Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide · VIP peptide
Neuropeptide — immune regulation, anti-inflammation, and pulmonary health.
FDA
Research Only
WADA
Not Listed
HALF-LIFE
~1–2 minutes (IV), ~30 min (inhaled)
ROUTE
Intranasal or inhaled
SCHEDULE
2–4× daily
In Plain English
Neuropeptide — immune regulation, anti-inflammation, and pulmonary health.
Status & Legality
NATTY?
No Test ExistsNo established test exists for this compound.
FDA
Research OnlyFor research purposes only. Not FDA approved.
WADA
Not ListedNot currently on WADA prohibited list.
COMPOUNDING
Not from pharmaciesNot available from licensed compounding pharmacies.
PRESCRIBED
Not prescribedNot prescribed in conventional medicine.
ROUTE
Intranasal or inhaledAdministration via intranasal or inhaled.
Immune modulation
Pulmonary hypertension
Anti-inflammatory
CIRS/mold illness
Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) is a 28-amino acid neuropeptide with potent anti-inflammatory, bronchodilating, and immune-regulatory effects. It's widely used in treatment of Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (CIRS), mold illness, and as an adjunct in pulmonary hypertension. Dr. Shoemaker's CIRS protocol uses VIP nasal spray as a final step.
Flushing (inhaled)
Transient hypotension
Headache
Rare: rapid heart rate
Using VIP prematurely in CIRS protocols — VIP is the final step after biotoxin burden is reduced; using too early causes symptom worsening, not improvement
Not having freshly compounded preparations — VIP degrades quickly; preparations more than a few weeks old lose potency
Using in patients still actively exposed to mold — won't work and may exacerbate symptoms if the biotoxin source hasn't been removed
Vasodilators — additive hypotensive effects; monitor blood pressure carefully
Anticholinergics — may reduce VIP's bronchodilating effects
Immunomodulatory compounds — generally synergistic in late-stage CIRS protocols
VIP is a last-step CIRS compound in the Shoemaker protocol — not a first-line treatment. Using it out of sequence, before removing mold exposure and reducing biotoxin burden, reliably worsens CIRS symptoms. In the correct sequence, it produces some of the most dramatic improvements in CIRS patients of any single intervention.
Stats
Sources & Studies
Gonzalez-Rey E. et al., Nat Rev Immunol, 2007