TB-500 and BPC-157 for ADHD: what the evidence actually says

What did @demesquitadave actually say?

The creator ranked several compounds for ADHD management in a tier-list format. They claimed Semax (called "C-Max" throughout) is S-tier because it "dries up dopamine" and raises BDNF. They described Selank as calming GABA activity and compared it to "Venzo" (likely Phenibut or a benzodiazepine). DSIP was praised for sleep and circadian rhythm, with the creator sharing a personal anecdote about sleeping 10 hours on their first dose. "Reber Lycen" — almost certainly Rivastigmine — was called S-plus from a safety standpoint because it's FDA-approved and usable in children. NAD+ was called S-plus tier while the creator correctly noted it is not a peptide.

There are immediate red flags here. Several compound names are mangled badly enough that listeners may not even know what's being discussed. The core framing — that unregulated, injectable research compounds are appropriate ADHD interventions — deserves serious scrutiny.

Does the science back this up?

Some of it does, partially. The BDNF claims for Semax have actual research behind them, but the dopamine framing is wrong. The rest ranges from oversimplified to misleading.

Semax, a synthetic heptapeptide derived from ACTH, has shown genuine effects on BDNF expression in rodent models and some small human studies. Dolotov et al. (2006, Journal of Molecular Neuroscience) found Semax increased BDNF and its receptor TrkB in rat brain tissue. However, saying it "dries up dopamine" is backwards — Semax appears to modulate dopaminergic signaling in ways that may increase dopamine availability in prefrontal regions, not deplete it. That's a meaningful factual error.

Selank, another Russian-developed peptide, has been studied as an anxiolytic with GABAergic and serotonergic effects. Semenova et al. (2010, Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine) documented anxiolytic properties in animal models. Comparing it to a benzodiazepine — which the creator implies by saying "Venzo" — overstates its potency and mechanism equivalency. That comparison is irresponsible to make without heavy qualification.

DSIP (Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide) evidence is thin and mostly old. The bulk of research is from the 1970s-80s, rodent-based, and not replicated reliably in humans.

What did they get wrong (or right)?

The creator gets credit for one thing: correctly flagging that NAD+ is not a peptide. That's accurate and a distinction most peptide influencers skip entirely.

But the errors are significant. First, "dries up dopamine" for Semax is factually inverted. Second, the safety claims for what sounds like Rivastigmine are being applied to a compound primarily studied for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's dementia — not ADHD in otherwise healthy adults. The FDA approval referenced covers those indications, not ADHD, and saying it "can be used with children" without specifying for what condition is misleading.

Third, the creator presents these compounds as a consumer ranking exercise — S-tier, B-tier — which strips away all the context that would make this information safe to act on. Semax and Selank are not approved by the FDA for any indication. They exist in a regulatory gray zone as research compounds. None of these should be self-administered based on a TikTok tier list.

The GABA mechanism described for Selank is directionally accurate but simplified to the point of distortion. Selank does not simply "dry up" GABA — it appears to modulate GABAergic transmission in more nuanced ways, and its full mechanism remains under investigation.

What should you actually know?

If you have ADHD and you're curious about peptide-adjacent approaches, there is real science worth knowing — but it requires more nuance than a tier list delivers.

Semax has legitimate early-stage research on cognitive and neuroprotective effects, including BDNF modulation. That does not make it a proven ADHD treatment. No large-scale, randomized controlled trial has established Semax as effective for ADHD in adults. The same applies to Selank. Both are Schedule-uncontrolled in the U.S. but not FDA-approved, meaning quality control, dosing standards, and long-term safety data are largely absent from the commercial supply chain.

DSIP's human evidence is genuinely weak. If you're prioritizing sleep for cognitive function — which is legitimate for ADHD management — there are better-studied options worth discussing with a clinician.

NAD+ does have a growing body of research on mitochondrial function and neurological health, including work by Rajman et al. (2018, Cell Metabolism) on NAD+ precursors. But its specific role in ADHD symptom management is not established.

The right move here is to treat this video as a starting point for questions to ask a licensed provider, not a protocol to follow.