Quick answer: reported DSIP side effects are mostly mild and come from small IV studies. Insomnia studies reported no significant problems, while a withdrawal study of 107 patients reported brief sweating, headache, nausea or dizziness in 9 people and low blood pressure in 2.[1] The bigger issue is what has never been studied: FDA found no safety studies of DSIP injected under the skin, no animal toxicity data and no test of its addiction potential.[1]
DSIP (delta sleep-inducing peptide, also called emideltide) is sold online for sleep and stress but is not an approved medicine anywhere FDA searched.[1] For background, see our DSIP profile, the nootropic peptides hub and DSIP vs melatonin.
DSIP side effects reported in human studies
All human safety data come from studies that gave DSIP into a vein, at 25 to 150 nmol/kg, for 1 to 15 days. FDA counted 209 people in total.[1]
| Setting | What was reported |
|---|---|
| Insomnia studies (small groups, sleep labs) | No significant adverse effects reported[1] |
| Alcohol and opiate withdrawal, 107 inpatients | 9 had brief sweating, headache, nausea or dizziness; 2 had low blood pressure at the first injection; 1 had repeated discomfort with sweating and nausea[1] |
| Opioid detoxification, 7 people | Only 2 finished the schedule; both needed another medicine for insomnia on day 3[5][1] |
| FDA adverse event database | Zero reports for DSIP through March 3, 2024[1] |
The authors of the Geneva withdrawal study described tolerance as good, apart from headaches in a few patients.[3] They also suggested that some side effects were linked to problems dissolving some of the vials, which FDA said was unclear.[1]
Low blood pressure and heart rate
Low blood pressure is the most serious effect reported. In the withdrawal study, two patients developed it at the start of the first injection, and one patient had “progressive” low blood pressure after a second dose; FDA found no further details about that patient.[1]
In rats, a single DSIP injection did not change blood pressure but slowed the heart rate by about 3% in the daytime and about 10% at night.[1] Whether that matters in people is unknown. Anyone with low blood pressure, fainting or a heart rhythm problem has no safety data to go on.
Sleepiness, grogginess and rebound insomnia
- Next-day effects: in a 1987 study of 14 adults with insomnia, daytime alertness and performance rose after a week of IV DSIP, and the authors reported no hangover effect.[4][1]
- Sleep pressure: in a first-in-human study, five of six healthy volunteers felt a “pressure to sleep” right after the infusion, but two hours later they were not sleepy and had no impaired thinking.[1]
- Rebound: some opioid patients treated with DSIP had anxiety and marked insomnia return 24 to 72 hours after stopping, more often when injections were given on request rather than on a schedule.[1] This may reflect withdrawal itself.
Because DSIP may affect alertness and has not been tested with other sedatives, its effects on driving and with alcohol or sleep medicines are unknown.
Unknown risks FDA flagged
FDA reviewed DSIP in 2026 and listed several gaps:[1][2]
- No injection-under-the-skin data: no clinical, safety or absorption studies for the way it is sold.
- No toxicity studies: no repeat-dose, reproductive or standard cancer studies.
- Immune reactions: a 9-amino-acid peptide can trigger an immune response, and FDA notes that injection under the skin generally carries more of this risk than IV use. Clumping of peptide molecules (aggregation) and impurities can add to it.
- Impurities: synthetic DSIP may contain peptide-related impurities from incomplete manufacturing steps, and products often do not say which form they contain.
Could DSIP be addictive?
DSIP’s role in the body is still unclear; no DSIP gene or receptor has been identified.[7] In animal studies, it seems to work at least partly through the body’s opioid (endorphin) system.[1] FDA pointed out that drugs which release endorphins in the brain’s reward areas can be habit-forming, so DSIP could in theory have reinforcing effects. No study has tested this.[1]
This matters most for people with a history of substance use, the very group in which DSIP was once tested for withdrawal.
DSIP and cancer: mouse data only
A Russian DSIP-plus-glycine preparation called Deltaran was injected into female mice for life. Treated mice had 2.6-fold fewer spontaneous tumors and 22.6% fewer chromosome changes in bone marrow, but they also weighed less.[6] FDA cautioned that glycine itself has reported anti-tumor effects, so the results may not be due to DSIP, and that the study was not designed to test cancer risk.[1] There are no human cancer data either way.
Who should be especially cautious
There are no labels for DSIP, so no official warnings exist. Based on the gaps above, these groups have no safety data at all:
- People who are pregnant or breastfeeding (no reproductive studies)[1]
- People with low blood pressure or heart rhythm problems
- People with a history of opioid or other substance use
- People taking other sedating medicines, opioids or alcohol
- People with allergies or autoimmune conditions, given the immune-reaction concern[1]
For dosing details from the studies, see our DSIP dosage guide. For approaches with stronger evidence, see the best peptides for sleep review, which also covers non-peptide options.
Legal status
DSIP is not approved or registered as a drug in any country FDA searched.[1] On July 24, 2026, FDA’s compounding advisers voted 6 to 7, with one abstention, against adding it to the list of substances pharmacies may use, in line with FDA staff advice.[8] FDA has not issued a final decision. See the FDA peptide ban in 2026 for context.
How to report a reaction
If you have a reaction after using DSIP, seek care and tell the clinician exactly what product you used. You can also report problems to FDA’s MedWatch program, which helps fill the gap FDA found when it searched for reports.[1]
Questions to ask a clinician
- Is my sleep problem insomnia, sleep apnea or something else that needs its own treatment?
- Could DSIP interact with my blood pressure, heart or sleep medicines?
- Given my history, is there any reason to worry about dependence?
- Which approved or guideline-backed options should I try first?
This is general information, not medical advice.
