Melanotan II info

[awakened615]

I can't remember where I found this but it was part of an article written on it. The beginning is not on here because it describes what exactly it does which I am pretty sure everyone that has been interested and has done research already knows but here are some other things I have found:



Suggested Cycles/Uses
If you look hard enough out there, you will find some weird and wonderful dosaging schedules whereby the user calculates their daily dosage by multiplying their bodyweight by a cofactor. Perhaps this approach has been adopted since this has been the method employed in the ongoing clinical studies. Typically, this type of formula would suggest a dose of 1mg of MT-II per day for someone weighing in at a mere 110lb (50kg). The cynical among us might be forgiven for thinking that these formulae are constructed by those with a personal interest in the sale of the product as I believe this to be more than necessary to achieve a great result. Indeed, there are many instances whereby users feel they have become too dark. While I have no problem with a bodyweight dosage scale in principle, I can't help thinking that it's not only unnecessary (particularly for the mathematically challenged), but also avoids the ability to gradually increase dosages from a relatively low level; something which I would advocate to assess individual tolerance levels to side effects, especially in the case of MT-II.

Clinical trials to determine efficacy of the drugs have typically used dosages up to 0.21mg/kg daily for Melanotan (16mg for a 75kg (165lb) individual), and up to 0.03mg/kg daily for Melanotan II (2.25mg for a 75kg (165lb) individual). More typically however, trials have used the dosages of 0.16mg/kg (12mg) and 0.025mg/kg (1.875mg) respectively. At this level of dosage, one such study involving Melanotan indicated the following incidences of side effects from subjects:

Nausea 85%
Facial Flushing 75%
Fatigue 44%
Vomiting 26%
Injection site reactions 13%
Zero incidence of erections
No change in vital signs or haematological parameters, blood biochemistry (liver and renal function)
As is the case with any drug use, the user is ideally looking to minimise unwanted side effects, whilst still achieving an acceptable outcome. With this in mind, I would suggest that a tapering up of dosages is used in order to assess the individual's personal tolerance to the side effects.

Both MT and MT II can be used for extended periods, whereby there is an initial daily administration of perhaps 2-3 weeks or until desired level of pigmentation has been achieved, followed by a maintenance phase of two injections per week.

Melanotan:
Start with a dose of 1mg daily for the first two or three days and, if level of side effects permit, look to increase dosage by 0.25mg every day over the next several days until you reach a daily dosage of 2-3mg. This level should be adequate for most users, though some may wish to increase yet further, perhaps as high as 5mg daily in order to achieve a very deep tan. A maintenance phase as described above is then used.

Melanotan II:
Start with a dose of 0.25mg. If side effects (primarily nausea) are not proving troublesome, attempt to increase daily dosage by 0.25mg where possible, until you reach 1-1.5mg daily. Most have found that this level will yield a very pleasing result and I can't see much point in increasing too much further unless a very deep tan was desired. As with Melanotan, once the desired level of tanning is reached, a maintenance phase is used.

Administration
Both MT and MT II are currently supplied as white lyophilised powder contained in a sealed multi-use vial. The peptide is susceptible to temperature degradation and should be shipped preferably with an ice pack though contrary to popular belief, the rate of degradation is very slow (weeks) in its powder form, so there's no need to be alarmed if yours wasn't shipped in this manner or you are unable to collect your package from a depot for a day or two. Once delivered, the powder is best stored in a freezer, or refrigerated if this is not possible.

To prepare for injection, it must be reconstituted with bacteriostatic water. You may use anything between 1ml and 5ml of water for your vial. Dependant upon the amount of water used will determine the concentration of your solution. For example, a 10mg vial of Melanotan II mixed with 1ml of water will provide a solution of 10mg per 1ml (10mg/ml). This means that a 1mg dose will require a shot of 0.1ml. Bearing in mind that the recommended starting dose is 0.25mg, using the example above, the actual volume of the shot would be 0.025ml (¼ of 1 tenth of a ml). This is a very small volume and very difficult to accurately dose even with a 0.5ml insulin syringe. Therefore, at least until your dosages have increased, it is suggested that you use more water for your vial.

