Follistatin 344 vs DS5
Side-by-side comparison of key properties, dosing, and research.
Anabolic & IGF
Follistatin 344Sleep Optimization
DS5- Summary
- Follistatin 344 is a recombinant form of the endogenous follistatin protein. It inhibits myostatin and activin — the primary negative regulators of muscle growth — potentially removing the genetic ceiling on muscle development. It is one of the most theoretically powerful anabolic compounds but is experimental with limited human data.
- DS5 is a synthetic variant of the delta sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP), a nonapeptide originally isolated from rabbit cerebrospinal fluid during slow-wave sleep. Like DSIP, DS5 is explored for sleep optimization, stress modulation, and circadian rhythm normalization, with proposed improvements in potency or stability over the parent molecule.
- Half-Life
- ~24–36 hours
- Estimated 30-60 minutes (peptide degradation)
- Admin Route
- SubQ, IM
- Subcutaneous, Intranasal (research)
- Research
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- Typical Dose
- 100 mcg
- 200-500 mcg per dose
- Frequency
- Once daily
- Once nightly
- Key Benefits
- Inhibits myostatin — removes muscle growth ceiling
- Significant increases in muscle mass and strength
- Reduces fat mass
- Promotes bone density
- May stimulate hair follicle cycling
- Anti-fibrotic effects in muscle tissue
- Synergistic with IGF-1 and other anabolic peptides
- Promotes delta-wave (deep) sleep and improves sleep quality
- May reduce sleep onset latency
- HPA axis modulation for stress reduction
- Non-addictive sleep support without tolerance development
- Potential circadian rhythm normalization
- Explored for insomnia, chronic stress, and PTSD-related sleep disturbance
- Side Effects
- Muscle soreness (from rapid hypertrophy)
- Potential reproductive effects (activin inhibition)
- Unknown long-term safety profile
- Possible esophageal effects at high doses (animal data)
- Generally well-tolerated in research subjects
- Possible morning grogginess at higher doses
- Mild blood pressure fluctuations reported with DSIP
- Limited human safety data for DS5 specifically
- Stacks With
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