Reta + MOTS-c
Appetite through one pathway, mitochondria through another
Experimental material. Read before using anything from here.
Nothing on this page is a medical recommendation, prescription or treatment plan. It is an organized translation of protocols circulating in research communities and, where it exists, of what published trials tested. The two are marked differently — and they are not equivalent.
Most of the compounds here have no FDA approval for human use. Several are sold labeled "research use only", which means they have not gone through purity, sterility or dosage controls for human consumption. A community-reported dose is not a validated dose: it is what someone reported having done.
Talk to a licensed health professional before considering any of these compounds. If you already use one and feel anything unexpected, seek care — do not wait for the next routine test.
No package insert, no approved dose
This compound has no FDA registration — checked in the label database on September 4, 2026. That does not make it safer than semaglutide or tirzepatide, which carry a black box warning: it makes it less known. There is no approved titration ladder, no defined maximum dose and no official contraindication list to compare with the tables on this page.
The related analogs that already have a package insert carry a thyroid C-cell tumor warning — and tirzepatide is contraindicated in medullary thyroid carcinoma and MEN 2 in the package inserts of both countries, while semaglutide is only in the United States. The full audit is in The GLP-1s against the package insert.
Summary
Joins two compounds that act on different parts of metabolism. Retatrutide is Eli Lilly's investigational triple agonist, acting on GLP-1, GIP and glucagon to reduce appetite. MOTS-c enters through the mitochondrial and AMPK pathway. MOTS-c is generally used in pulses, not continuously.
Quick reference
- Format
- Separate vials only. No pre-mixed commercial product exists.
- Schedule
- Retatrutide 1×/week. MOTS-c 2–3×/week or at a low daily dose.
- Sequence
- Run retatrutide alone for the first 4 weeks. Add MOTS-c in week 5, with tolerance already established.
- Status
- Retatrutide in phase 3. MOTS-c is research-only and banned by WADA.
Cycle Guidelines
| Approach | Duration | MOTS-c Pattern | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative Start | Reta weeks 1-24 (titrate to 4-6 mg max) | MOTS-c only weeks 5-12, then off | First-time stack users, metabolic concerns |
| Standard research cycle | Reta weeks 1-48 (target 9 mg) | MOTS-c 8-week pulses with 4-week breaks | Most community protocols |
| Aggressive deficit | Reta weeks 1-68 (target 12 mg) | MOTS-c 6 weeks on / 2 weeks off, repeating | Advanced subjects with established tolerance |
Retatrutide Reconstitution Math
| Vial size | BAC water added | Concentration | 2 mg Dose | 4 mg dose | 6 mg Dose | 9 mg Dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 1.0 mL | 5 mg/mL | 0.40 mL (40 units) | 0.80 mL (80 units) | N/A | N/A |
| 10 mg | 1.0 mL | 10 mg/mL | 0.20 mL (20 units) | 0.40 mL (40 units) | 0.60 mL (60 units) | 0.90 mL (90 units) |
| 10 mg | 2.0 mL | 5 mg/mL | 0.40 mL (40 units) | 0.80 mL (80 units) | 1.20 mL (120 units*) | 1.80 mL (180 units*) |
| 20 mg | 2.0 mL | 10 mg/mL | 0.20 mL (20 units) | 0.40 mL (40 units) | 0.60 mL (60 units) | 0.90 mL (90 units) |
| 30 mg | 3.0 mL | 10 mg/mL | 0.20 mL (20 units) | 0.40 mL (40 units) | 0.60 mL (60 units) | 0.90 mL (90 units) |
MOTS-c Reconstitution Math
| Vial size | BAC water added | Concentration | 5 mg dose | 2.5 mg Dose | 1 mg Dose | 200 mcg dose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 mg | 1.0 mL | 5 mg/mL | 1.0 mL (100 units) | 0.50 mL (50 units) | 0.20 mL (20 units) | 0.04 mL (4 units) |
| 5 mg | 2.0 mL | 2.5 mg/mL | 2.0 mL (200 units*) | 1.0 mL (100 units) | 0.40 mL (40 units) | 0.08 mL (8 units) |
| 10 mg | 1.0 mL | 10 mg/mL | 0.50 mL (50 units) | 0.25 mL (25 units) | 0.10 mL (10 units) | 0.02 mL (2 units) |
| 10 mg | 2.0 mL | 5 mg/mL | 1.0 mL (100 units) | 0.50 mL (50 units) | 0.20 mL (20 units) | 0.04 mL (4 units) |
| 10 mg | 3.0 mL | 3.33 mg/mL | 1.50 mL (150 units*) | 0.75 mL (75 units) | 0.30 mL (30 units) | 0.06 mL (6 units) |
MOTS-c vs Retatrutide: What Is the Difference?
