the US for most uses. Talk to a real prescriber before you change anything.

Where to go next

None of this replaces a doctor. Peptides are gray-market in the US for most uses. Talk to a real prescriber before you change anything.

New to peptides? Start with the foundations ->

Your next step

How to vet a source Find your fit · 2-min quiz