An example of a good solution would be to mix 10mg of Melanotan II powder with 4ml of bacteriostatic water. This now provides:

10mg/4ml or 1mg/0.4ml or 0.25mg/0.1ml

0.1ml can be accurately measured using a 0.5ml or 1ml syringe.

Obviously, as your dosages become higher, you may dilute subsequent vials with lower amounts of water to reduce the volume of each shot. I would recommend that when you are using a dosage of 1mg, you reconstitute the vial with 1ml or 2ml of water so that each shot will be 0.1ml or 0.2ml respectively.

The injection is given into the sub-cutaneous layer which includes adipose tissue (fat), as in the figure below:



If you are using insulin syringes which have short needles, you will need to enter the skin at 90°. to the skin, otherwise you can inject as shown in the illustration above with a 29 or 30 gauge, 0.5" needle.

I would suggest that you use standard 1ml syringes to which you can interchange needles as required. By doing so, you are able to attach any gauge/length you want to reconstitute and draw the solution (I use a 25guage 1" needle). Once done, simply attach your suitable needle for the injection. Following the injection, ensure that you pull back the plunger a little to 'reclaim' the solution that is contained within the needle itself. The syringe/needle is then placed in the refridgerator for storage until your next injection is due whereby you will attach a brand new injection needle. This process is repeated until you have administered all of the solution in that particular syringe.

Alternatively, you may pre-load insulin syringes and refrigerate until needed. However, because they have non-detachable needles, this can be quite cumbersome as they require loading from the rear.

Instability of the peptide is a much greater issue once reconstituted so you don't want it sitting in the fridge for months on end. Ideally one 10mg vial of MT-II could be shared by two people (each having their own syringe/needles) so even during the maintenance phase of two injections per week of 1mg each; the longest it will be reconstituted for is 2.5 weeks.

Major Differences
I'm guessing by now the question on most people's mind would be which of the two is better? The short answer is Melanotan for the obvious reason that it facilitates tanning with limited side effects. It is for this reason that this analogue is being trialled with a view to bringing it to market by Clinuvel. They would be faced with an almost impossible mission had they chosen instead MT-II to develop and place before the regulatory authorities for approval. This is due to the host of extra side effects commonly encountered by users of this analogue, perhaps also coupled with the fact that the side effects that are shared with Melanotan appear more pronounced. However, in terms of monetary cost, and perhaps also a desire to experience and utilise the other side effects, most prospective users will choose Melanotan II.

Melanotan's peptide structure is very closely matched to that of our endogenously produced alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH). It is a specific agonist of the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC-1R) which is primarily responsible for skin colour and is found on melanocyte cells.

Melanotan II on the other hand has a much shorter sequence of amino acids and because of this quite pronounced change in length and structure, is an agonist of the range of melanocortin receptors. Perhaps more importantly, binding at receptors other than MC-1R is far greater than that of Melanotan. This 'shotgun effect' agonism of the full spectrum of different melanocortin receptors results in some effects that are only witnessed from MT-II. Most notably, increases in sexual arousal are due to MT-II's activation of MC-3R and MC-4R.

Because the amino acid sequence is much shorter in the case of MT-II, there is therefore a much greater density of peptide chains than is present using MT within a given set weight. Although the receptor binding affinity of MT-II may not be quite as effective, there will be much more peptide chains than for MT on a mg for mg basis so effectively you require much less in terms of milligram weight of Melanotan II to achieve similar results. This accounts for the wide difference in suggested dosages for each peptide and of course, makes MT-II a much cheaper proposition.