| Comparison | Retatrutide | MOTS-c |
|---|---|---|
| Compound type | Investigational triple-receptor agonist | Mitochondrial-derived peptide |
| Main research focus | Appetite, energy balance, and metabolic outcomes | Cellular energy signaling and mitochondrial function |
| Human evidence | Larger controlled clinical program | Limited native-peptide human evidence |
| Typical schedule discussed | Weekly | Several days per week in community protocols |
| Interchangeable? | No | No |
Retatrutide + MOTS-c vs Cagrilintide + Retatrutide vs Advanced Recomp Stack
| Feature | Reta + MOTS-c | Cagrilintide + Retatrutide | Advanced Recomp Stack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Components | Reta + MOTS-c | Retatrutide + Cagrilintide | Reta or tirz + tesamorelin or CJC/Ipa + MOTS-c (3+) |
| Pathway coverage | Triple agonist + AMPK / mitochondrial | Triple agonist + amylin (extra satiety) | Triple agonist + GH axis + AMPK |
| Inflammation focus | Indirect retatrutide signal | Indirect | Indirect |
| Lean mass focus | Moderate (MOTS-c myostatin signal) | Low (no dedicated lean-mass mechanism) | High (dedicated GH secretagogue) |
| Mitochondrial focus | High (MOTS-c is mitochondrial-derived) | None | High (MOTS-c usually included) |
| Injections per week | 2 compounds, 4-5 injections | 2 compounds, 2 injections | 3+ compounds, 7+ injections |
| Cost (research-grade, monthly) | Moderate ($150-$300 combined) | Moderate ($200-$400 combined) | High ($350-$600+ combined) |
Storage and handling
The rules below apply to practically every lyophilized peptide in this reference. Where a compound has its own requirement, it appears in the table in the previous section.
- Lyophilized powder, sealed: refrigerator, between 2 and 8 °C, protected from light. Many tolerate room temperature for short transport periods, but that is tolerance, not a recommendation.
- After reconstitution: always refrigerated, between 2 and 8 °C. The stability window drops to days or a few weeks, depending on the compound.
- Never freeze after reconstituting. The freeze–thaw cycle degrades the peptide.
- Do not shake. Swirl the vial slowly. Shaking breaks the peptide chain.
- Bacteriostatic water down the wall of the vial, in a slow stream, not squirted directly onto the powder.
- Cloudy solution, with particles or a color change: discard. There is no recovery.
Lab tests and monitoring
This list is the one that appears recurrently in the source, with small variations by compound. It serves as a starting point for a conversation with a professional — not as a substitute for that conversation.
- Before starting: complete blood count, comprehensive metabolic panel, lipid panel, fasting glucose and HbA1c, TSH and free T4, blood pressure and resting heart rate.
- Depending on the compound: IGF-1 (GH axis), lipase and amylase (VIP and the incretin agonists), serum copper and ceruloplasmin (GHK-Cu and blends containing it), CRP.
- Reassessment: most protocols review between week 4 and week 8, and then every 8–12 weeks.
- Do not wait for the routine lab test in the face of abdominal pain, visual changes, a change in a mole, shortness of breath, asymmetric swelling or any new and persistent symptom. That is a reason to seek care, not a spreadsheet item.
Evidence limits
Data source: peptidedosingprotocols.com, accessed on September 3, 2026. Translation and organization in Portuguese are original work. No primary source (PubMed, trial registry, package insert) was checked in building this page — the check was against the secondary source, and that alone.