VIP (vasoactive intestinal peptide)
Vasoactive intestinal peptide, a gut and nerve hormone that calms inflammation, relaxes blood vessels and airways.
Not approved (IV aviptadil missed its main goal in a COVID trial); nasal VIP is compounded.
Used for
- Mold-related illness (CIRS), as a nasal spray
- Inflammatory lung disease (sarcoidosis, studied)
- Pulmonary hypertension and respiratory failure (studied)
How it works
Acts on VPAC receptors on immune cells, blood vessels and airways: it lowers inflammatory signals like TNF-alpha, raises regulatory T cells and widens vessels and airways.
Half-life: about 1–2 minutes in the blood
What the research shows
- In 20 people with active sarcoidosis, 4 weeks of inhaled VIP lowered TNF-alpha from lung immune cells and raised regulatory T cells; no placebo group.
- In critical COVID-19 (IV aviptadil), the main goal was missed, though survival at 60 days was better in secondary analyses.
- Nasal VIP for CIRS comes from one clinician’s uncontrolled case series, published outside PubMed.
Dosing
Dosing isn’t listed on the public site. In the app, each published option is shown with its source (a drug label, a clinical guideline, a trial or community reports) and can be turned into a protocol you review.
Work out the units to draw for your vial →Side effects
- Flushing
- Low blood pressure, lightheadedness
- Loose stools
- Nasal irritation
Cautions
- Can lower blood pressure: take care if you already run low or take blood pressure drugs.
- Compounded sprays vary; keep them refrigerated.
- Research-chemical vials have no quality control: purity, dose and sterility vary. Third-party testing helps but is no guarantee.
Storage
Unmixed powder: freezer or fridge, away from light.
Once mixed with bacteriostatic water: fridge; the common rule is to use it within 28 days.
There is no label or published stability data for this one, so treat these as habits, not limits.
More in Immune
Reference only, not medical advice. Written for this app from the cited research. Doses marked community-reported are not from trials.