Effects / Side Effects
Melanotan Melanotan II
Skin pigmentation Skin pigmentation
Nausea Nausea
Appetite suppression Appetite suppression
Flushing (esp. facial) Flushing (esp. facial)
Headache Headache
Lethargy Lethargy
Itching Itching
Dizziness Dizziness
New mole appearance or darkening New mole appearance or darkening
Hyperpigmentation Hyperpigmentation
White patches White patches
Increased libido
Physical sexual arousal
Anaphylactic shock?

Of the above listed effects/side effects, it is worth bearing in mind that the prevalence and severity are witnessed to a greater degree from Melanotan II. Indeed, most will find Melanotan very comfortable to use, typically only experiencing minor nausea, appetite suppression and flushing.

Although side effects do become less troublesome with each administration of MT or MT-II, most users will experience at least some of the side effect to varying degrees, most commonly nausea, appetite suppression, facial flushing and dull headaches. These will typically become apparent within a few minutes of administration but can last for many hours. In the case of MT-II, increases in libido are often seen in conjunction with outwardly physical signs of sexual arousal whereby the male user experiences prolonged periods of increased blood flow to the penis. This particular side effect does not diminish in severity over time and instances of occurrence are to be expected throughout the period of MT-II use. As I'm sure you can appreciate, this aspect may prove embarrassing and perhaps quite uncomfortable, so I must stress again the importance of building dosage up gradually to assess personal tolerance and susceptibility.

Some users will notice the new appearance of freckles as these particular areas of skin have increased melanin. The good news is that as the tan is developed, the visual appearance of them will diminish, probably completely. Moles commonly become darker too as these are actually highly concentrated clusters of melanocytes. Both of these occurrences will reverse some time after discontinuation of the peptide and suntanning is ceased.

In addition to freckles and mole changes, there are fairly rare reports of a phenomenon called hyperpigmentation. This is typified by blotches of darkened skin, normally much larger than regular moles. Not all incidences of hyperpigmentation are attributable to increased melanocyte activity even though their appearance may only become apparent during melanocortin receptor agonism by Melanotan I or II. This condition is specifically referred to as diffuse hyperpigmentation, with many possible underlying causes or disorders including Addison's disease, haemochromatosis, hyperthyroidism and certain medications which may induce phototoxic reactions.

Previously unseen white spots or white patches of skin may also become apparent as the tan deepens. Again, this is not thought to occur as a direct result of using Melanotan, rather it merely uncovers the underlying condition. There are a range of actual causes. White spots (typically 2-5mm in size) may be the result of Idiopathic guttate hypomelanosis where there are reductions in the number of melanocytes and melanin in those particular areas. Larger white areas of skin may be due to Tinea versicolor which is a fungal infection caused by the yeast Malassezia furfur which is found on the skin and is not normally troublesome. Treatment would normally include an oral or topical anti-fungal though it may take many weeks for the skin tone to become consistent with surrounding areas.

It has been suggested that due to the greater difference of MT-II to our own α-MSH, there is a greater chance of the body to view the peptide as a 'foreign body' and produce an allergic response. This could potentially trigger anaphylaxis, a potentially life threatening situation whereby large amounts of histamine are produced by the body which can lead to a host of effects including severe bronchoconstriction and rapid drops in blood pressure.

[nettplus]

I get some sickness, but I drastically lowered the suggest dosage and it was fine. Took longer, but still worked.

[VitaminB]

I really want to try this stuff later this spring and into the summer. Can anyone give an accurate example of how much it amplifies sun exposure? For instance, one hour in the sun with 1mg MT II will approximately equal ___ hours in the sun w/o. Also, how long before exposure should the inj be made?

[awakened615]

Originally Posted by VitaminB

I really want to try this stuff later this spring and into the summer. Can anyone give an accurate example of how much it amplifies sun exposure? For instance, one hour in the sun with 1mg MT II will approximately equal ___ hours in the sun w/o. Also, how long before exposure should the inj be made?

