DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide, also called emideltide) is a 9-amino-acid peptide that Swiss researchers isolated from rabbits in 1977 and named for the deep, slow-wave “delta” sleep it seemed to trigger.[4] Today it is sold online as injections and nasal sprays for sleep and stress.[1] But small human trials in the 1980s gave mixed results, no gene or receptor for DSIP has been identified,[5] and FDA advisers reportedly voted against allowing it in pharmacy compounding in 2026.[3] For other options people research, see the sleep peptides category.
What is DSIP?
Guido Schoenenberger and Marcel Monnier in Basel, Switzerland, reported in 1977 that a peptide isolated from rabbits, originally traced to the venous blood draining the brain, boosted slow-wave brain activity when infused into rabbits’ brains. They sequenced it as Trp-Ala-Gly-Gly-Asp-Ala-Ser-Gly-Glu.[4][5]
Four decades later, its role is still unclear. Moscow sleep researchers Vladimir Kovalzon and Tatyana Strekalova wrote in 2006 that the link between DSIP and sleep “has never been further characterized” because no DSIP gene, parent protein or receptor has been isolated.[5] In animal studies DSIP appears to act through opioid-related pathways without binding opioid receptors directly.[1]
DSIP sleep research: what human studies found
The insomnia studies used IV doses of about 25 to 30 nmol/kg in small groups of no more than 18 people.[1]
| Study | Design | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Schneider-Helmert, 1986 (18 adults) | Compared with outside healthy controls | Sleep improved to normal values[7] |
| Schneider-Helmert, 1987 (14 adults) | Placebo nights only at start and end | Better sleep and daytime alertness[8] |
| Monti et al., 1987 | Double-blind crossover | No significant difference from placebo; little clinical significance[10] |
| Bes et al., 1992 (16 adults) | Double-blind, parallel placebo group | Weak effects, possibly due to chance; unlikely to be of major benefit[9] |
In the 1987 study, the average time to fall asleep dropped from 58 minutes to 28 minutes after a week, but FDA noted the study had no placebo arm, only comparisons with baseline and an outside group.[1]
Why DSIP is hard to study
- It breaks down fast. FDA cites a plasma half-life of about 8 minutes in humans; in a lab test, its half-life in human serum was 5 to 10 minutes as enzymes cut it into fragments.[1]
- Small amounts may reach the brain. Animal studies suggest some DSIP crosses from blood into brain fluid, but the process saturates.[1]
- Infusion speed matters. In healthy volunteers, the same dose lengthened sleep most when infused over 4 to 8 minutes and had no effect when given over 1 minute.[1]
Across all published studies, FDA counted 209 people who received IV DSIP, at 25 to 150 nmol/kg for 1 to 15 days.[1]
DSIP for opioid and alcohol withdrawal
- Geneva, 1984: 107 inpatients withdrawing from alcohol or opiates received IV DSIP. Doctors reported that symptoms disappeared or improved in most, but anxiety eased slowly, and there was no comparison group.[11] FDA noted that some opioid patients had anxiety and marked insomnia return within 1 to 3 days of stopping.[1]
- 1998 open trial: in 7 people with opioid dependence, withdrawal scores fell after the first injection, but only 2 completed the full schedule.[12][1]
Neither study had blinding or a placebo group.[1] A single 1984 case report in a man with narcolepsy is the only data for that use.[1]
Russian research on DSIP
Russian chemists developed Deltaran, a mix of DSIP and the amino acid glycine.[1] In St. Petersburg studies of female mice injected monthly for life:
- Average lifespan did not change, but maximum lifespan rose 24% and spontaneous tumors fell 2.6-fold.[13]
- A later Russian-language study reported more exploratory, less anxious behavior.[14]
These are mouse results only. FDA noted that glycine itself has been reported to have anti-tumor properties, so the findings may not be due to DSIP.[1]
DSIP dosage
There is no approved dose. The human insomnia studies gave about 25 to 30 nmol/kg by slow IV injection; FDA converts the 25 nmol/kg dose to 21.3 micrograms per kg.[1] By our own arithmetic, that studied IV dose equals roughly 1.5 mg for a 70 kg adult. This is a unit conversion of a research dose, not a recommended dose. No study has tested DSIP injected under the skin, the way it is sold now, so online doses are not based on trials.[1] If you are working out vial math, see our peptide calculator.
DSIP side effects
- Insomnia studies: no significant side effects were reported in small IV studies.[1]
- Withdrawal study: 9 of 107 patients had brief sweating, headache, nausea or dizziness; 2 had low blood pressure at the first injection, and one had progressive low blood pressure after a second dose.[1]
- Unknowns: FDA found no reports in its adverse event database, no animal toxicity studies, and no data on addiction potential, which it flagged because DSIP stimulates the opioid system in animals.[1]
- Immune reactions and impurities: FDA warned that injected peptides like DSIP may trigger immune reactions, and that commercial products often do not say which form they contain.[1][2]
Is DSIP legal?
- US: not approved. DSIP was nominated for pharmacy compounding, placed in FDA’s Category 2 for safety concerns, and the nominations were later withdrawn.[2] FDA reviewed it anyway for insomnia, narcolepsy and opioid withdrawal and recommended against it. On July 24, 2026, advisers reportedly voted 6 to 7, with one abstention, against adding it, according to RAPS.[1][3] FDA has not issued a final decision.
- Other countries: FDA found it is not a registered drug in any country it searched.[1]
- Sports: not named on WADA’s 2026 list; in our reading it falls under S0, non-approved substances banned at all times.[15]
This is general information, not legal advice.
DSIP vs epitalon and other sleep peptides
Epitalon is a 4-amino-acid peptide from Russian anti-aging research. At the same July 2026 meeting, FDA advisers reportedly backed it for insomnia while rejecting DSIP.[3] Both have only small or indirect human sleep data. Selank is a Russian peptide studied for anxiety. For more, browse sleep and cognitive peptides.
