Somatomax is a dietary supplement manufactured by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals. It’s marketed as an HGH booster, sleep aid, muscle builder, and overall recovery aid.
And hey, I try to take recovery pretty seriously. Remember: sleep is essential for building muscle.
So when Nutri Cartel sent me some Somatomax to try out, I was looking forward to trying it out.
Verdict:
Unfortunately, this product is absolutely not for me.
A full serving made me incredibly nauseous and dizzy, leading me to vomit nearly 15 hours after taking it.
When I have alternatives like ASC Supplements’ Sueno Sleep Aid or Huge Supplements’ Hibernate Sleep Aid, I don’t intend to try out Somatomax again.
This is my favorite sleep aid, hands down.
With just one scoop (1/2 a serving), I fall asleep quickly and stay asleep longer.
There is *slight* groginess in the morning but it wears off quickly. Feeling "hungover" from sleep aids is a common issue for me, but not with Sueno.
Discount codes:
LIFTVAULT = 15% off at Nutri Cartel
LIFTVAULT = 15% off at ASC Supplements
To be fair to Hi Tech Pharmaceuticals, they do warn that nausea and dizziness are potential side effects of this product.
Read on if you’d like more details and a full breakdown of the ingredient label.
If you intend to try out Somatomax, I recommend starting off with 1/3 of a scoop so you can see how you respond to 4-amino-3-phenylbutyric acid (aka Phenibut) – as nausea is a well-documented side effect of this ingredient.
As Somatomax contains phenibut, a strong depressant, it will likely be a hit or miss. If you are not sure how you react to phenibut, I recommend starting with a small dose or avoiding this product.
Discount code:
LIFTVAULT = 15% off at Nutri Cartel
My Experience
I took a full serving of Somatomax around 7:00pm, as I was hoping to get to bed around 9:00pm. I started feeling it pretty quickly, probably by 8:00pm or so, so I’d recommend taking this closer to one hour before you intend on going to bed. Apparently it’s typical “onset of action” is 2 to 4 hours, so your mileage may vary.
To Somatomax’s credit, I slept like a rock. I don’t remember if I woke up during the night, but I definitely didn’t have much trouble falling or staying asleep. For that reason, I included it on my list of best recovery supplements for night time.
It was the waking up that was difficult.
Luckily it wasn’t a training morning for me, but there was no way in hell I would have been able to make it to the gym that morning. I was super dizzy and nauseous. I woke up and just laid around until I had to work. I had to take a few breaks throughout the day because of how bad I felt, eventually puking around 11:00 am, nearly 16 hours after I had taken Somatomax.
I eventually started feeling a bit better by late afternoon, but basically I lost about 24 hours to this.
So really… I do not recommend this supplement unless you have experience with Phenibut and know how you respond to it. Otherwise, I’d recommend trying another sleep aid like Hibernate or Hypnos. They actually provide me with productive sleep and don’t mess me up with negative side effects.
Somatomax Ingredients
Here’s the ingredients label for Somatomax. As you can see, it’s a proprietary blend so we don’t know exactly how much of each ingredient is used in a serving of Somatomax. Given my disastrous experience with this product, that probably would have been useful information to disclose.
Phenibut
This is the real star of the show.
Phenibut is a depressant and can be used to treat anxiety, insomnia, and other conditions that depressants can be helpful for treating (e.g. alcohol withdrawal).
It can be used recreationally, incur a tolerance, and cause withdrawal. Then again, so can caffeine, but if you have issues with substance abuse and addiction then this is probably an ingredient you will want to stay away from.
As I am someone in recovery, I should have done a better job of vetting this ingredient. That’s on me. But really, I didn’t experience any significant euphoria from this product. I just felt sleepy, then dizzy, then nauseous.
It has a half life of over 5 hours, which means you’ll still have about ~25% of your initial dosage in your system after 10 hours. So if you take too much, like I did, it’ll take a while to pass.
But hey, you can’t say it doesn’t work…
Gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA)
We’ve seen GABA before, most notably in products like Dark Energy (at a very low dose) or Hibernate (at a higher dose, since Hibernate is a sleep aid). It’s typically a “downer” that can anecdotally have sedative effects, though oral supplementation is not well researched.
GABA is a neurotransmitter that is critical for the regulation of depressive and sedative actions in the brain as well as general relaxation. It also can enhance the metabolism of growth hormone.
GABA is also included in some pre workouts like Dark Energy to help take the “edge” off of higher stimulant doses.
Mucuna Pruriens extract (50% L-Dopa)
Also known as Velvet Bean, mucuna pruriens extract is a traditional herbal supplement with minor dopamine increasing and cortisol reducing effects, among other things.
One of the more reliable effects it has is a noticeable reduction in Parkinson’s Disease symptoms, though that is not relevant here.
L-Arginine HCL
Arginine is required to create nitric oxide in the body, but interestingly it has performed unreliably in studies when measuring blood flow increases. This is thought to be due to poorer bioavailability of L-Arginine vs. other supplements like L-Citrulline, which is processed in the kidneys and turned into arginine there.
Honestly not sure why L-Arginine is included here.
L-Tyrosine
L-Tyrosine helps “smooth out” some of the harsher effects of stimulants and is often included as a “focus” ingredient in supplements.
Some limited research also shows it can act as a cognitive booster in stressful environments.
L-Phenylalanine
L-phenylalanine is one of the nine essential amino acids. It helps assist with the production of tyrosine, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine.
Vitamin B6
Vitamin B6 can help improve mood and reduce feelings of depression.
Frequently Asked Questions about Somatomax
How much phenibut is in Somatomax?
Unfortunately, because Somatomax uses a proprietary ingredient blend it is impossible to determine how much phenibut is contained in each serving.
Supplement Warehouse, which is owned by the manufacturer of Somatomax, claims there is “2 to 3 grams” of Phenibut in each serving. Well, which is it? There’s a 50% difference between those two amounts.
Can I buy Somatomax on Amazon?
No, you cannot buy Somatomax on Amazon. Please see the “Where to Buy” section for an updated list of retailers.
Can I buy Somatomax at GNC?
No, you cannot buy Somatomax at GNC. Please see the “Where to Buy” section for an updated list of retailers.
As Somatomax contains phenibut, a strong depressant, it will likely be a hit or miss. If you are not sure how you react to phenibut, I recommend starting with a small dose or avoiding this product.
Discount code:
LIFTVAULT = 15% off at Nutri Cartel
Somatomax Review
Summary
I learned I am sensitive to phenibut. As a result, a full serving of Somatomax was way too much for me and I had many hours of nausea and dizzyness. For me, this product is not a good fit.
Pros
- Helped me fall asleep and stay asleep
Cons
- Nausea
- Dizzyness
- Lasts too long, well into the next day