VB you don't need to be in the sun at all brother. If you want to obviously you can but M2 works on the melocortin receptors which control the color of your skin and other thingslike libido. I thought it sort of explained it in this article but maybe it doesn't anyway it works on all the MC-R's and in this case the MC-1R being the most important in terms of skin pigmentation. It is an agonist which is a drug that triggers a reaction from a hormone a cell or another drug. Eumelanin is what is increased in the skin by M1 and M2. The increase is what allows the skin to darken without being exposed to Ultraviolet light (the sun). As for your question I would think it depends on the person considering dose is usually dependent on body weight and as the sun also increases the levels of Melanin it may also depend on the exact amount of exposure and strength of the suns rays. For instance on a cloudy summer week versus a cloudless summer week you would achieve a better tan better on a cloudy week because the uv-b rays get burnt up more when it is not cloudy. I tried to explain that the best I could bro. I hope it helps and answers your questions. i have done tons of reading and researching on this subject. I feel like a scientist sometimes with certain peptides. lol. By the way in case anyone is wondering why exactly you get the other sides effects from this is because the other MC receptors that M2 affects are Nonpigmentary receptors, such as, MC-SR (which is distributed in Gastro intestinal tissues) hence nausea. The MC-3R and 4R are actually in the brain. and the last but not least MC-2R which is the adrenal cortex receptor for ACTH. ACTH is a peptide of 39 AA's which act on the cells of the adrenal cortex. It stimulates the cells to produce testosterone and cortisol. I will leave it at that unless anyone would like to know more. It gets really confusing and it took me reading things 10 times over to understand it but I put everything in my own words so I hope it helps a little for those interested. Respectfully, Awakened

[muscleman79]

good read bro...thanks...

[noname]

Vitamin B, I'll just give you my real quick, real-life experience. I'm of Irish-German descent. My father is your prototypical red-headed Irishman with skin so pale it's damn near translucent. He can literally burn being out in the sun for fifteen or twenty minutes if there are clear skies in he's out around noon.

I'm not nearly as pale, but I'm still very pale. I work two jobs and I rarely have time where I can get any significant sun and I refuse to do the fake tan thing (I prefer to get my cancers the old fashion way).

Enter MT-II. I got 5 10mg vials from a trusted source. He suggested that I use the first vial, taking 1mg/day and then after that, use 1mg/e3d to maintain. Now, there is no way that he could have forseen just how pale I was. After the first vial, there was not too much significant change, but I attribute this to being so pale. I decided that I would use the first two vials at 1mg/day and then move on to the maintenace phase - which I am still on.

Long story short, I have color like I never have before. I've only been to the beach once in the two months or so that I've been on it, and I've only gotten sun at other times MAYBE three to four times in that period. Yet, my arms, chest, back stomach and (to a lesser extent) my legs are all becoming a nice, rich, brown color. It doesn't look yellowish or fake - it looks like a true to life, slow baked beach tan.

People who I haven't seen for several months are coming up to me and complimenting me on how good my color looks (something that NEVER happened before). It's not splotchy or patchy - it is, in terms of tanning (for me at least) - the greatest shit ever. And, when you look at the average price (going rate seems to be $45 - $65 per 10 mg), it is actually cheaper than going to a tanning salon on any other method and you don't have to make lots of time to lay out (and I'm sure the process would have been sped up had I been in the sun more or if I had tanned in some other fashion).

Conclusion - I spent less than $300 over two and a half months ago on five vials. I just opened the last one. I have better color than I ever had. I've spent almost zero time in the sun, and my color looks great. I really hope that sources can keep this product around without the pharmaceutical company's Nazis getting out there and cracking down because once I finished the second vial and had a nice base, it has only taken me on vial per month (1mg/E3D) to maintain the color. Even at the high end of the price spectrum at $65 per vial, that's only about 2 bucks a day. If you can get it for the low end (and there is a open person here that can help you if you look), it's slightly more than one dollar a day.

Oh, and I've not had any problems with moles or increased freckles. Though I have been horny as hell and my girlfriend is starting to get sore.

Truly, this stuff is great.