# VIP — dosage, half-life & reference guide | PepVault

Source: https://pepvault.app/peptides/vip

Last updated: 2026-09-26

[Library](https://pepvault.app/peptides) [Healing & recovery](https://pepvault.app/peptides#healing) reviewed September 2026

# VIP Dosage, half-life & reference guide

Also known as Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide · VIP neuropeptide

A neuropeptide your body uses to relax blood vessels and steer immune signaling; in animal studies it's a powerful anti-inflammatory. It's used mostly as a nasal spray in protocols for chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) and mold illness.

- **Studied range:** 50 mcg
- **How often:** 2× daily
- **Half-life:** ~2 min IV
- **Evidence:** Moderate
- **Routes:** Intranasal, SubQ

Studied in research — not a recommendation.

[VIP dose guide](https://pepvault.app/lab/dosage/vip)

## How it works.

Neuropeptide with potent anti-inflammatory effects in animal and cell studies; it also relaxes blood vessels and helps regulate the autonomic nervous system. Its effect on mast cells is mixed: in human mast cells in the lab it can trigger them. Used mainly in CIRS (chronic inflammatory response syndrome) and mold-illness protocols, a use that rests on open-label case series from one clinical group.

**Commonly reported:** Flushing or lightheadedness soon after a dose, especially early on, and for people on those protocols a slow lift in brain fog and fatigue over weeks to months. The human evidence is small open-label case series.

## Where VIP works.

- ### Brain, nerves & sleep

  **Reported by users.** Commonly reported by people on CIRS protocols: a slow lift in brain fog and fatigue over weeks to months.
- ### Immune system

  **In animals.** Neuropeptide with potent anti-inflammatory effects in animal and cell studies; it also relaxes blood vessels and helps regulate the autonomic nervous system.

An area lights for what a peptide is used for and what people report, with the evidence beside it. It isn’t a promise that it works there.

## Week by week.

What to expect in the first 8 weeks

1. Day 1–14 Community

   ### The first two weeks

   Commonly reported in the first two weeks: flushing, warmth or lightheadedness soon after a dose, which tends to settle, and for some less reactivity to smells and chemicals. Flushing and low blood pressure are more likely at higher doses.

   The science

   VIP binds VPAC1/VPAC2 receptors and damps Th1/Th17 cytokine output in animal and cell studies (Delgado & Ganea 2013); in human mast cells in the lab it can trigger degranulation (Kulka 2008). Nasal dosing aims to reach the olfactory mucosa and nearby brain directly, around its short half-life in blood; that hasn't been measured in people. The protocols monitor lipase: one patient in the 2013 series had a brief rise that resolved (Shoemaker 2013).

   Sources

   - Delgado & Ganea (2013)
   - Kulka et al. (2008)
   - Shoemaker et al. (2013)

   Updated Sep 2026
2. Day 14–60 Community

   ### A slow arc, not a quick change

   Commonly reported by people on CIRS protocols: a slow lift in brain fog and fatigue over weeks to months. The lab markers these protocols track (TGF-β1, MMP-9 and others) were rechecked at 12 and 18 months in the one published series, so expect a long arc rather than a quick change.

   The science

   In a 20-patient open-label series, C4a, TGF-β1, MMP-9 and VEGF had normalized when rechecked at 12 and 18 months of nasal VIP (Shoemaker 2013). The protocol requires mold avoidance first, and there was no control group.

   Sources

   - Shoemaker et al. (2013)

   Updated Sep 2026
3. Any day Clinical

   ### What VIP is built on

   Widely used in CIRS protocols, lightly studied. VIP is a well-characterized natural neuropeptide; its nasal use rests on small open-label case series from one clinical group, under practitioner guidance.

   The science

   Shoemaker's group published the CIRS protocol papers showing VIP's effect on innate inflammation markers (Shoemaker 2013; Shoemaker 2017), but mainstream research uptake has been limited. The largest controlled trial of synthetic VIP (aviptadil, IV) in 461 patients with COVID-19 respiratory failure found no benefit: 90-day deaths were 38% vs 36% on placebo (TESICO 2023). Endogenous VIP has wide physiological roles (vasodilation, GI motility, circadian regulation); exogenous dosing aims at the anti-inflammatory signaling specifically.

   Sources

   - Shoemaker et al. (2013)
   - Shoemaker et al. (2017)
   - Delgado & Ganea (2013)
   - TESICO Study Group (2023)

   Updated Sep 2026
4. With BPC-157 and LL-37 Community

   ### An inflammation-focused trio

   Three angles at once: VIP to damp inflammation, LL-37 against microbes, and BPC-157 for gut and tissue repair. Used together in some mold-illness practitioner protocols; no study has tested the combination.

   The science

   Each peptide targets a different node: VIP (cytokine suppression), LL-37 (antimicrobial/biofilm), BPC-157 (tissue regeneration). No combined trial exists; the stack pattern comes from functional/integrative practice where multi-mechanism attack is considered necessary for stubborn CIRS presentations.

   Sources

   - Shoemaker et al. (2017)

   Updated Apr 2026

### After week 8

1. Day 60–120 Clinical

   ### The long arc

   The published series ran 18 months, so these later months are still part of the arc. Commonly reported by those who respond: better exercise tolerance and steadier energy. Compare with how you felt before starting.

   The science

   The 2013 open-label series (20 patients, 18+ months) reports exercise pulmonary artery systolic pressure and estradiol/testosterone normalizing at 12–18 months (Shoemaker 2013). There was no control group, and no controlled trial of nasal VIP exists.

   Sources

   - Shoemaker et al. (2013)

   Updated Sep 2026

Day 1 is the day you start it.

## Mixing and a typical run.

Example numbers

### Reconstitution example

Reconstitute a 5 mg vial of VIP with 5 mL of bacteriostatic water and a 50 mcg dose is 5 units on a U-100 syringe, about 100 doses per vial.

- **Vial:** 5 mg
- **Water:** 5 mL
- **Amount:** 50 mcg

Draw to **5 units**

0.3 mL insulin syringe · 30 units

[Mix it in the Reconstitution Lab](https://pepvault.app/lab) [Open the calculator](https://pepvault.app/tools/reconstitution-calculator)

### Run notes

- **Cycle:** Used in defined cycles in CIRS protocols, often 4+ weeks. Practitioner guidance recommended. Community practice — opinions vary. Not a clinical recommendation.
- **Timing:** Intranasal: 2x daily. Separate doses by at least 6 hours.
- **Routes:** Intranasal (primary), SubQ injection
- **Stacks:** BPC-157, LL-37

## Safety.

### Common side effects

- Flushing
- Hypotension at higher doses
- Headache
- Lightheadedness

## Goes with.

- [BPC-157](https://pepvault.app/peptides/bpc-157)
- [LL-37](https://pepvault.app/peptides/ll-37)

## Questions people ask.

### What is VIP?

A neuropeptide your body uses to relax blood vessels and steer immune signaling; in animal studies it's a powerful anti-inflammatory. It's used mostly as a nasal spray in protocols for chronic inflammatory response syndrome (CIRS) and mold illness.

### How is VIP dosed in research?

The research range for VIP is 50 mcg, 2x daily, intranasal. Studied in research — not a recommendation.

### How long does VIP last?

The half-life of VIP is ~2 min IV; intranasal lasts longer locally.

### What do people report on VIP?

Commonly reported on VIP: flushing or lightheadedness soon after a dose, especially early on, and for people on those protocols a slow lift in brain fog and fatigue over weeks to months. The human evidence is small open-label case series.

### Is VIP safe?

The research basis for VIP is moderate: animal studies + some human data. Common side effects in the library: flushing, hypotension at higher doses, headache and lightheadedness.

### What does VIP stack with?

Common stacks for VIP: BPC-157 and LL-37.

## Research.

The literature

### Search the latest research

[PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=VIP) [Google Scholar](https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=VIP)

## Reference.

- **Cadence:** 2× daily 2x daily, intranasal
- **Half-life:** ~2 min IV ~2 min IV; intranasal lasts longer locally
- **Research basis:** Moderate Animal studies + some human data

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- [TB-500 1–2.5 mg](https://pepvault.app/peptides/tb-500)
- [GHK-Cu 1–2 mg](https://pepvault.app/peptides/ghk-cu)
- [KPV 100–300 mcg](https://pepvault.app/peptides/kpv)

## Free tools

- [VIP dose guide](https://pepvault.app/lab/dosage/vip)
- [Reconstitution Lab (3D)](https://pepvault.app/lab)
- [Injection guide (3D)](https://pepvault.app/lab/injection)
- [Peptide Sky (3D)](https://pepvault.app/lab/sky)
- [Peptide tier list](https://pepvault.app/lab/tiers)
- [Reconstitution calculator](https://pepvault.app/tools/reconstitution-calculator)
- [Half-life & active level](https://pepvault.app/tools/peptide-half-life-calculator)

PepVault for iPhone

## Track VIP in PepVault

Log every dose and keep your vial and the doses left in it. 7 days free on the yearly plan for new subscribers.

[Download on the App Store](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id6779318649?pt=129020030&ct=peptides-cta&mt=8)

[Open the calculator](https://pepvault.app/tools/reconstitution-calculator) [How the vial count works](https://pepvault.app/peptide-vial-tracker-app) [Explore the live demo](https://pepvault.app/login)

Reviewed September 2026 [How we check the library](https://pepvault.app/about#library)

PepVault is a research and tracking resource, not medical advice. Ranges are what studies used, never a dose for you. Brand names are trademarks of their owners; PepVault is independent of them.

PepVault is a private research and tracking tool, not medical advice. The information here is reference material from published literature and community use — always verify it and discuss any protocol with a qualified clinician before changing it.

© 2026 PepVault